For social media and for search, your images matter.
Optimising your images can make a difference to your site’s traffic, from 30,000 clicks a month from Pinterest to appearing in position 1 or 2 on a Google search.
Images affect speed, usability, search and more. In 15 minutes you can make a difference and make your images work for you.
Let’s get started learning how!
Table of contents
Images – why you should use them
Images are at the forefront of Google search. Depending on the country, they appear in position 1, 2 and 3 in a search result.
People use images to search for particular things – it’s why Pinterest is so popular because certain categories lead to image searches more than others. So utilise it.
People click through from image searches as they already can see what they are getting in terms of recipes, activities, products and so on.
BUT also… in an image search, people scroll and scroll. Unlike with web results, they are more likely to scroll down 6 or 7 times than not! This means you have more opportunities for people to find you for the content they’re looking for.
Image Optimisation
Image optimisation is vital because not doing doesn’t just mean readers don’t find you. Not doing it can actively hurt your site.
The good news is, image optimisation can easily become a process that you learn and do over time — second nature whenever you create or update a post on your blog or site.
Step 1: Use images!
First you have to use them in your posts. From infographics and charts to pretty home décor, put in images where you can. This may sound obvious and basic, but good images help make good content.
Step 2: Make sure they aren’t too big
Don’t let images slow your site down – try and keep the file size small. This means ideally keeping the size under 100kb per image for a site heavy with images. If you have fewer images on your site, you have a little more leeway with the size of them.
Also think about your images’ physical size – you don’t need a 2500px wide image if you have a sidebar on your site, as your body content is only around 800px wide in the first place. Adjust and crop the size of your images before you upload so you save on space and load times for your pages.
Step 3: Make images count
The fields that describe your images are a vital part of image optimisation.
Image filename: Naming your picture file ‘img_4576’ means nothing. Naming it ‘step 1 of making slow cooker fudge’ has the keyword and described the image itself. Win-win.
Image title field: In addition to the image filename, you also have an image title field to fill in when you upload the image. An image title can be the same as the image name but can also be different! A filename is a separated by hyphens. Your title can have spaces and read fully so you have more ability to sell your content.
Alt text: Alt text fields are for users and should clearly describe the image. An example would be ‘preschooler pouring milk chocolate chips into a slow cooker to make homemade fudge recipe’. Note that it describes what’s happening in the image but goes a little further by mentioning the actual recipe and so includes the keywords ‘slow cooker’ and ‘homemade fudge’ and ‘recipe’.
Where you put images: Consider where you place your image, what is the text around it, is it relevant to the place in the post where you have it. Remember that Google and other Search Engines just read the text and code, so the alt text in your images needs to be relevant to the text around it to have any impact in SEO.
What your images are: When choosing images for your content, think social. You want images that catch the eye, drive traffic, build your communities. They should be colourful, dynamic, and definitely in focus. They should fit the mood of your content. Unsure if your images fit the bill? Visit leading sites in your content area and notice what makes you excited to click and read.
Your 15-minute Action Plan
From your 5-minute Action Plan, you’ve gone to your post on mobile to make sure the image looks good and works for the page.
Now you have a little more time adjust that image. Can you tell what the post is about? Is the image relevant to what the post is about? Does it make you want to click?
Time to make it show the best in the square — that is, the best image compared with the other ones readers will be scrolling through on image search.
Adjust your image titles — Make sure that they are relevant, have a keyword in them and are not your normal file name straight from your camera.
Write a descriptive alt tag for the image – Think of your user first. This is what a screen reader would read to someone out loud. There’s no limit on characters and it’s a great opportunity to use your alternative and long keywords.
Read around the image – Is it in the best position? For example, is it next to the text describing this step of the recipe or illustrating the content it is near? If not, move it to where it fits and make sure the text makes sense in conjunction with the image.
Once you start using this process, it can become an automatic part of creating new content, making your posts more visually exciting and your images a strong part of your SEO strategy!
