While performing SEO, image optimization is among the most overlooked elements. It’s no surprise then, that many people don’t know the secrets behind advanced image SEO and how it can be used to get the most out of your website’s SEO.
The goal of image SEO is to help search engines understand the content of an image and then rank it accordingly. This helps to get more organic traffic and leads to higher visibility in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).
When it comes to optimizing images for SEO, there are a few key strategies that you should employ. This article will explore the most important strategies for advanced image SEO.
Whether you have an in-house team or you are planning to hire the best SEO company in India, knowing these tips will always help.
Why optimize images of your website?
Many business owners wonder why they need to optimize their images; after all, are not just pictures? The answer is yes – but optimizing your images can help boost the visibility of your website. Here are some of the main benefits:
- Increased organic traffic – Optimizing images can help them show up in relevant searches, thereby bringing more organic traffic to your website.
- Improved usability – Optimizing images can make them easier for visitors to find, which leads to a better user experience.
- Increased conversion rate – Optimized images can improve the visibility of your website, thus increasing the chances of visitors converting into leads or customers.
- Increased website speed – Optimized images can reduce the loading time of your website, which helps to improve its ranking in search results.
How to optimize images for SEO?
Now that you know why image optimization is important, let’s take a look at some of the most effective ways to perform image SEO:
The originality of the images:
It is important to make sure that your images are original. This means that you should avoid using stock photos, as these can be seen as duplicate content.
However, if you need to use stock images, ensure that they are original and high-quality. Give the credit to the original source of the image and include a link to it.
Google and other search engines pay a lot of attention to the originality of the overall content and images play a huge role. That’s the reason it’s important to ensure that your images are unique.
Alt Text:
Alt text is the text associated with an image, which tells search engines what the image is about. When adding an image, make sure to include alt text that describes the content of the image accurately and includes relevant keywords.
The length of your alt text should be between 125 characters or less; anything longer than this won’t be read by search engines. If you’re using WordPress, you can find the alt-text field in the “Attachment Details” section of your media library.
Size and resolution also matter:
It’s better to follow the already fixed image sizes respective to different types of devices. This can help to improve the loading time and user experience, while also improving your image SEO.
Also, make sure that you save your images in the correct file format; for example, save photographs as JPEGs and vectors or logos as PNGs.
Besides size, you should also pay attention to the resolution of your images. If they are too pixelated or low-quality, people will be less likely to click on them, leading to lower organic traffic.
Moreover, to improve the page loading speed and user experience, make sure to compress your images.
Optimizing your image’s URL structure:
Whether you go for the best SEO packages or do the SEO in-house, it’s important that you optimize the URL structure of your images.
This involves removing any unnecessary characters, such as numbers, symbols, or spaces from the image URLs.
Furthermore, it’s a good practice to add keywords to your image URLs. However, avoid keyword stuffing and make sure that the URL is still meaningful and relevant to the content of your website.
Moreover, you should also ensure that the images are placed in an organized directory structure, as this can help to improve their visibility.
Copyright infringement:
Most website owners overlook copyright laws while optimizing their images. However, it is important to remember that you cannot use images without the permission of the original owner. If you do, you may be held liable for copyright infringement.
Therefore, always make sure that you have the necessary permissions before using an image on your website.
If you need to use stock images, ensure that you buy them from a reputable source and give credit to the original owner. Instead of this, you can also use royalty-free or Creative Commons images.
EXIF and IPTC:
EXIF and IPTC are two important terms associated with image SEO. EXIF stands for Exchangeable Image File Format, which stores information about the camera settings used to create the image. This includes exposure time, ISO speed, shutter speed, etc.
Similarly, IPTC is an acronym for International Press Telecommunications Council and it stores metadata such as keywords, authorship information, title, and copyright notices.
Both of these terms are essential for image SEO as they can help search engines to better understand the content of the image.
To optimize your images for SEO, you can use EXIF and IPTC to add additional information about them. This can help make your images more discoverable and increase the visibility of your website.
Wrapping up!
Optimizing your images for SEO is essential for improving the ranking of your website. This can be done by ensuring that you have unique, high-quality images that are adequately compressed and optimized for different devices.
Furthermore, make sure to include relevant keywords in the alt text and optimize the URLs of your images as well.
Finally, always remember to obey copyright laws and give due credit to the original owners of your images. Following these simple tips can help you significantly improve your image SEO and take your website to the next level. If you don’t have an in-house team, hire the top SEO company and get started with image SEO.
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