Image SEO: A Complete Guideline for Optimized Images

Image elements on the website are very important to be optimized. Besides supporting the delivery of information, the use of images should not hamper page loading speed. Therefore, image SEO will improve the performance of your website.

The optimization we meant is how the image has the appropriate size and quality, supported image formats, and so on. In this guide, you will learn in detail how to optimize images on your website.

What Are SEO-Friendly Images?

The use of images in articles can help readers understand the intent of the content you create. In addition, images can also support the performance of a blog or website page on the SERP. The process of setting up the image is called image SEO. By implementing image SEO, your website's performance will increase compared to before.

Therefore, the use of these images is considered a valuable asset that needs to be optimized in content creation.

Implementing SEO to images requires some adjustments. For best results, ensure that the context of the image matches the displayed content. In addition, also pay attention to the image file size so as not to slow down the website page speed.

The Importance of Image SEO on Websites

For readers or users, SEO-friendly images can help them find and understand the content easily. Generally, using images according to SEO guidelines in an article can provide a good user experience.

SEO-friendly images can also improve website performance in the SERP. This is related to visual search engines that apply SEO rules to the use of images on a website page.

In other words, image optimization can help users find your content more easily. In this case, visual search will load an image with a description that is relevant to the search context and can display it on the top page.

How to Optimize Images for Websites

In general, image SEO is needed to provide the best user experience. Informative images can help users understand the article content better. The placement also needs to be considered so that users are comfortable reading your content.

However, images that match the content on the website page are not enough to improve website performance. You need to adjust several things related to image optimization to support website performance in the SERP.

Implementing image optimization according to SEO guidelines can give you advantages. Some aspects that need to be considered for image SEO are:

Use Relevant Images

SEO-friendly images are assets on the website that are needed in providing information to users. Therefore, avoid using images that are less relevant to the context of an article so that it does not confuse the user.

In addition, you need to determine the main image that best represents the content. Make sure to place it at the top without reducing the aesthetic of the website page layout itself.

Use Original Images

If possible, do not use images from stock images. Use original images or portraits to show the value of the originality of your website. The image SEO is still needed in this case so that the image can be easily recognized by visual search engines.

Make sure the quality of the images used is in accordance with SEO guidelines and supports the content of the article itself. Originality and good quality image can give your website its own uniqueness.

Choose the Right Format

In general, the formats used in are JPEG and PNG. Usually, general image files or photographic results use the JPEG format. While images with PNG format have lossless compression making them ideal for logo creation.

The use of JPEG is usually used for files with good color and clarity, but can be adjusted in size without reducing the quality. The PNG file is larger than JPEG and is used for images that require transparency.

In addition to these two formats, image files with WebP and SVG formats are also used in image SEO. WebP files tend to be smaller in size and of good quality. While the SVG format is used to create vectors and company logos.

Compress Your Image

To avoid slowing down the page loading speed, you need to compress the image. This optimization method is quite effective in improving the performance of website pages without reducing the quality of the image itself.

There are several compression tools you can use to get small image files without compromising the quality. For that, you can use Photoshop, online image compression, or some WordPress plugins.

Pay Attention to Image Copyright

In the application of SEO to images, copyright needs to be considered. To use an image legally, you need to give credit to the owner. You can also download images from several image provider sites for commercial use.

The use of stock images in this case needs to be avoided. The reason is, that you have to download the image and pay attention to the license. The files that can be used legally have a creative commons and public domain license label.

As an alternative option, you can use graphics or illustrations to provide informative content. In addition, the use of GIFs can also provide a pleasing user experience. However, use images as necessary so as not to slow down the loading speed.

Write Keyword in Image File Name

The implementation of image SEO starts from the image file name. That way, search engines like Google can recognize the context of the image you are using without having to crawl it. Therefore, make sure to write the main keyword in the filename of the image.

For example, images in articles about Mount Bromo tourism must use file names that describe them. So, avoid using naming using numbers like 87811.jpeg. Describe the image in context so that it can be easily recognized by visual search engines.

Add SEO-Friendly Alt-Text

The use of alt text in image optimization is very necessary so that search engines can easily recognize the context and page content of the page. Note that the alt text of the first image contains the main key phrase.

In general, alt text is used to increase the accessibility and visibility of a website in the SERP. Even so, avoid using too many keywords in the alt text of every image on a website page.

The most important thing to note in adding alt text is to describe the image clearly. That way, both users and search engines can understand the context to be conveyed by the image.

Set Image Dimension

Image SEO is needed to improve overall website performance. For this reason, adjusting the image dimensions on a website page must be done to avoid slowing down the loading speed.

For example, the original image with a size of 2500 x 2500 can be adjusted to 400 x 400. File dimensions that are not too large can speed up website loading and make it easier for users to read content in a short time.

Make Images Mobile-Friendly

Image SEO for mobile devices is something that needs to be optimized to improve website performance on both devices. In this case, the use of responsive images can help adjust its size according to the device used by the user.

As for implementing this method, you need to add the srcset attribute to every image on a website page. Such methods will allow images to be displayed according to the screen size of the mobile device.

Add Image to Sitemap

Image SEO can be done by adding images to Sitemap. Images can be added to an existing sitemap or new sitemap images. That way, the image can be indexed easily by search engines.

As for finding a website sitemap, you can use the Sitemap Generator from cmlabs. This SEO tool can be accessed for free and can make it easy to organize and carry out the optimization process effectively.

Add Structured Data

Creating structured data can make it easier for search engines to find your website content. In this case, the optimized image can be displayed in the visual search that is most relevant to the context.

If you apply structured data on product pages, search engines will tag the image with the price of the product. In this way, search engines no longer use algorithms, but use structured data provided by websites.

That is the discussion about image SEO guidelines and how to optimize them. Its implementation can improve website performance in the SERP. For that, you can adjust the format, size, and file naming according to SEO rules.

With SEO-friendly images, the content you convey can be more informative and clearly conveyed to users. Using images according to SEO guidelines can also make it easier for search engines to index your website pages.