Images are a fundamental component of a website’s content. They grab visitors’ attention while complimenting text and/or conveying new ideas. Unfortunately, though, many webmasters neglect the basics of optimization before uploading images to their websites. Even if an image “looks” fine, it may lack certain elements that could improve its exposure in the search engines. Below are some suggestions for how to optimize your site’s images for search engines.

Choose a Relevant File Name

The first step in optimizing an image is to give it a relevant file name. By default, images often use a generic, nondescript file name consisting of letters and numbers. By renaming the image file to reflect its content, however, you’ll create greater transparency among visitors and search engines alike.

Alt Text Tag

Be sure to give every image a relevant alt text tag. This tag serves a few different purposes, one of which is to assist users with visual disabilities. If a person cannot see an image, he or she may rely on other information like the alt text tag to determine what is about. Furthermore, search engines may also use this information to assist in their search ranking algorithm.

Here’s an example of the alt text tag being used:
<img src=”dog-running.gif” alt=”Dog running” >

Captions

While not necessarily required for all images, adding captions can still offer some SEO benefits. If you add an image along an article, for instance, create a caption with a key fact or statistic from the article. Studies have shown that readers’ eyes tend to focus on images and their respective captions, making this an effective technique for enhancing your content.

Don’t leave your search optimization to chance. Contact us today for more information on how to get the most out of your image posts.

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