SEO (search engine optimization) spending is expected to grow in a major way over the next few years, and nearly every business owner out there is looking for ways to improve their search engine rankings.
There are lots of ways you can do this. One of the best new techniques that people are using, though, is optimizing their photos.
What does it mean to optimize photos? What benefits does this provide, and how do you do it? Read on to learn the answers to all of these questions.
Benefits of Optimizing Photos
There are lots of reasons why you might want to optimize your photos. The following are some specific benefits that this practice has to offer:
- Make your online content more appealing to internet users
- Make your website load faster and run in a more efficient way
- Utilize keywords for better organic search rankings
Search engines look favorably upon websites that use good image optimization practices.
If you start optimizing your images the same way you optimize the other types of content on your website, you’ll be able to boost your rankings and gain an advantage over your competitors.
What Does It Mean to Optimize Photos?
Okay, you can see why photo optimization matters. What does it actually mean to optimize your photos, though? What do you need to do to experience these benefits?
Here are some of the best practices you can implement to optimize your photos for better search engine results:
Choose Unique Images
Make sure your images are unique and haven’t been seen all over the internet already. However, they shouldn’t be so unique that they’re irrelevant to your content.
Choose High-Quality Images
Look for high-quality images that are clear and in-focus. Use photos in JPEG format whenever possible. These files provide the highest quality image without taking up a lot of space.
Shrink Them Down
Speaking of taking up space, the less space your photos take up, the better. Smaller photo files load faster, which helps your site as a whole to load faster.
Include Captions
Make sure you include captions for your photos. Include your target keywords in those captions to help with page relevance and boost your search ranking.
Don’t Forget the Alt Text
Whether you’re sharing photos from a corporate photography session or stock photos you found online, don’t forget about the alt text.
Alt text gives users who cannot view your image a description of what it is. Use your target keywords in the alt text box to further optimize your content and make it more accessible.
Optimize Your Photos Today
Now that you have an answer to the question, “what does it mean to optimize photos?” as well as answers to other photo optimization questions, are you ready to start adding this technique to your own SEO strategy?
It’s easy to do once you get the hang of it, and it can work wonders for boosting your search engine ranking. Keep these tips in mind and you’ll have no trouble making photo optimization work for you.
Do you want to learn more about SEO? If so, check out some of our free SEO tools today.