Image SEO

What is Image SEO?

Image SEO refers to optimizing images on your website so that they are indexed and ranked by search engines, improving your website's overall visibility.

Why is Image SEO Important?

• Improves user experience through faster loading and quality visuals.
• Enhances website accessibility for users with disabilities using screen readers.
• Increases visibility in Google Image Search, bringing additional traffic.
• Boosts overall SEO rankings by optimizing page speed and content relevance.

Key Practices for Image SEO

1. Choose the Right File Format

   Use file formats that balance quality and size:

   • JPEG: Ideal for high-quality images with minimal file size.
   • PNG: Suitable for images requiring transparency.
   • WebP: Modern format that offers high quality and smaller file sizes.

2. Optimize Image Size

   Resize images to fit your website's layout and avoid using unnecessarily large files. Tools like TinyPNG or ImageCompressor can help reduce file size without sacrificing quality.

3. Use Descriptive File Names

   Rename image files to include relevant keywords. For example, instead of IMG1234.jpg, use blue-running-shoes.jpg.

4. Optimize Alt Text

   Add alternative text (alt text) that describes the image's content. This helps search engines understand the image and improves accessibility. Example:

   <img src="blue-shoes.jpg" alt="Blue running shoes for men">

5. Use Captions and Surrounding Text

   Provide captions or context for images to help users and search engines understand their relevance to the content.

6. Leverage Image Sitemaps

   Create an image sitemap to help search engines discover and index your images. Example:

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
   <urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"
       xmlns:image="http://www.google.com/schemas/sitemap-image/1.1">
     <url>
       <loc>http://example.com/page.html</loc>
       <image:image>
         <image:loc>http://example.com/image.jpg</image:loc>
       </image:image>
     </url>
   </urlset>
                       

Examples

Good Image Optimization

<img src="red-backpack.jpg" alt="Red backpack for school use" width="800" height="600"> 

The image file name is descriptive, and the alt text provides additional context.

Bad Image Optimization

<img src="IMG001.jpg" alt=""> 

The file name is generic, and alt text is missing, reducing accessibility and SEO value.