How To Optimize Images For Search Engines
Google and other search engines usually change their ranking algorithms regularly to encourage quality content. Google now considers images for ranking. That means websites with quality images now rank relatively higher than the ones without them. So, your web design should make room for images.
However, to get good results, you have to optimize your images as some images don’t count. So, here are a few tips to optimize your images for better results.
Hire professional Provider of SEO Services
By virtue of their skills and experience, providers of SEO services know the kind of images that Google bots crawl faster. So, it is better to let them handle yours if cost is not a constraint. Most of them are good at image optimization.
Use GIF for Animation
While GIF images may not be a good idea for images because they are heavier, they are definitely good for animations. Besides, animations attract viewers better than static images so you should make room for them in your web design process.
Consider JPEG Images
Experienced providers of SEO services usually advise their clients to stick with JPEG images because they can be compressed without losing their quality. In the digital marketing industry, it is a known fact that JPEG images are far better than PNG and GIF images.
Ensure Your Images Are Relevant
Let your images be relevant to the content of your web page. Google frowns at irrelevant images and the search engine giant may penalize you for the mistake. If you use images that are not relevant, you will be deceiving viewers. In fact, having no image is better than a non-relevant image.
Name Your Image Descriptively
It is a good idea to name every image with a few description of the image. This will make it easier for viewers to understand it faster. For better image optimization, it is important to incorporate some keywords into the name of your images. Besides, search engine bots also crawl the file names of your images.
Avoid Larger Images
Of course larger images offer better user experience. Naturally, you may be tempted to make your images very large. Unfortunately, the flipside of this is that they will slow down the loading of your page. Large images are heavy and they reduce loading speed.
It is better to upload smaller images and enlarge them as a pop up or in a separate page on the request of the viewer. That means, you should include a link for image to be enlarged. For instance, viewers roll their cursor on a product for a larger version to appear on Amazon.
Most importantly, every image should optimized for both desktop and mobile. There are some images that appear well on a PC but become blurred on mobile. That kind of image will not improve the ranking of your website.
