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SEO Images
When optimizing your website to perform better in search engine results, do not overlook or neglect the images on your website. Graphics play an important role in web design, and they can also influence organic search rankings. Take care to make your website graphics search-friendly. Here are some tips for better image optimization...

Image Compression

Compress the website images using graphics software. A graphics-heavy website will be slow to load, so stick to smaller high-quality images. You only have a few moments to make an impression on a website visitor, and a slow-loading website may cause visitors to click away.

Proper Size

Make sure the image is sized appropriately for its position on the webpage. If the visitor's web browser needs to re-size the image each time the image or page is viewed, it will take additional load time.

Name Graphics

Use keywords in the naming of the graphic files. The filename should contain keywords related to the image and website. If you are using multiple words in the filename, hyphenate the words in the image filename. For example: domain.com/graphic/keyword-phrase.png

Alt Tags

Be sure to use "alt tags" in the HTML code to describe the image. It is recommended that the alt tags contain keywords or phrases that relate both to what the image represents as well as to the content of the web page.

Do Not Lose Control

It is very important that you host all images on your own website. If you link to an image on another website, it not only makes the image load time dependent on their bandwidth speed, but it also gives them control over your website! For example, if they decide to change that image, but keep the same filename, you could end up displaying something on your site that is completely different than the original image you wanted (and possibly something you would rather not have your website associated with!).

Create An Image Sub-Directory

While not directly related to search engine optimization, it is recommended that all website images be kept in a separate folder. This simply makes management of the website easier.

Title Tags

In addition to alt tags, images can contain "titles". The image title appears in most browsers when the mouse is on the image. It is important that the title relate to what the image represents.

When optimizing a website for search engines, take a few extra moments to optimize the images too.

Related Articles:
How to Optimize for Organic Search
Search Engine Optimization Guide
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