Carly Ellis | 2 min
This post was last updated on May 03, 2023.
Video Transcript
Image optimization
Your images not only enhance user experience, they can also bring a significant amount of traffic to your site, if optimized right.
I’m Carly and today we’re going to talk about how to optimize your images for search engines.
Before we dive into the details, let’s make one thing clear- Google and other search engines can read text...
But when it comes to images, they need to be optimized so search engines can better understand them.
This is also key for web accessibility - to give everyone the ability to experience and interact with your site. Now - here’s some practical tips for optimizing your images.
First, let's talk about alt text. This is where SEO and accessibility meet.
Alt text or alternative text, is the textual description of an image. It’s used within an HTML code to tell people who might not be able to see your images, or search engines, what the image is about and helps them index it properly.
Think of it as the written version of the image.
When writing alt text, describe the image from the perspective of someone who is visually impaired. Take this image. Describing it as just ”Plant” doesn’t give the reader enough context. Rather, “Snake plant in a yellow pot” are way more descriptive and informative. Think about the context of the image. Be descriptive but concise at the same time.
Quick pro-tip - when possible, upload your images as a JPEG file, since they’re significantly smaller than a PNG file. This will help improve page loading time without compromising quality.
Second, add captions when it makes sense.
These are typically added under images in an article or on product pages. Along with improving visitor experience, they help search engines better understand the context of an image.
Make sure to use these guidelines when optimizing images on your site to help search engines read them and more importantly, to make your site accessible for everyone on the web.
Again, I’m Carly. Thanks for tuning in and...We’ll see you next time.