{"id":4630,"date":"2016-01-06T16:10:22","date_gmt":"2016-01-06T16:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysiteauditor.com\/blog\/?p=4630"},"modified":"2023-06-29T08:49:51","modified_gmt":"2023-06-29T08:49:51","slug":"10-top-image-optimization-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysiteauditor.com\/blog\/10-top-image-optimization-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Super IMPORTANT Image Optimization SEO Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

Search engines can’t see images, so it’s up to you to help them better understand your images. This will help them better connect you with your target audience. You also need to optimize your images for people, because people are impatient; and the longer it takes your site to open, the more likely your visitors\u00a0will “bounce” off your site and go somewhere else. Because of that,\u00a0search engines have started penalizing websites that open too slowly<\/strong> on desktop computers and mobile devices. In this post\u00a0I’m going to show you how to properly optimize your images, which will lead to higher rankings, more traffic, and more sales.<\/p>\n

1. Reduce image size<\/h2>\n

Search engines know that people are impatient, so you have about 3 seconds to load a page on your site before your visitor\u00a0bounces off your site and goes to a\u00a0competitor’s site. High bounces rates and super slow load times are\u00a0a recipe for low rankings, low visitors and low sales. So, what do you do? Simple, don’t upload giant, massive images that take forever to load.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Reduce file dimensions<\/strong>
    \nIf the space for your image is 500px by 500px, don’t upload an image that’s 3,000px by 3,000px. Upload an image that’s 500px by 500px.<\/li>\n
  2. Reduce file size<\/strong>
    \nIf you just snapped a really cool photo on your DSLR, that would be absolutely perfect for your blog post, make sure you check the size of that image before using it. Unless you’re selling photos, there no reason to upload 5, 10, and 15 mb images. You’re killing your load time. Use photoshop or an image size reduction tool. There are tons of free ones online.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    http:\/\/www.reduceimages.com
    \n<\/a>    http:\/\/jpeg-optimizer.com
    \n<\/a>    http:\/\/webresizer.com
    \n<\/a>    http:\/\/compressjpeg.com
    \n<\/a>    http:\/\/www.resize-photos.com<\/a><\/p>\n

    2. Keyword optimized file names<\/h2>\n

    The better a search engine understands the content on your site (text and images) the easier they can connect you with your target market. Since search engine robots can’t see your images, help them understand your image better by changing the file name to something a human or search engine can read.<\/p>\n

    [att_highlight color=”green”]Correct: \/images\/boston-home-remodeling.jpg[\/att_highlight]<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    [att_highlight color=”red”]Incorrect: \/images\/pic54a.jpg[\/att_highlight]<\/p>\n

    Note:<\/h4>\n

    Try to stick your target keyword in at least one file name if it naturally fits. Don’t over do it, or risk the wrath of Google and other major search engines.<\/p>\n

    3. Keyword optimized ALT tags<\/h2>\n

    ALT (alternative) tags specifically describe images to search engines. Use ALT tags wisely but don’t abuse them. Try to describe your image to search engines using ALT tags.<\/p>\n

    [att_highlight color=”green”]<img src=”” alt=”Photo of our Bostong Home remodeling Company”>[\/att_highlight]<\/p>\n

    Note:<\/h4>\n

    ALT tags are very important to the blind as well. Special software that reads web pages to the blind also\u00a0read ALT tags\u00a0to describe images to users who can’t see them.<\/p>\n

    4. Add an image sitemap<\/h2>\n

    An XML image site helps search engines find and properly index each image on your site. Google highly recommends using them; and therefore, so do I. However, unless you\u00a0have massive amounts of images on your\u00a0site, I don’t recommend creating an image sitemap.<\/p>\n

    Free Image Sitemap Generators:<\/h4>\n

    http:\/\/www.angeldigital.marketing\/image-sitemap
    \nUdinra All Image Sitemap (WordPress)
    \nSitemap Generator (WordPress)
    \n<\/a><\/p>\n

    Note:<\/h4>\n

    After you create an image sitemap, be sure to submit it to Webmaster Tools<\/p>\n

    5. Use captions<\/h2>\n

    You know what captions are. They’ve been around\u00a0much longer than websites. A caption is the supportive text below an image. It’s a sentence or two that clearly describes what’s happening in the image. Of course people read captions, but so do search engines. I highly recommend using captions because people on the web often skim information, looking for bits and piece of information. Captions will jump out to them.<\/p>\n

    \"Image<\/a>
    A sunny day in the mountains.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    6. Use compressed image types<\/h2>\n

    When uploading files make sure you upload either a GIF, PNG or JPG. These files types are compressed versions of the original image, and therefore open much faster.<\/p>\n

    [att_highlight color=”blue”]GIF, PNG, or JPG[\/att_highlight]<\/p>\n

    7.\u00a0Alternate image hosting<\/h2>\n

    If you have a lots of images or giant images that you must use, then consider an alternative host for your images, especially if your server is super slow or on a shared environment. Below are a couple free image hosting sites.<\/p>\n