Optimizing Images For Search Engines

Images are valuable, images are relevant and they can bring traffic to
your website. When I say traffic, I mean more visitors to your site.
As a web content writer/designer, you may know what traffic is and how
important it is to have traffic, but someone out there doesn't know
that. The success of a website depends on the optimizations practised
within a website. In this case, images are optimized for SEO Purposes.

HOW TO OPTIMIZE IMAGES FOR SEO PURPOSES?

The first rule of optimizing an image for SEO purposes is to name the
image. Search engines can find an image only if it's named according
to its description. If you have an image of a blue sky, name that
image blue sky. Don't name it image5, even if it's easy to remember,
search engines won't recognize it. The second rule is to write an alt
tag. Just to be safe, the alt tag and the name of the image should
have the same name.

The purpose of optimizing this images is to enable a user to find your
website or web page even if they perform an image search.

HOW TO USE IMAGES IN A WEBSITE

There's nothing better than a beautiful image to enhance the look of
your website. It's been said that a book without pictures is as boring
as the author who wrote it. It's not different to a website. A picture
can make a boring website look cooler, but there are limits towards
the use of pictures.

PICTURE ALIGNMENT

In a website or a web page, you cannot put a picture any where it
suites you. You have to think of a way to make a picture likable, not
too destructive to the content. Pictures are important but not if they
hold more attention to the visitor than the content.

IRRELEVANT PICTURES

If the main point of your website is to get visitors to buy insurance
online, don't put a picture of a kid playing soccer. What does a kid
playing soccer has to do with buying insurance? Exactly, nothing.
Rather put a picture of a very expensive car rolling down a cliff.
That's relevant to insurance. Images are more attractive to a visitor,
only when they are relevant to the topic. You can also use images for
search engine optimizing purposes. The SEO image lesson is covered on
the next post.