If you have a website or blog for your company, you know that composing a blog post is a complex job. There are many factors to consider besides the text itself (which, of course, must be well written and with quality information): keywords, formatting, SEO optimization and the list goes on…
After many hours invested in perfecting that amazing post, you finally put it online. But what about the elements of the images included in this post, such as name, alt text, captions, URL. Are these terms ignored by you when selecting and optimizing your images?
So keep reading this article to learn how to optimize your images for SEO.
How to Optimize Your Images for SEO
What is Alt Text
If you work with digital marketing, you must know the concept of keywords. Keywords are the terms that define your text and that the user will Google to find your content. This concept is not strange for anyone who writes for the internet, but it is not unique to texts.
The alt text, then, is a description of the image’s visual elements (which search engines cannot identify), so that this image is better positioned in searches. Also, by using this feature, the website becomes more accessible. This is because tools used to read the information on the page, helping people with visual impairments, are able to identify the visual aspects presented there.
Use of Keywords in Images
How can Google find a specific image? It’s difficult for the algorithm to work with something visual, so it needs a description of the image. That’s where Alt Text, or Alternative Text, comes in.
It is important to understand here the difference between Alt Text and image title. Its title is its name, while Alt Text is the description. Let’s say you’re producing a text on botox for a dermatology clinic in Vancouver. And that you have an image of a doctor applying it on a patient. The image name might be something like “botox-in-vancouver.jpg” for example. While Alt Text could be “Botox at Neoclinic in Vancouver”.
Does It Help With SEO?
Yes! Alt Text is one of the aspects of an image that contributes the most to your article’s SEO, but there are other bits of the photo that will dialogue with Google and help your text appear to more visitors.
As said, the Alt Text is a description of the visual elements of the image. It says what’s in that photo so Google can direct it to anyone looking for similar images. However, if you want to optimize your image for SEO, you will also need to think about three other aspects: image name; file size and caption.
1. Image name
The
image name, of course, is the name of the file containing the image. It is very
important for image SEO (so-called Image SEO), as it also dialogues directly
with Google.
The
search engine algorithm comes into direct contact with only two aspects of an
image: its name and its Alt Text. It is through these two elements that you
will be able to tell Google what that image is about: what its name is and what
it is.
2. File Size
Image
file size contributes to SEO indirectly. You may already know that page load
time influences SEO, right? If the page takes a long time to load, Google will
give preference to faster sites that deal with the same subject. If your page
loads quickly, you’ll gain this preference. And images are, of course, one of
the determining factors – a large image takes longer to load.
3. Caption
Finally,
we have the image caption aspect, which also influences your SEO, even
indirectly dialoguing with the Google algorithm. That’s because captions are a
powerful tool to hold your reader’s attention – they tend to be more read than
the text itself, in fact.
How to Use Alt Text to Optimize Your Images
The
function of Alt Text, as already said, is to describe the visual elements of
the image and tell Google what is there. Not only for Google, but also for its
users if their browser can’t load the image (alt text will be displayed in this
case) and even for non-visual users, who use features that read what’s on the
screen.
In
that case, you will need to keep the following in mind:
- Write the Alt Text for a human, not a search engine;
- Keep between 4 to 8 words to describe the image;
- Do not fill the alt text with keywords: Google knows how to detect and will classify your site as a spammer;
- Think about how the Alt Text integrates with the text (more precisely with the part of the text where the image is inserted).
Some
platforms, such as WordPress, already have the Alt Text field as soon as you
upload the image.
Let’s
go back to the dermatological clinic example to illustrate:
- An acceptable Alt Tex: “botox”;
- A great Alt Text: “Botox at Neoclinic in Vancouver”.
- A terrible Alt Text: “doctor makes dermatological clinic botox procedures dermatology Vancouver”
As
for the title of the image (its name), remember the following:
- An acceptable title: botox.jpg;
- A good title: botox-in-vancouver.jpg;
- A terrible title: botox-vancouver-neoclinic-doctor-dermatology.jpg.
Finally, it’s time to work with the image caption. It will be one of the first things the user will see when opening your text, so it is a gateway to convince him/her to stay there. The caption must always dialogue with the subject of the text and, preferably, complement it, offering information that optimizes your post. As, for example: “Botox helps to attenuate wrinkles and expression marks, in addition to being used also in bruxism or hyperhidrosis treatments”.
Vancouver SEO Services – Anney Ha
In other words, it became clear how important it is to also be concerned with the images you include in your posts, right? If you still have questions or need help with your digital content strategy, please let us know. We can help you with content planning and production. Click here to request a quote.