You may have heard about how search engine picks up websites using the site’s content. This is all well and good but what if you want to promote images in your website? Can search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo! optimize these as well?
In reality…
Search engines cannot read or understand images. It’s up to you, as the site creator or the site owner to optimize images for your site. Optimizing is preparing the images or pictures that you will post on your website, blog or business site so that search engine bots will know what these images are.
Here are ways to make your images SEO-friendly
1. Reduce image size
Avoid using high resolution images for your webpage. Although these are stunning images that will stand out these will only make your website loading time slower. Uploading a higher resolution image will make a browser work two times more than uploading a smaller-sized image. Now this is just for one image; what if your site has hundreds of images?
Double check the size of the images you will be posting especially the ones you will be placing on your main content area. Experts recommend the main image to be only 600 pixels wide while images on the side bar should only be 300 pixels wide.
2. Using descriptive terms for your file names
WordPress uses your image file name as the title of your image when it is uploaded to your site. Because of this the CMS will need to go back every time it has to upload the image to adjust the title. So it is more efficient to upload images with your own descriptive file names.
Usually file names are saved as jumbled letters and numbers and this makes it hard for engine bots to find your image. So save your image with a descriptive file name before you upload this to your site.
3. Using relevant images
When choosing images, select those that are relevant for your website or blog. This will improve the way Google and other search engines to find you online. Google, in particular, is very keen on websites that misguide users or those that provide irrelevant information.
So if you want to post images and visuals make sure that these emphasize your content. Don’t post random images that will only confuse your customers and readers.