From using the right keywords to writing catchy meta descriptions, optimising your content for search engines requires several strategies. But did you know Google considers more than 200 factors when determining website ranks for their first page?
And SEO-optimised images are a big part of the overall ranking structure.
However, image optimisation is more than uploading pleasing pictures on your website. It’s not just about making images look appealing but also about striking a perfect balance between what people like and what Google prefers.
In this article, we will explore seven tips for enhancing SEO impact through images. These strategies will help you populate your website with visual content that attracts customers while excelling in the competitive landscape.
What is Image Optimisation?
Image optimisation refers to the process of delivering images with optimal dimensions and resolution, all while keeping the file size as low as possible to ensure fast loading times on webpages.
Image optimisation can be performed either manually or by utilising an external website to automate the process. While using a website for image optimisation is easy and convenient, the manual method gives you greater control over your images.
When done correctly, optimised images can provide several benefits, such as:
- Results in faster loading times
- Enhances the user’s experience
- Helps with SEO ranking
- More conversions
- Saves precious memory and bandwidth
Tips to Optimise Images For SEO
Images are, without a doubt, the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to uplifting your website’s visual aesthetics.
However, when not optimised, they can cause significant lag on the website. This can make the user’s experience worse, resulting in less traffic and loss of potential customers. Moreover, Google also penalises websites with high loading times by ranking them lower.
According to a survey, 67% of 2,500 online shoppers in the UK stated that slow websites were the main reason for changing their mind regarding a purchase they intended to make.
Following are some tips to keep in mind when adding images to your next webpage.
- Use Unique and Relevant Images
While there is no lack of free and decent-quality images on the internet, it should be noted that they often lack originality and creativity. To maximise the authenticity of your websites, it is recommended to hire an experienced photographer to take photos or buy premium images from reliable sources.
Besides originality, images need to be relevant as well. Ensure your selected pictures align with your website’s content to enhance the user’s experience. Remember: Google takes the relevancy of the photos into account while ranking your website on its front page.
- Choose the Right Format
Though there is no right or wrong format for an image, adding media files with the relevant formats helps with optimisation. Following are some common image formats and their uses.
- JPEG: It is most commonly used for detailed and high-resolution images. JPEG pictures also have compression capabilities. It is beneficial if you don’t mind the transparency loss.
- PNG: Similar to JPEG, PNG has good compression capabilities and can display detailed images. But PNG also supports the display of images with transparent backgrounds.
- WEBP: It is a popular format that inserts high-resolution images without taking huge chunks of memory.
- SVG: Unlike other formats that consist of pixels, SVG(Scalable Vector Graphics) is composed of mathematical equations and can be scaled to any size without losing quality and details.
- GIF: GIF is a small and simple animation format. It is helpful to add moving elements to your website without adding a video.
- Resize Accordingly
High-quality images can help gather a crowd for your website. However, they are often very spacy and heavy for the webpage. That’s where image resizing comes in.
Image resizing can be done manually or by using an external tool. Generally, websites like Resizing. App or Image Smaller is recommended instead of manual resizing, as this can be a time-consuming and tedious task.
Apart from compression, you can also edit the dimensions of your image for better symmetry and readability of the webpage.
- Write Alt Texts and Captions
Some people consider Alt texts and captions useless, and they couldn’t be more wrong. Both of these additions to your image can massively improve the user’s experience and ranking of your website.
Captions convey a brief summarisation of the image, catering to users who are confused or curious about what is happening in the image. This can help improve the clarity and flow of your website.
Alt Texts primarily caters to visually impaired internet users who take the aid of a screen reader to access the web page. They are also visible to those who can’t load the image for some reason on their devices. Above all, Alt text is used by Google to find relevance to your article, which can improve your chances of making it to the first page.
- Implement Proper File Names
Before inserting an image, take your time to rename the file to something relevant. You must have noticed the file names of images saved on your phone as “IMG7690.jpg.” Instead of leaving it as it is, rename the image to something descriptive and relevant.
While most people will never see the image name unless they download it, it can help Google understand what the image is about. This greatly impacts the chances of your image popping in front rows on the image tab when a related keyword is browsed.
- Make Images Mobile Friendly
Some people who make websites using a desktop often forget about mobile devices. Around 58% of all traffic comes from mobile phones, so you don’t want to ignore them.
Take advantage of a responsive design framework or tools that automatically adjust the size and resolution of your images according to the user’s device. Once the sizes are verified, do check your images on the webpage from multiple mobile devices before publishing them to ensure everything looks as it should.
Making each image mobile-friendly and compatible can be difficult at first. However, you can ensure your website retains the attention of mobile users by following the right tips and tricks.
- Add Image Structure Data
Adding structure data is an effective way to uplift your site’s visibility to the audience. Structured data helps Google understand your page and images better. If done correctly, structure data can help images show as “Rich Snippets” along with your website.
The rich snippets don’t only display the visual but also relevant information next to the web content, enhancing your site’s visibility.
Suppose you run a game-oriented blog. When an interested person searches for a particular game, a rich snippet could showcase an image from your blog along with some information provided on the website.
Conclusion
In conclusion, image optimisation is necessary for an effective SEO strategy. By implementing the right strategy, you can increase the visibility of your website, improve user engagement, and retain their attention.
As we discussed above, It’s not about looks only!
With online users prioritising site speed, optimising images has become crucial to attracting visitors. Keep these tips in mind when you are considering a web design service. You will definitely get more audience than you get now. So, take your time catering to image optimisation, and watch your website excel on competitive grounds.
