Images are an important part of SEO that you might be overlooking. Here are a few tips to optimize your page for SEO through image usage:
1. Thoughtfully name the photo
It’s important that the name of your file reflects the keywords in the image. If you purchase an image, don’t use the stock name if possible – for example, 11223344.jpg (although you should keep the original name for your records, along with the name of photo vender you purchased it from). When renaming the file, keep it short and descriptive, rather than a long, nonsensical list. For example, pepperoni-pizza.jpg or grand-canyon.gif.
2. Create descriptive alt text
Alt text (also known as alt tags) help search engines determine what your image is all about. Help the spiders understand your image by creating descriptive alt text to the end of your image tag. For example: alt = “pepperoni pizza.” Another thing to note – if an image is used as a link to another page, make sure the alt text makes sense with the content on the page you are linking to.
3. Don’t forgo captions
Captions help a user understand how the photo relates to the copy on your page, but they are also a great way to give additional information to search engines. Captions should be descriptive, yet concise. Don’t use it as a place to stuff too many keywords (keyword stuffing should be avoided in all SEO efforts). For example, the caption for your pizza image could be “Fresh pepperoni pizza in Rome, Italy.”
4. Choose anchor text strategically
If you plan to link to images or image galleries within the copy on your page, it’s wise to select keyword-rich anchor text. For example, if you have a travel website and want to sell trips to the Grand Canyon, you won’t want to direct the reader to a beautiful image by clicking on a link that simply says “photo.” Instead be descriptive and hot link it to copy such as “Grand Canyon Photo” or a similar term that is not only helpful for search engines, but is also user friendly.
Are there any other ways you have used images to boost the SEO of your website?
