Image Optimization? – Rank Higher in Google Search

June 27th, 2012

Did you know that searches by images posted on the Internet grows rapidly year by year? People are starting to use images more, a spreading tendency that is increasing the importance of images! Read our tips on how to optimize your images.

More than 100 billion images and photos in 2011 were uploaded to Facebook alone. People not only love still images but also infographics!

All webmasters seek to optimize their website as well as possible, with specialized content and original writing. However, many people forget to optimize their images. It can actually turn out to be one of the primary channels through which a visitor or customer finds you!

How to optimize images for Google Image Search

First you need to know how Google identifies and indexes all the images, so you can help reach better results that are more relevant to site visitors. Read some practical tips and the steps to avoid:


Tip 1: Load the images only in BMP, GIF, PNG, JPEG, or SVG WebP formats that can be indexed by Google.

Tip 2: Assign names to the images that correctly refers to the image content and is detailed and informative. It’s better to choose a name such as “green-cup.jpg” than a vague name like “IMG100.jpg” or “DSC_1025.jpg”.

Tip 3: An image should accompany the text where you also mention the name of the image, for example “green cup on the table”. This “alternative text” is more readable for search engines as well as the vision-impaired. Overall, it promotes greater understanding of your site content

Tip 4: Use appropriate keywords in context. Avoid putting too many keywords in the description of any image, such as “cup green flat table…” because the alternative text might cause you to risk a reduction of the quality of service provided and your site can be taken as spam.

Tip 5: Do not embed information or important text in the shape of an image in your menu tabs or in the site header, because there the text is not indexed by search engines.

You can also read our Quick Tip on how to add image descriptions to your photos on your Webnode site.

Want to know how to do SEO? We have a detailed guide for you.

Don’t forget to add an image name and an alternative text when loading an image on your site!