Image SEO (Search Engine Optimization) refers to the practice of optimizing images on a website to improve their visibility and ranking in search engine results, drive relevant traffic, and enhance user experience.

Key aspects of image SEO:

  • Alt text (alternative text): A descriptive text that describes the content and context of an image. It helps search engines understand the image’s content and is displayed when the image cannot be loaded. Alt text is crucial for accessibility and should be concise, relevant, and include target keywords when appropriate.
  • Image filenames: Naming image files descriptively and including relevant keywords can help search engines better understand the image’s content. Instead of using generic names like “image1.jpg,” use descriptive names like “blue-leather-handbag.jpg.”
  • Image size and compression: Optimizing image file sizes through compression helps improve page load times, which is important for user experience and SEO. Tools like TinyPNG or Adobe Photoshop can be used to compress images without significant loss of quality.
  • Image sitemap: Create an image sitemap to help search engines discover and index images on your website. WordPress site owners can use an SEO plugin like All in One SEO to generate and automatically sitemaps and add images to them.

By implementing these Image SEO best practices, you can improve your images’ visibility in search results, drive more relevant traffic to your website, and provide a better user experience for your visitors.

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