Image search is one of the main ways that people discover content online. We know that most users don’t click past the first page of search results. Thus, ranking in the top 20 image results commands qualified leads to your site. But what are image SEO best practices to command first page results?
Sites that engage in image SEO strategies can receive higher clicks and impressions. It captures users who intend on completing a transaction after researching a brand. If you want to update your SEO keyword strategy, here are 4 image SEO best practices to improve traffic and CTR.
Upload Original Images and Visuals
Google and other search engines prioritize original content. Ideally, images on your website should not be traced elsewhere. If you’re an eCommerce start-up, you must shoot original product photos instead of relying on manufacturer images. High-quality images are highly important to shoppers because it establishes credibility. A majority of online shoppers convert into customers because of a brand’s visual impact.
Using a stock image is an attractive alternative. The subject matter and composition are ideal for page crawlers. However, in order to yield the best results, original content matters the most. If you have copied pictures or low-quality ones, this can lower your image keyword ranking.
Luckily, our phone cameras are capable of producing professional photos. For a product-led content strategy, we recommend shooting stand-alone product shots. These images can be re-purposed for many different types of content. Once a steady flow of customers arrive to the site, then you can consider lifestyle photoshoots to expand your brand.
Add Alt Text to Your Images
Using alt text, also called alt tags, adds written words to describe your images. The alt text that is used should accurately describe the picture or a certain aspect of it. This text should absolutely be relevant to what the image captures for image SEO best practices. Alt text affects a page’s SEO performance. The text used in your alt tags is crawled by search engines when they are indexing your site. Adding relevant target keywords to your image description can help search rankings. We recommend adding alt text to all images on your website, but avoid keyword stuffing.
When your alt text is relevant and helpful, it makes it easier to connect users to your website. Even Google includes writing good alt tags as Image SEO best practices. It also results in traffic that is of higher quality than you would have from images that are not well described. And, higher-quality traffic generally correlates with higher conversion rates.
Alt text is also helpful for a wide range of users who may need that text to understand the page. The text can be used to give a description to a reader who is visually impaired. If the image can’t be seen well or their device or they can’t load the images, the alt text can still let them know what was there. This delivers a better user experience in general.
Images Support Backlinking Strategies
An added benefit to uploading original images are opportunities for backlinks. When domains with high authority link your image or page, it serves as a vote of good will to search engines. The more votes you get in general, the higher your site will be ranked in search results.
Also, it attracts more in-text links because your site is more likely to be seen as high-quality, and people will want to refer to it with a link. Good pictures also garner more trust, and this can also lead to more backlinks when people have a better perception of your site. Having more backlinks leads to better search engine placement in search results and more traffic to your site.
Responsive Images Affect SEO
Our culture has shifted towards a mobile-first experience. Likewise, websites must include responsive design to accommodate any screen size. This includes all images featured on the website. Responsive design ensures that the image is visible on any display type. There is some quick code that can be added to your page’s HTML. Or, you can use a website design company that includes responsive design in their services.
If an image was not responsive, it might take up too much of the page and obscure everything else, or it may become too small to see with a mobile screen. The images should adjust with the rest of the page when used on any device.
SEO Consistently Delivers Qualified Leads to Your Site
When you take the time to engage in image SEO, you are likely to earn more traffic from organic search. By having original pictures with relevant, helpful tags and a responsive page design, you can elevate your SEO to the next level. Learn more about an integrated advertising strategy designed by SEO experts at L7 Advertising. Contact us to find out more.