Images attract a larger share of search traffic than what people actually could think of. About one-fourth of search traffic happens on Google Images. And as you may have already noticed, even when you are searching for traditional web results, images pop up in Google’s featured image block as one of the top results.
The point is, images are playing a huge role in search results because of Google’s recent “view image” changes. Google has removed the “view image” button to inspire visitors to click the “Visit” website button. Meaning visitors will be directed to the webpage on which the image has been hosted. This could mean more traffic to the websites and social media channels hosting your top-ranking images.
Also, make sure to upgrade labels, tags, descriptions, and image data to help Google identify what your picture is about and the context. Better indexing ensures better placement of your image in the search results.
Here I walk you through 7 guaranteed ways to get your images on Google’s Radar:
1. Use Original, Page-relevant Images
Focusing on images is human. So, it comes as no surprise when images draw the attention of the audience more than texts. And if you have posted a compelling picture, in keeping with the subject matter, it will surely leave an impact on the readers, who might even want to share your content, too.
So, find images that will resonate with the audience at the emotional level. Try images that have a pinch of humor, drama, or romance in them. Better yet? If you could incorporate an original image, it will be perfect
from an SEO perspective.
Further, avoid royalty free images because people may have seen them more than a thousand times. So, take some time out to capture a photo related to your company and use it instead.
2. Add “Alt Text” for Better User Experience
On the one hand, using Alt text helps create a better user experience for visitors, on the other, it supports web crawlers better understand your images and, in turn, increase the relevance of your content with search engines. Additionally, with the screen-reading tools, you could even describe the images to visually impaired readers.
However, your alt text should be descriptive, yet specific. And, more importantly, it should be keeping with the image context. Consult top SEO agencies to get your image optimization right at the first go.
3. Try Multiple Images for Better User Journey
Images communicate messages better than text. So, use multiple images
because it makes the user journey easier. For instance, if you are selling a car, just highlighting the exteriors won’t be enough to draw traffic to your site. You need to highlight the interiors as well such as lights, engines and more.
Notwithstanding the number of images you use, you need to test their effectiveness before publishing them. That’s because using more images might increase the load time of your pages, and at the same time, more images enhance user experience and lead more conversions. So, test different options to find the best available option for your audience.
4. Use Optimal File Size without Distorting Quality
As I mentioned, you need to experiment with multiple images if you want to more traffic for your post. But then, there’s this risk of slow loading as well. So, the best way to counter that is to reduce the file size of your images. You could do this by resizing and compression.
Make sure that your overall image size shouldn’t be more than what’s required. To reduce the image file size, you can make use of Adobe Photoshop’s “Save for Web” functionality.
5. Avoid Copyright Conflicts
More than the image files you choose to upload, it’s more important to ensure that there are no copyright conflicts. Using unlicensed images from stock photo providers such as Shutterstock, Getty, DepositFiles and more could lead to an expensive lawsuit.
So, use free images from the web, if using high-quality, original images seem to be an expensive proposition for you.
6. Use Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) with Caution
Content Delivery Networks are ideal for hosting images and other media files. They increase page load speeds and solve bandwidth issues. But, there’s one serious issue related to backlinks. As you already know, the more backlinks you have, the better your site does in search engines.
By posting your images on a CDN, you are taking down the image from your domain. So when anyone links to your image, they’d be linking to your CDN domain and not your website.
Therefore, find out whether you need CDN for your business or not:
- If your site is receiving some 1000 visitors daily, it means your current hosting can manage the load.
- If your site is doing tons of business every month, then it is a good idea to use CDN to solve bandwidth issues.
It always better to hire professional help to strategize with CDNs.
7. Avoid Decorative Images
Usually, websites use a myriad of decorative images in the form borders, background images and more. Any image that’s not related to the product is considered to be a decorative image.
No doubt decorative images make the pages alive and happening, but it could result in larger image files and slow load times. So, think twice
before loading your post with decorative images.
If you still want to use decorative images, here some tips that would help you reduce their file sizes:
For borders and simple patterns, convert them into PNG-8 or GIFs. Use CSS to create colored areas instead of images. You can even shrink your background images without ruining the image quality.
Sum and Substance
There you go! Seven image SEO strategies to make sure Google Indexes your images. Now you know that you are supposed to use more original, high-quality images. Avoid CDNs if possible and use multiple images with low-file size and so on. But, no matter what, optimization is complex. And these tips are just tip of the iceberg. So, if you have any more suggestions, you can leave them in the comment section.