7 Google Image SEO Tips to
Rank Higher in the Image Search
Have you noticed that there is no "View Image" button anymore during an image search in Google? Have you wondered why? Because Google wants you to visit the page based on the image search.
Around 21% of the search volume in Google accounts for image search. Since 2007, this number has mushroomed. Thus, it is crucial to do Google image SEO of the visual contents of your website.
We have come up with the seven most proven tips to optimize images and rank higher in the google images search.
7 Google image SEO tips to rank higher
1. Use Your Own Image
It is always tempting to use stunning stock photos. However, they may look great but won't help you anyway in Google image SEO optimization. On the contrary, they may push you down in the ranking factor.
So, what is the alternative? Use the images of your own. If you have a high-end smartphone, it is not a big deal to capture crisp images. Putting the original image close to the relevant texts will enhance your ranking as well as offer a smooth user experience.
2. Appropriate Alt Text
The Alt Text tells the search engines like Google, and Bing about the image. You can consider it as the image description read by the search engine algorithms. The best way to use this alt tag for SEO purposes is to use an appropriate text containing the target keywords.
Do not fill alt attributes with keywords, aka keyword stuffing. It will generate negative user experience and put your site down in the ranking factors. To get a better image ranking
- Avoid any connection or conjunction in the alt tag
- Use product name or code for product images
- Add keyword in the image caption without stuffing
3. Give Google SEO image Filenames
The name of the image file is the first clue for any search engine about the image. The image SEO also starts from the file name. Thus, include the target keywords in the filename. Stay away from any keyword stuffing in the filename.
Try to provide as much description as possible in the filename without stretching it too much. If you are posting a picture of the Sunset over the Manhattan Skyline, try to use manhattan-newyork-sunset.jpg as the name of the image.
4. Suitable Image Format
Yes, a suitable format. Because there is no right image format. You need to pick the format based on the use and intention.
Market leaders in the image SEO sector use the following concepts
- JPEG is best for larger images, especially photographs. If you want all the greatness of color and clarity while keeping the size small, JPEG is your option.
- If you are looking for great illustration and background transparency, go for the PNG format.
- GIF format works best for any moving images. If you are interested in animations, use them in GIF format.
- When you are working with icons and logos, use SVG format. Take help from JavaScript or CSS to resize or alter those SVG images
5. Resize the Image to Align with your Website
The image size depends on the site of the website. Suppose the maximum width of your site is 720-px; if you load an image of 6000-px, it will still show in 720-px width. What can you do?
The most natural solution is to resize images according to the website dimension. If the pictures are wider than the page dimension, you need to resize them. However, if the images are already narrower than the page, better keep them as it is.
6. Reduce image size to Increase Loading Time
Image file sizes can be an essential issue for page load time. If you have bigger image files, it will take more time to load the page entirely. Now, you won't have anyone waiting to see those massive but magnificent images.
Do not hesitate to scale down the images. Numerous tools will make the best image size for Google SEO. Some of the most popular tools are Shortpixel, Kraken.io, and ImageOptim. They can reduce the image file size up to 70%.
Different formats respond differently to the Google SEO image size using those tools. However, JPEG can be compressed more than the PNG format.
7. Make the Image Responsive
Around 90% of the search is done from mobile devices. Therefore, the image needs to be equally stunning in every mobile platform. To fulfill it, you have to make the image responsive so that they can adapt to different devices, operating systems, and orientations.
If you are using WordPress version 4.4 or above, the images will adapt automatically. The "srcset" attribute will do the magic for you.
Final Words
These seven tips on Google image SEO will help you to divert the enormous traffic through optimized images. We know it is not possible to discuss everything in detail. However, you already know the gist, now it's time for action.