Image optimization is all about image SEO or getting your images to rank on Google and other search engines, it is also about reducing your images to the smallest size possible without reducing their quality to allow your web pages to be charge quickly. This is important because everyone on the web expects websites to load quickly, in less than 2 seconds. Loading speed has a direct correlation with the number of bounces you get and your overall revenue – 30 seconds, either way, can greatly affect your sales. Search engines take into account your site’s web speed and the number of bounces you get when ranking your site.
There is a lot you can do regarding optimizing your site, your images, and your website speed and this is becoming increasingly important as more and more people use smartphones, roughly 60% of the million new Internet users every day do so on smartphones. . Working to get to the top of search engine results can be hard work, but very rewarding in terms of sales and increased organic traffic.
The twelve most important tips for image optimization are:
1: carefully select the images that are relevant to the message you want to convey
Keep in mind that Internet users are more likely to react to images on your page before they read any text. A good image should grab attention and inspire readers to research and want to share their information. People often react to emotional stimuli and an attractive image that really connects with your subject is more likely to leave an impression. It’s generally better to take the time and create your own high-quality photos rather than using royalty-free images from the internet that many others also use. By using images that show humor or drama with your product, you are connecting on an emotional level, which is more effective than sterile, glossy commercial photos that are technically perfect but cold. Your own original photos are much better for SEO purposes.
2: Always use the highest quality format possible in any situation.
Search engines are designed to prefer high-quality content and high-resolution images. Web pages that contain poorly formatted or low-resolution images often appear distorted on a mobile or tablet screen, so you are hurting yourself by using poor-quality images.
JPEG file formats are generally the best as they provide the smallest file size and the best quality.
GIF files should be used only for thumbnails and decorative images, never for large product images, as the file size is very large and they do not shrink well.
When you can only get PNG files they can be used for both JPEG files and GIF files and then due to their extremely small file size they are great for simple decorative images.
3: Name all your images in simple, descriptive language
To be successful with good image optimization and a web page that ranks high in search engines, it is imperative that you do everything you can to help search engines.
Search engines crawl everything on your web page, including your file names, so these should also be keyword-rich descriptive and relevant file names.
Good image descriptions help improve your profile and enrich the relevance of your content by helping web crawlers better understand your images.
Alt text is similar to subtitles in that they both provide an opportunity to improve your content for user experience and search optimization.
4: Name and Optimize Your Alternate Attributes Carefully
Alternate attributes are an alternative when a browser cannot render images correctly; uses alternative attributes to images, in text and for web accessibility. They are important for adding SEO value to a website, so they must include relevant keywords for the images. This is one of the best ways for your ecommerce products to show up in web searches.
Always describe the images in simple language
Add all model and serial numbers to your alternate attributes
5: Use Your Alternate Attributes With Care
Don’t over-optimize by including too many keywords, and don’t use alternate attributes for decorative images, as you may be penalized for over-optimization.
Always check your work carefully as mistakes can be heavily penalized and remember that misleading captions will quickly increase the bounce rate of your web page, this sends a signal to the Google search engine that your site is unreliable and lower your rating
6: always have concise and accurate captions with your image
It uses captions read below images on average, 300% more than body text according to Kiss Metrics. So if you leave the subheadings blank, you are missing a good opportunity for SEO and Optimization.
The important factor is to ensure both the relevance of the image and the relevance of the page.
7: Using multiple images for better coverage and optimal viewing
Always organize your images in sequence and in context so that they flow easily, but be mindful of how much you are uploading at download time. Check the result and try to balance the correct number of images with the fastest load times. More images can mean more conversions, but too many can mean more download time and more bounces.
When selling a product, include multiple angles to show your product in its best light, but don’t overdo the number of images as they all take up file space and all need to be optimized.
8: Thumbnail optimization
Using thumbnails is a great option, but they should also be optimized, but they should be used carefully and as small as possible as they can have a cumulative impact and affect your page load times. When placing alternate attribute text on thumbnails, be sure to use very different text than the main images or they might all get confused.
9: site maps
If your images are not specifically listed in the source code of your web page, web crawlers will not be able to find them. So to allow crawlers to find the images, they need to have your location appear on an image sitemap. When you use Javascript or image pop-ups to improve your website’s visibility or shopping experience, using Google Image Sitemaps will make it easier for Google to spot you and rank you higher.
10: Decorative pictures
Things that are considered decorative images, such as background colors, images, buttons, fancy borders, or anything else added that is not related to the product, although they can add a certain amount of appeal to a website, they also use a lot of file space and therefore slow down. your page load time and as stated above anything that is unnecessary and slows down your load time is detrimental to your web page and site because people will not wait more than 2 seconds on average and the faster , best.
11: Content delivery networks
Content distribution networks are becoming a very popular place to store content, both images and text for your website. This can have the advantage of solving any troubled bands you may have and help speed up your page load times, but can also remove your backlinks and place them on the domain of the content delivery network instead of your site. As we have said and this is very important to emphasize Backlinks are essential for SEO, so it is important to consider whether the use of CND really suits you or not
12: Test your web pages and websites
Testing everything is important and any mistakes will make all your efforts in vain as web crawlers won’t be able to find you easily. Always check all web pages and alternate attributes. Also check for duplications and over-optimization as both are often detrimental to your rating.
Common sense, along with a little practical knowledge, should be applied to all optimization, especially imaging, and for whatever reason many people overlook this important area. Mastering the art of image optimization is something that could make the difference between success or failure online. If you don’t feel confident or don’t want to waste time learning and implementing these basic strategies, it may be worth hiring the services of an SEO expert to do it for you. The drastic increase in new organic traffic and subsequent new sales will more than pay for the costs incurred in no time, remember there are more than 2.5 billion potential customers looking for products and services, but if you are not visible, they will be lost. .