On page optimisation is important if you wish to be found on Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. Whilst most people know to write their content around what they wish to rank for, they don’t necessarily optimise web page images…
How to Optimise Web Page Images
Give Your Image a Related Filename
For a dog groomer based in Preston it would be important to name images on their website related to their industry and what prospective clients may be searching for… Whilst “dog-in-bath.jpeg” may be representative of what the image represents, “dog-grooming-preston.jpeg” or “preston-dog-groomer.jpeg” will be much better from search engine ranking factor perspective.
Ensure The Image Size is Correct
Whilst it’s possible to reduce the size of the image shown on a web page once the image has been uploaded, this is not considered good practice and will be highlighted when running tests on Pingdom & GTMetrix. The correct way is to upload the image in the same dimensions as it is to be displayed on your website. You can resize images at picresize.com for free.
Reduce The File Size
This is an easy process and one that shouldn’t be ignored.
If your site is built using the WordPress Content Management System and you are hosted at Clook, it’s possible to optimise web page images using LiteSpeed. Just download the LiteSpeed Cache plug-in and you images are optimised in the background. If you do not make use of LiteSpeed, other add-ons are available such as Smush & ShortPixel Image Optimiser. Both have free and paid versions.
It’s also possible to optimise web page images online. Sites I use include tinypng.com & imageoptimizer.net.
Geotag Your Images
This is a little known trick but one that can really help with local SEO. If you’re looking to appear at the top of local Google Map listings or even for organic local searches, you should be geotagging your uploaded pics.
Add Alt Tags
Once you have uploaded your image then final step is to add Image Alt tags. These are the text alternative to images when a browser can’t properly display them.
The alt attribute also adds SEO value to your website. Adding appropriate alt tags including relevant keywords to the services you provide can help you rank better.
