Naming Image for SEO and You
Optimizing websites is all about clear and organized content. Not just the words on a page, and structure of your website and content. Search engines can not see images to understand what they are trying to communicate. Properly describing an image through the file name, alt text and captions are best practices to optimize images and your overall website.
Best Practices for Naming Images for SEO
These are best practice image naming conventions on the Internet:
- File names should clearly describe the image, briefly and concisely.
- Use keywords naturally and if they are relevant to the image. i.e. Don’t “stuff” keywords for the sake of trying to over optimize.
- File names and extensions should always be lower case to avoid broken images in case sensitive systems ( unix/linux)
- File names should have only letters or numbers, with the exception of hyphens replacing spaces.
- If you are uploading images through a CMS like WordPress, always take the time to add addition text descriptions with alt text, title, captions and descriptions.
- If you have multiple corresponding images, name them logically in the same format. ie image-1.jpg, image-2.jpg
I use these and educate and encourage my clients to use these image naming standards too.
Example of Using Best Practices For Naming Images
An example for this image:
Image name: working-from-home.jpg
Alt text: man working on computer from home
Images on WordPress
Other Ways to Optimize Images
Beyond naming images, there are other ways you can optimize them. These go beyond the scope of this article with addressing things like
- image sizes and compression
- using images in <img tags vs CSS
- creating and submitting image sitemaps
- using responsive images
- using correct image formats
Read more Google image SEO best practices.
Drawbacks to Not Using Best Practices for Naming Images
Properly naming images helps you in terms of organization and efficiency.
Often when clients send me images to use on their website, they send me a bunch of files that look something like this: IMG_0863.jpg.
By just glancing at this, its impossible to tell what this image is about. This slows down work flow, and makes finding it to reference later difficult.
- It’s not the best for communication. It slows me down when I have to try to figure out what image goes where. By naming images descriptively, it helps you organize your content and helps me do my job faster.
- It’s not the best for Search Engines Search engines can “read” text, but can not “see” what is in a picture. If you name your file descriptively, search engines can understand this. In HTML code, images have an attribute called alt text (alternate). The purpose of this is for you to describe the image in case a user can not see the image load on the page.
- It’s not the best for Website Accessibility. An accessible website refers to coding your website so people with disabilities can use them easily. People with visual impairments can not see images on a web page. By naming images and including appropriate alt text, you are making your website accessible to more people.
Following these standards for naming images on the web is a powerful SEO tactic. By using relevant keywords, keeping names clear and concise, and avoiding generic labels, you can significantly boost your content’s visibility and search rankings. Taking the time to optimize your images will make a difference.
Well-named images make your site more accessible to both search engines and users, enhancing overall experience. Implementing these straightforward strategies will help drive more traffic and engagement to your website.
There is no one “magic bullet” to SEO. Its an accumulation of following best practices, even if they are small details like image names. It can make a big difference in your online presence.