Well-prepared images improve your site’s visibility in search results. Here are the best practices.
1. Name your files properly
- Descriptive names: instead of “IMG_1234.jpg”, use a clear name that includes your keywords, for example “persian-cat-playing-ball.jpg”.
- Hyphens between words: search engines read them as spaces.
2. Take care of the alternative text (ALT)
- Describe the image accurately: this text is shown if the image fails to load and helps search engines understand it.
- Relevant keywords, worked in naturally.
- Keep it concise: avoid overly long sentences.
3. Choose the right format
- JPEG: photos and colourful images.
- PNG: images with transparent backgrounds, logos, graphics.
- WebP: a modern format, better compressed at the same quality, increasingly recommended by Google.
4. Compress your images
- Lighter files load faster.
- Compression tools, free or paid, reduce file size without losing much quality.
- Find the right balance between size and quality.
5. Size your images correctly
- At display size: resize your images to the exact size at which they appear.
- No resizing by the browser: it slows down page loading.
6. A sitemap for images
- An image sitemap helps search engines find and index all your images.
7. Put images in context
- Close to the related text: search engines take context into account.
- With a caption, which adds extra context.
8. Think mobile
- Responsive images that adapt to the screen size.
- Careful compression: mobile connections are often slower.