If observed closely, every article or blog post has at least one image. If the blog is about tutorials, usually more images will be used to help clarify the steps to be conveyed or strengthen the argument of the tutorial topic being discussed. Images can make articles more substantial, attract attention and clarify the intent.
Blog images also strengthen the content of the article to make it more prominent in order to attract the attention of visitors. The combination of images and text in an article can provide better content quality when compared to articles that only consist of text. Images in articles can arouse the mood of visitors to read.
Webmasters and bloggers know that SEO is a very important factor so that blog content gets a better ranking and appears on the first page of search engine searches. Webmasters design web applications such as CMS by including features to support SEO and bloggers optimize SEO through on-page SEO and off-page SEO.
What are SEO Friendly Images?
The use of illustrations in writing can clarify the message you want to convey in the material you create. Not only that, images also have the potential to support the performance of your blog or website pages in search engine results (SERP). The process of optimizing the use of these images is known as image SEO.
By applying these image SEO techniques, your website's capabilities will experience a significant increase from before. Therefore, the use of these images is considered a treasure that has important value that needs to be considered in the content creation process.
The implementation of this image SEO strategy requires certain adjustments. For optimal results, make sure that the context of the image matches the message you want to convey in the content being displayed. In addition, also pay attention to the size of the image file so as not to hinder the speed of the website page.
Why is Image Optimization Important?
By optimizing images, users will get the right images for their devices, display faster, and thus improve your SEO. By adopting image optimization practices, businesses can significantly improve website loading times, reduce the burden on resources, and ultimately improve user satisfaction.
Optimized images help improve your website speed and overall performance, including its SEO ranking and user experience. Some of the benefits of image optimization:
- Increase page loading speed
- Improve SEO score
- Make articles more search engine friendly
- Improve online visibility and ranking
- Help screen readers understand the website
- Help Google index images
How to optimize images for web SEO?
Many bloggers focus more on optimization only on blogs and articles, but lack in image optimization. It should be realized that today, many people search for images on the internet. The good news is that image competition in search engines is still small. If you optimize your blog images well, it is very possible that you will get more visitor traffic.
Images can be obtained from free image provider sites such as Pixabay, MorqueFile and FreeDigitalPhoto or commercial image provider sites such as ShutterStock. However, be careful when using images from search engines such as Google or Bing because they are generally copyrighted. When you have found the right image, you need to optimize it to further improve SEO.
1. Image name and proper writing method
Image SEO starts with proper name and writing method. Many bloggers tend to ignore the name and writing of the name for the image file. Crawler robots cannot crawl images. However, you can tell the crawler robot about the images used in the article.
Use images that are appropriate or related to the content of the article and give them descriptive names that are rich in keywords. Such image file names can signal crawler robots and images can be ranked better. Avoid giving names that are not descriptive.
If you are writing a tutorial article about how to install Joomla 4.0 CMS, you can name the image file, for example "how-to-install-joomla-4-cms-4.jpg" or something similar. Use lowercase letters and a hyphen (-) between two words in the image file name. Any image name is fine, but if you want to optimize the image for SEO, use a name that is easy for humans and crawlers to read.
2. Alt attribute
The purpose of using the alt (alternate) attribute is to provide a description of the image. When an image does not appear for some reason, the alt description is displayed as a substitute for the image. Search engines also use the alt attribute to determine the best image and then display it in image search results. Take advantage of the alt attribute to attract more visitors.
Because the alt attribute is directly related to the image, use an image that matches the content of the article. Fill in the alt attribute with a description that contains keywords. If you are writing a tutorial article on how to install CMS Joomla 4, the description for alt can be alt="How to install CMS Joomla 4" or another description that is similar.
3. Image file size
Generally, image files downloaded from image provider sites have large file sizes. You should not immediately use the downloaded image files. Using images with large file sizes can weigh down the page and increase loading times. We know that page loading time is an important factor in Google rankings.
You need to compress image files to get a smaller image file size (in bits). You can use applications such as Adobe Photoshop or online tools such as TinyPNG, TinyJPG, OptimiZilla, JPEGmini and Compressor.io to reduce the size of image files. Using images with small file sizes can lighten the page and reduce page load time.
4. Image dimensions
When you have finished downloading images from image provider sites, do not immediately add the image to the article. Generally, downloaded images have large dimensions. Use image dimensions that match the width of the blog or website content area. You can use the Adobe Photoshop application or online tools such as PicResize and PicMonkey to change the image dimensions as needed.
Still related to page load time, using the original image dimensions and changing the image dimensions through CSS code to adjust to the width of the content area can increase page load time. The web browser loads the image according to its original dimensions and the code changes the dimensions back to adjust to the width of the content area. This process will increase page load time, especially if there are quite a lot of images on one blog page.
5. Image format
There are three choices of image formats ideal that can be used in articles, namely JPG (JPEG), PNG and GIF. Each image format has advantages and disadvantages. However, many bloggers and webmasters recommend using the JPG (JPEG) format. The reason behind this is that the JPG (JPEG) format can maintain image quality when compressed or when its dimensions are changed.
Also, Compressing the images to be uploaded helps prevent slowing down the page loading speed. This is effective in improving website performance without sacrificing image quality. Compression tools like Photoshop, online image compression, or WordPress plugins can help you produce smaller images.
6. Use Relevant Images
Using SEO-friendly images is an important element on a website that helps users understand the content. Avoid using images that are not related to the context of the article to avoid confusion for users. Also, make sure to choose a main image that visually represents the content, placed at the top of the page without compromising the aesthetics of the website layout.
7. Use Original Images
If possible, avoid using stock images. It is better to use original or portrait images to show the authenticity of your website. However, make sure you still adhere to the principles of image SEO so that the images can be easily identified by visual search engines.
8. Pay Attention to Copyright
It’s important to pay attention to image copyright in the context of image SEO. Make sure you have permission or a license to legally use the image. For stock images, pay attention to the license. Images labeled with a Creative Commons or public domain license are safe to use.
9. Add images to sitemap
This method is also one of the effective ways for Google to index your images. That way, you can get big traffic from Google Images.
You can add images to the sitemap or create a new sitemap to accommodate images. If you are using WordPress, you should install a plugin like Yoast or Rank Math. Both plugins offer good quality sitemaps.
Conclusion
In image optimization for SEO, using relevant and original images is key. Choosing the right image format, compression for loading speed, and providing appropriate file names and alt text with keywords play an important role.
Image copyright and layout should also be considered. Responsiveness for mobile devices, adding to sitemaps, and using structured data further enhance performance. By adhering to these principles, image optimization can be a powerful asset in improving the visibility and user experience of your website.
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