Images make an article come to life, as well as add to the design of your site. But, it can also contribute to your website’s SEO. It’s important to choose the best images possible. Learn how to fully optimize an image for SEO and get some pointers on using images for the best user experience.
Finding the right image
It’s always better to use fresh images – photos you have taken yourself – instead of stock photos. Your article or blog should have an image that is relevant to the subject. If you’re adding a random picture to get it out of the way, you’re doing it wrong. The image should match the topic of the post or have descriptive purposes within the article. Also, try to set the image near the related text. If you have the main image or an image that you’re trying to rank, try to keep that towards the top of the page if that’s possible.
Preparing images for use in your article
After you have found the right image – whether it’s a photo, illustration, or chart – the following step is to optimize it to use on your website.
1. Choose the right filename
Image SEO begins with the file name. You want Google to be able to know what the image is about without having to even look at it, so use your focus keyphrase in the image file name. If you’re writing an article about the Eiffel Tower and using an image showing a sunrise in Paris over the Eiffel Tower, the file name shouldn’t be DSC8512.jpg. A good name for the file would be Eiffel-tower-Paris-sunrise.jpg. The beginning of the file name should have the main subject of the photo and article.
2. Choose the right format
The right format doesn’t exist for images; it depends on the kind of image and how you want to use it. It is recommended:
- Choose JPEG for bigger photos or illustrations: it will give you excellent results in terms of colors and clarity with small file size.
- Use PNG if you want to protect background transparency in your image
- You can also opt to use WebP instead of JPEG and PNG. It will provide high-quality results with a file size that’s smaller.
- Use SVG for logos or icons. Using CSS or JavaScript, you can manage images in SVG format, which can help to resize them without losing the quality.
When you’ve picked the right name and format, then it’s time to resize and optimize your image!
Contact Boston Web Marketing
Boston Web Marketing can help you with optimizing images for your site. We want to help you achieve the best results possible! Contact us for SEO services in the Boston area. Give us a call at 857-526-0096 or fill out our contact form for more information.