Semalt Presents Six Essentials Stages Of Image Optimization
Unfortunately, people don't know how important it is to use quality images. Thus, they don't pay attention to image optimization for SEO. Google prefers websites with rich media, which means lots of PDFs, videos, pictures and social media embeds can add value to your site's overall layout. But it's not easy to use quality images in your articles because there are a lot of things to pay attention to.
The size and of your images:
Max Bell, the Semalt Customer Success Manager, states that you should make your pictures as small as possible regarding the file size. Too large or too small images cannot get you the desired results. That's why you should resize your pictures before using them so that they are optimized for the search engine results. Also, you should give proper names to your images (example.jpeg), and make sure the names are relevant to your web content. Always save your pictures in the small resolution, such as 200x200px and don't upload them as 4000x4000px.
Alt text and description tags:
The alt text and description tags of your pictures are mandatory from an SEO point of view. If your image is not showing up properly, you should replace it with a picture that has better resolution and don't forget to insert alt text and description tags in it. The alt text acts as the anchor text for a specific link. Google never recommends using multiple links inside a page, but it's a good SEO practice. As far as the description tags are concerned, you may or may not add them.
Size of images in SEO:
If you use Photoshop or another similar tool, you should not save the images in the high-quality resolutions. Instead, you should cut down on the kilobytes by sacrificing some quality. Tools like TinyPNG can be used to shrink a large number of pictures. For instance, if you have a 100kb picture, you should optimize it using TinyPNG and bring it down to 10kb or less. This will improve the load time of your website from ten seconds to three seconds.
Image Organization:
One of the most important aspects of on-page image optimization is none other than image organization. These days, website frameworks such as Shopify and eCommerce have organized the pictures in specialized directories. If you don't use any of these frameworks, you can organize your own photos on your server. You should not let Google crawl your website by the whole until the images are not fully optimized. If you have some interest in infographics, you should learn more about image optimization online.
The image format:
When it comes to saving the pictures in Paint or Photoshop, you should save the file in a proper format. JPEG is the best and most famous image format that adds value to your site's overall look. PNG, on the other hand, is good for graphics such as tiny icons web graphics and logos. GIFs are useful if you want to insert some animations to your articles.
Ranking in Google Images:
With these things in mind, you can easily rank your site in Google Images. Google Images ensures to drive lots of traffic to your website, but make sure the images you use are up to the mark. Stay away from the stock photos and use unique pictures only.