Image SEO

Image guidance

Follow these tips so that Google will crawl, index and display images in search results:

1. Choose commonly supported file formats. Most browsers support jpg, gif, png, and webp.
   
   
2. Keep imagery under 200K. Site speed is an important ranking signal.
   
   
3. Create original, unique images. Too many websites are cluttered with the same generic stock photos, for example. Use custom photography, illustrations, infographics and diagrams, to name a few.
   
   
4. Customize image file names. Create descriptive, keyword-rich file names so that search engine crawlers understand the subject matter of the image. Also, file names should be in lowercase letters with words separated by dashes.
   
   
5. Provide descriptive alt text for images to improve web accessibility and help browsers better understand the images on our site. Alt text should include useful, information-rich content that uses keywords. And be concise. Plus, if an image fails to load, users will see what the image is supposed to be.
   
   
6. Add an image caption or text around the image to reinforce what the image is about. This is how Google extracts information about the subject matter of the image, besides from alt text, to rank images higher.
   
   
7. Places images near relevant content. According to Google, images placed at the beginning of the article/page and in the middle will receive priority in the Image Search results.
   
   
8. Ensure that images are lazy loading to reduce initial page load time, initial page weight, and system resource usage.
   
   
9. Create good URL structure for images. Google uses the URL path and file name to understand images.
   
   
10. Ensure that images are published on a page so that search engines can crawl and index them. It’s also a good idea to add images to an existing sitemap or create a separate sitemap just for images.
    
    
11. For infographics, include a transcript (using the accordion component). This provides visual information for the visually impaired who wouldn’t be able to see text and imagery inside an infographic.
     

What to avoid:

• Embedding important text in images, like page headings, CTAs or menu items. This is because not all users can see it and search engines can't read text in images.

SEO impact

• Images play a crucial role in improving a user's experience and can contribute to a site's overall SEO and boost organic traffic. Most of the time, a result that accompanies an image gets more clickthroughs.
  
  
• 1/3 of all U.S. web searches happen on Google Images! Google and other search engines also show images in standard web results.
  
  
• Google Image Search uses superior algorithms to find images that are relevant to the search query entered by a user. It first tries to identify images with surrounding text that matches the search query. If the image matches the intent of the user, the image is displayed in search.
  
  
• The more original images you have, the better your odds for ranking on relevant search queries.

Character considerations

• When it comes to crafting alt text, follow the character limits identified in the Image standards section.

Optimized image examples to reference

Here are some examples found in a Google Images Search that do an excellent job with optimization.

Image SEO example 1:

10 tips for better sleep graphic - from Examine.com

• Keyword searched for in Google Images where this graphic appeared = better sleep tips
  • Examine.com's graphic is original, unique, easy to read/digest and informative, with a clear headline.
  • The graphic is placed near relevant content and near the top of the page.
    
• Image file name/URL = sleep-quality-tips.png  <---- descriptive, keyword-rich file name
• Alt text = 10 tips for better sleep quality <---- descriptive and useful with keywords
• File size = 52KB <---- low file size
  

Image SEO example 2:

What's the difference between HSA and an FSA infographic - from Readers.com

• Keyword searched for in Google Images where this graphic appeared = hsa vs fsa
  • Readers.com created an infographic that is original, easy to scan and informative, with fun icons and even a CTA!
  • For brand awareness, they have their logo at the bottom, which is great for anyone finding their image through Google.
  • The infographic is placed near relevant content.
  • They also provide an option to view an enlarged version.
• Image file name/URL = fsa-hsa-difference.png  <---- descriptive, keyword-rich file name
• Alt text = What's the Difference Between FSA and HSA accounts? <---- descriptive and useful with keywords
• File size = 100KB <---- low file size