Ways to Optimise Images for Search Engine Optimisation That Are in Line with Best Practices

Although we often talk about how to make content more visible to search engines, SEO is more than just that. Actually, it’s not at all. Images are more important to SEO than most people know. 

If you don’t optimise your images for search results, your page will load more slowly, which will result in fewer site visitors and fewer conversions. 

Yes, it can be that bad. But don’t worry! How to conduct image SEO like a pro will be explained by your SEO experts from Pixel Juice Digital Marketing Glasgow so that every part of your website serves your needs. 

Importance of Image Optimisation

An SEO image case can benefit from the following data. When a website loads slowly, almost 70% of people will decide not to make an online transaction. That is a lot. Furthermore, 20% or so of searches are for Google Photos. This may seem like a small number, but keep in mind that there are approximately 9 million Google searches conducted per minute, which includes visual search. 

These figures illustrate the importance of optimising your images for SEO. Google is also pretty clever and enjoys rewarding quick pages. This just implies that slow loading brought on by a lack of image SEO may become a serious issue, one that may exist from the very first minute a visitor lands on the home page of your website. 

By making modifications to the images as part of your SEO strategy, including optimising image file sizes, you may increase site performance and user experience. And with a few basic best practices, it’s easy to do. 

Proper Name Images for SEO

Search engines look at the names of your files and use them to figure out what the image is. Instead of naming your files “IMG_1234.jpg,” use more descriptive titles such as “modern-sofa-living-room.jpg.”

Don’t be too specific, though. Keep it brief and to the point, with a few appropriate search terms sprinkled throughout. The balance you achieve when choosing SEO file names is everything. Also, use hyphens to separate words for easier reading. Overall, consider your filename to be the image’s initial keyword opportunity. 

The Appropriate File Format

There are a number of file types to choose from. They aren’t all made equal, of course. To really create an impact, pick the best one. 

• The most popular option used to be JPEG. It works well with photos, and the format can reduce the file size without sacrificing quality. To maximise site speed, optimizing image dimensions is crucial. So, whether you’re working with images or complex images, JPEG will almost always win. 
• Next is PNG. That one is ideal for text-containing pictures or graphics. Choose PNG if you want your lines to be clearer and more defined, or if your picture has your brand’s name on it.
• These days, WebP and AVIF are better than JPEG at providing comparisons without sacrificing quality. To get the best results, use WebP whenever you can.

To summarise, use WebP whenever possible, depend on JPEG for complex SEO images, and save PNG for graphics and situations requiring transparency. 

Compress Image Size Without Affecting Quality

We have both the name and the formats. Let’s now talk about image size. Large images will cause your page to load more slowly, which has a direct effect on image search optimisation. There are 2 ways to compress images:

1. Lossless compression

Reduces file size without sacrificing image quality or data. Perfect copies of the original picture can be made.

2. Lossy Compression

Reduces file size by eliminating certain image data, which may result in a tiny decrease in quality. The quality loss increases with compression.

How much you have to compress it really depends on how big it was to begin with. Aim for an image size of less than 100KB as a general rule to ensure that your website functions properly. Finding the perfect image size to enhance efficiency without sacrificing quality and aesthetic appeal on screen is important.  

So what about the dimensions?

We recommend that you upload a large image just in case. This will make things take longer. Always use the right display size for your design and follow this one rule: think mobile first. Your visuals need to look good on all screen sizes. 

Alt Text for Image SEO

Alt text is an aspect of picture SEO that serves two purposes. First, it helps those who are blind or visually challenged understand what is in your article and enhances the overall accessibility of your web page. Second, it provides search engines with useful context and a description, which helps it understand your image for search results, particularly in Google Image searches. 

Effective Alt text use requires that it remain descriptive and natural. For example, a sentence like “Bright modern kitchen with round marble dining table” will work better than a series of poorly chosen keywords that hardly make sense. Keep your keyword stuffing to a minimum and use relevant terms when needed. When you write alt text, you should always put people first, ensuring it helps search engines understand the content of the image. The SEO benefits will come easily.

Images that support the surrounding content

Google can interpret images within the context of your page, but it is unable to see them directly, highlighting the importance of using alt text to help search engines. But what does that mean? Keeping your images close to relevant text is vital for the best possible image optimisation for your website. Use titles, captions, and other descriptive phrases. Choosing images that complement the surrounding content is important. 

What works best is to surround your image with SEO optimised prose that includes keywords and offers the user relevant and valuable information. That’s how Google will make the connections. Every image you use on your page should feel like it’s an important part of the story it’s trying to tell. 

Conclusion

Although image optimisation might not seem like much, it has a significant impact on how well your website works. Image optimisation can make your website load faster, rank high in search engines and create a better user experience. With just simple steps like using clear file names, using the right image formats, compressing image size, proper alt text and relevant surrounding content can make a huge difference in your site’s success

We at Pixel Juice Digital Marketing Glasgow specialise in assisting businesses in every aspect of their website, including image optimisation, so that they will load faster, rank higher and with better conversions. Our team is ready to assist you every step of the way.

Book a video call today at Pixel Juice Digital Marketing Glasgow to learn more about our image sitemap services. Let us help you improve your website’s performance and visibility online.