Business Daily Media

Men's Weekly

.

A Guide To Optimizing Your Website Imagery For SEO



It’s not enough to pick some fancy imagery for your website. Yes, the aesthetics are important, but if your imagery isn’t sized and optimized accordingly it can end up doing more harm than good. With that in mind, here’s a bite-size guide to properly optimizing your website’s imagery for SEO.


1. Resize accordingly


There’s a difference between image size and file size and both are equally important. E.g.,
  • 1280 x 720 pixels for an image.
  • 350 kilobytes in file storage.

Naturally, the higher the resolution on your images, the more they will invariably slow down your page load speed (which is a ranking factor in Google).
  • Save the appropriate file type (JPEG for lots of colour / PNG for simple imagery).
  • Compress accordingly (programmes like Adobe Photoshop can compress imagery exceptionally well without compromising quality).
  • Test your page load speed regularly.

2. Name your imagery properly


This is a big one that is often overlooked; your image file names should be optimized properly with the relevant, descriptive keywords separated by hyphens. For example:
  • Woman-in-suit-analysing-data.png.

3. Use alt tags


While your website visitors can recognise the imagery, Google’s search engine spiders will need a little more guidance; which is where alt tags come in. Using alternative text, Google will be able to index your images accordingly.
Not only that, but well-written alt text can also provide context for visually impaired website visitors as well, thus making your website more accessible and inclusive.
  • Main-keyword-followed-by-description-of-image.

4. Make sure your images are ‘mobile-friendly’


Google’s search algorithm uses a mobile-first approach when indexing which means that if your website doesn’t have a mobile version, you’ll struggle to rank optimally (that and you’ll lose a lot of potential business as well when mobile users invariably abandon your website for one that has a responsive design).
Certain website builders may automatically resize for mobile use, however, you may need to add some custom CSS within your website in order to achieve this.


5. Use unique imagery


Using stock photos doesn’t hurt your SEO rankings, however, it doesn’t help them either. The fact is, tonnes of other websites will likely be using the exact same images.
Think of using stock imagery as using duplicated content. Instead, you should be writing unique content of your own – including powerful, on-brand imagery that has been designed especially for you. This is even more important with an online store; you should take your own photos of your products as opposed to pinching from elsewhere.
Furthermore, certain stock images are woefully overused and a little bit boring. There’s nothing worse than visiting an digital marketing agency website and seeing the same recycled images of people in suits sitting around in a meeting room laughing hysterically and having far too good a time.
Upload imagery to your website with purpose!


Final thoughts


With the above 5 key image optimizations in mind, you’ll get so much more out of your website. Just remember, it’s all about keeping your page load speed down, providing context for Google’s spiders (and your visually impaired visitors), and using unique imagery that serves a clear purpose.

The quiet majority: why marketers need to cater to low intent shoppers

When shoppers are browsing online, whether for a new phone, holiday, or pair of shoes, they usually know exactly where they stand. Sometimes they’...

Lack of Salary Transparency is Costing Businesses Top Talent, Says Recruiters

As end-of-financial-year reviews approach, new research reveals a growing disconnect between Australian employers and employees on the issue of sa...

Sleep Soundly, Knowing Your People Are Paid Right: Navigating the Complexities of Modern Payroll

The Role of Modern Payroll Modern payroll systems are essential to any organization's financial infrastructure in today's rapidly evolving business...

Tariffs for dummies: Getting to grips with the business of exporting goods and services

It pays to understand how the international taxation system works before you start selling abroad. Take a glance at the business news just now an...

Deputy Unveils Enterprise-Grade Analytics+ to Power Smarter Workforce Decisions for Shift-Based Businesses

Deputy, the world’s leading workforce management platform for shift work, today announced the global launch of Deputy Analytics+, a next-generatio...

UNSW startup accelerator offers $200K to the next generation of Australian deeptech unicorns

UNSW Founders, Australia’s most recommended startup accelerator, has partnered with fund manager Luminary Partners to invest $200,000 each into 18...

Sell by LayBy