young designer looking at her design checking the images
Do you have a lot of images on your website? If so, then you need them to have all of the right characteristics to let them improve your overall SEO. There are a few tips that every website owner should know when it comes to using images on their website properly. If you are in the process of building, or improving your website, then you should be aware of these tips. It can help raise your ranking so that more people notice you.
Make Sure to Use Only the Right Types of Images
Pictures are important to have on your website; there is no doubt about that. However, using the right images is more important than just using any picture. Use pictures that are relevant to what your content is about. Use pictures to break up your content, and give your viewer’s eyes a rest now and again. Picking the right images is important, as it will give your content more impact. Make sure that you go with pictures that say the right thing, not just any picture to fill in an open space.
image by Aaron Burden. Beautiful image but is not relative to this article!
Make Sure Your Images Use Some Keywords in Their Filenames
When you save the image prior to uploading into your website, make sure that you use names that make sense in the filename. If you have a picture of something specific, then make sure your file name tells what that specific item is. Web crawlers, which are part of what determines your ranking for your website, can only look over the coding that makes up your website. So, instead of seeing an image, these crawlers see the code that represents that image on your website, which includes the filename. So, if that image is supposed to be important to your page, use keywords in that file name so that you can get the benefits of having those images placed on your pages.
Add Keywords In the ALT Text Each Image Has
When you upload images into the backend of your website, you will see a place where ALT-text can be placed. This text should describe the picture in just a few simple words. While it can be the same information you put in the filename, it isn’t necessarily the best practice. You should take 4-8 words and describe what the picture represents. Use a secondary keyword if you can, so you are adding the appropriate keywords in the right places on your website. That way, the crawlers can see that you are putting forth quality content and images, not just keyword-stuffed content that doesn’t offer any benefit.
Make Use of Captions for Your Images
It is said that people read the captions of images 300% more than they read the body of pages when they are first scanning over the page. If the captions interest them, it can inspire them to read the entire page. If you want to get a reader’s attention, use captions that will show up along with your images, and make sure to use terms that are going to inspire them to want to learn more. Elude to what you are talking about in your content, but don’t give everything away. That way, your viewers become your readers in their search to find out the rest of the information.
Your images are a very important part of your website. These are just a few tips that can help you make the most of the images you put on your website. If you want help optimizing each of the images your website has, contact your local Huntsville web design and SEO company, and find out what they can do to improve the connection your website has to its images.
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