How To Optimize Website Images

How To Optimize Website Images

Article 204 From the Complete Do It Yourself SEO Checklist For Small Business

Optimizing images is a key part of on-page SEO because it improves your website’s performance, user experience, and search engine visibility. Large, unoptimized images can slow down your website, which frustrates visitors and harms your rankings. Search engines like Google prioritize fast-loading websites, so ensuring your images are properly optimized can help you rank higher in search results.

Beyond performance, optimized images can drive additional traffic through image search results. Adding descriptive file names and alt text helps search engines understand your images, making them more likely to appear in Google Images or other search platforms. This is especially valuable for businesses that showcase products, portfolios, or visual content.

How to Optimize Images for SEO

Here are simple steps to ensure your images contribute positively to your website:

1. Resize Your Images
   Use tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh to compress images without sacrificing quality. For most websites, keeping images under 1 MB is ideal. Resize the dimensions to fit your site’s needs—for example, don’t upload a 4000px-wide image if your site only displays it at 800px.
2. Use Descriptive File Names
   Rename your image files before uploading them. Instead of IMG1234.jpg, use something meaningful like kitchen-renovation-tips.jpg. This helps search engines understand the content of the image.
3. Add Alt Text
   Alt text (alternative text) is a short description of your image that helps search engines and visually impaired users understand its content. For example, an alt text for a plant image could be: “Succulent in a white ceramic pot on a wooden table.” Aim to include relevant keywords naturally.
4. Choose the Right File Format
   Use the appropriate format for your needs:
   • JPEG: Best for photos with lots of colors.
   • PNG: Ideal for images with transparency.
   • WebP: A modern format that offers great quality with smaller file sizes.
5. Enable Lazy Loading
   Lazy loading delays the loading of images until they are needed (e.g., when a user scrolls to them). This improves initial page speed. Most website platforms like WordPress have plugins (e.g., Smush) to enable lazy loading.
6. Add Structured Data for Images
   If applicable, add structured data to your images to enhance their visibility in search results. Learn how to do this with Google’s Image Search Guidelines.

By optimizing your images, you’ll create a faster, more user-friendly website while improving your SEO performance. This simple step can make a big difference in how both visitors and search engines perceive your site.