Search engine optimization is essentially the way the world wide web goes round. It is no secret the effect that the right keywords can have in optimizing posts to gain traction amongst web users. This is particularly effective for business models for users looking to monetize their internet use. Keywords are one aspect but images are another ballgame and as you’ll come to find out, share the pedestal in regards of importance. Mastery of SEO is an art and by learning how to incorporate images appropriately and strategically, you set yourself up for increased visibility and elevate your posts to the next level. 

They may not be worth 1,000 words, but…

Looks are certainly not everything, but having an aesthetically pleasing layout certainly does good in drawing in audience members for a longer stay. And that is the key: a longer stay. You want your visitors to overstay their welcome and SEO-satisfying images can help to do just that. A longer visit translates into the algorithm to scale your online presence up the index to show up faster and to the forefront of search engine results pages. And let’s face it: an overabundance of words strictly can come off as overwhelming and that’s how SEO images conveniently help to break apart the text in a manner that makes the read appear digestible, simplified, and even attractive. 

Image Size Effects Page Load Speed

Larger image files take longer to load up and inadvertently hurt the algorithm. Ideal dimensions are usually within the 1500 pixel dimension range. When you download the images you plan to use for your posts and pages, don’t upload them at full size. Use a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or any plethora of other apps or online tools to make the image smaller.

As much as including images into text is noteworthy, there is certainly a strategy and skill to the madness. When it comes to conversing with Google’s algorithm, the search engine sings to the tune of HTML code as opposed to CSS. This is a key element to keep in mind when embedding images into text. 

Example of Image Size Reduction

See the photo above? Originally from Envato (a great resource for stock images, by the way), it comes in at over 8 MB and over 6,000 pixels wide. Photos of that size will slow down your site.

A quick import into Photoshop, I used the “Save for Web” feature under exports, reduced width to 1200 pixels and reduced quality to 80%.

Boom. Just like that, my file is now just 168 KB – a reduction in size of over 97%! Take a look at the resized photo below. Quality is enough for web purposes, image is clean, and you’ve reduced the time to load your website dramatically.

Want to take it one step further? Now, new formats such as WebP have emerged to reduce file sizes even more while still preserving quality. For example, converting this image to WebP with CloudConvert’s free tool actually brought it down to just 111KB. If you’re using WordPress as your CMS, you can use plugins like Smush to automatically compress and convert your images as well to WebP.

Yes, File Name Matters

Another tip that can easily be missed in a hurry but is worth investing a few extra seconds for, is your file name. Although a generic file name like, “image1.jpg”, may seem harmless, it is in fact holding you back from scoring some extra optimization points.  An image of a cat for instance would index better with a name like, “cat-eating-cat-food.jpg”, for example. It takes the ambiguity of the image file in other words so Google has a better idea of what to do with it. The key is to be descriptive but to the point.  

Use Your Meta and Alt Text Options

Another tool to your disposal is utilizing the meta tag to your advantage. By incorporating the appropriate alternative text, you set up your post for success. In simpler terms, this is your opportunity to describe the image.  This is the element that distinguishes between a standard image and an SEO image. The purpose of this text is not to fluff up with filler keywords and random, related chaos, but again, a rather descriptive and cohesive statement. Drawing the line at moderation between descriptive and too basic is the sweet spot with this method. 

Watch the video below from HubSpot for further tips on using alt text:

Stock Images and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Additionally, while stock imagery is useful and admittedly very convenient, dialing up the notch on creativity and originality proves to be fruitful with SEO imagery. Given that stock is used across the board, indexing images to lead directly back to your site ends up as a maze instead of a straight path. It is worth noting that images can be produced easily with the use of artificial intelligence.  However, given that AI has been gradually integrating into the scene, there is still progress to be made with AI-generated works and their recognition by search engines, or if search engines will continue to treat them as kindly as they currently do.

There are many, many image generation tools that exist today, but I really enjoy using Midjourney.

Example of Midjourney’s Ability

Let’s say I’m building a website for a company that provides data networking solutions and I want a photo of a computer server. I head over to Midjourney.com and type in the following prompt: “Photo of a data server rack. High resolution. Photorealistic. –ar 3:2” (this little thing at the end indicates what I want the aspect ratio to be).

Here’s what Midjourney gave me:

Now, these aren’t bad, but I wanted something that looked more…real. Meaning, I wanted a photo of a server rack inside of a server room, so I adjusted my prompt and said “Photo of a data server rack inside of a server room in a commercial building. High resolution. Photorealistic. –ar 3:2”

Here’s what I picked from the next batch:

For 99% of folks, this looks like a photo of a data server in a company’s server room. Awesome. Now, Midjourney and other AI photo generators require some learning and playing with, but can be incredible tools for generating useful photos to illustrate your message. Grok has also come a long way for AI-based imagery. 

All in all, investing a bit of time in either obtaining original images or creating your own will take your online presence for the long haul.

Mobile Optimization

A simple glance around a room crowded with people, you will notice a common possession: a mobile device. Google has taken great note of this as well and has shifted its optimization to align to that preference as well. Ensuring that the image format is compatible with mobiles is highly effective and can not be stressed enough. We’ve all been on a site that was not so mobile friendly. Instead of a seamless scroll down, it becomes an act of pinching the screen for smaller sizing and sliding left to right to be able to analyze the full layout. Not only is a mobile-friendly format do well to negate the eye-sore but also scores for search engine optimization as well.

In other words, the perfect SEO image is a 1500-pixel-wide original image, characterized by a to-the-point yet descriptive image file name, a descriptive alt-text for the meta tag, and formatted with the mobile device in mind. By incorporating these methods, you unlock the beauty and brains of the world of SEO imagery – not only does it look great, it serves a purpose too.