The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” also applies to images on your website. Using images helps you create better content. An image simply works better than a long block of text and therefore drives more engagement with your readers. Not only do your website visitors perceive your site as more valuable when you use high-quality images, but Google does as well.
In this article, you’ll learn what targeted content is, how it increases your visitors’ dwell time, how to use images, and how to further optimize them for Google with titles and alt tags. We’ll also provide information on how to make your images easily discoverable in Google Images. These are handy tips and tricks to help you get started with search engine optimization and improve your visibility on Google using images!
When writing an article, blog post, or other piece of content, it’s important to always write with the end user in mind. After all, the text is written to inform, guide, or inspire someone. Not only is the text a very important part of your page, but so is the use of elements such as images, videos, infographics, social media buttons, and links. This is called rich content.
Rich content refers to elements that can be included at the top, in the middle, or at the bottom of your page’s text. These elements engage the reader in a different way than text does.
For example, an image evokes more emotion than text because it stimulates the older part of the brain. This older part includes the brainstem, where basic survival instincts are triggered, as well as the limbic system, which is responsible for everything related to emotions and affect.
In this case, an image acts as a trigger for these parts of the brain. That emotion then drives the reader to take action, prompting them to keep reading. This allows you to encourage visitors to spend more time on your site.
Dwell time indicates how long visitors stay on your website after clicking through from the search results page (SERP). For Google, this is an important metric for evaluating your website.
A visitor who stays on your website longer and also visits multiple pages is, in Google’s view, confirmation that the visitor found a lot of information on your website before navigating back to the SERP.
A good internal linking structure is also important here. This allows readers to click through from one page to other relevant pages within the website, with the goal of keeping visitors on your website for as long as possible.
This applies to informational pages, blogs, or overview pages, where the visitor is still in the exploratory phase. This does not apply to pages focused on conversion. On these pages, it’s important to keep the visitor on that specific page and use clear CTAs to guide the visitor toward conversion. You don’t want to distract the visitor, so outbound links or social media buttons are out of place here.
Check out our 9 tips for lowering your bounce rate and converting more visitors
By literally enriching the content on your website and optimizing images for SEO, your website automatically becomes more valuable to the end user. Think about it: which do you prefer—text without images, or text with images that visually enhance the content?
By adding rich content, you take your visitors’ different preferences into account. This allows you to reach a wider audience, provides valuable content on your website, and Google will reward you for it.
Do you regularly post blogs or articles on your website, and are you wondering how best to use images? Start by asking yourself: Which image adds value and supports my text? For example, it’s a good idea to include an image in the header of your page to evoke the right emotions in the reader right from the start.
Placing images within the text should provide visual support for the text without being perceived as distracting. However, always make sure you use images for which you have the rights. These can be your own photos, images from stock sites, or images from third parties for which you have been granted permission to use them, provided you cite the source.
To make your images easier to find, optimize them. Make sure every image you use has a relevant title attribute (title tag), alt tag, and filename. You want to avoid creating duplicate content for your images, just as you would in your text. When designing and writing a page, it’s important for SEO to focus on a single focus keyword.
Use high-resolution images so that your website doesn’t display blurry images. After all, you want to come across as professional, and high-quality images are part of that. However, you should make sure the file size isn’t too large in KBs.
Images that are too large can actually slow down your site. The more large images your website has, the longer it takes to load. Not only does this frustrate visitors, but it also has a negative impact on your overall search engine visibility.
Many people wonder whether the image file type still needs to be taken into account. It’s good to know that Google doesn’t recognize RAW and TIFF files, so don’t use them. Images with the .jpeg file extension are generally the most common and are smaller than .png files. However, if you have an image with a transparent background, the .png file format is recommended.
WebP images are a new development. The WebP file format was developed by Google and reduces the file size of .jpeg and .png images by an average of 39% without any loss of quality. With the exception of Safari, all browsers now support WebP images.
It’s clear that images add value not only for the reader but also for search engines. However, you do need to consider the image’s filename, title tag, and alt tag; more on this will follow in the next sections. Google can read your page, but it can’t see it. If you know how to properly configure these elements, it will have a positive impact on the discoverability of your images. Ideally, you should optimize your images as follows:
Make sure the images you want to use have appropriate file names. To a search engine like Google, a file name like FOTO_CNNF060620.jpeg means absolutely nothing. Use a descriptive file name that includes search terms, and place those terms as close to the beginning as possible.
If necessary, use a hyphen ‘-‘ between multiple words. Ideally, avoid using an underscore ‘_’ because it is also commonly used in programming languages and can therefore cause confusion. Some good examples are:
After uploading your image, you can add a title tag to it. The title attribute is displayed when you hover over the image with the mouse and is read aloud by screen readers. This provides additional space to include search terms. It helps clarify your content and improve usability. Make sure your title attribute is short and clear.
An important step when uploading your image is to include an alt tag. A common mistake is leaving this field blank. If your image fails to load and therefore isn’t displayed—for whatever reason—the image’s alt tag will still be visible to the visitor.
Are you curious about the alt tags for the images on your page? Then use the alt tag checker to check all alt tags at once.
As mentioned, Google can’t see your page, but it does read all of its elements, including the alt tag, file name, and title attribute. Google uses this information to determine what the image is about. Failing to include an alt tag is therefore a missed opportunity. Make sure to include an alt tag that is descriptive and contains one or more search terms, but keep it concise. Examples of good alt tags are:
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Within the Google search engine, you can also search specifically for images. Just like with regular search results, Google Images also displays the most relevant images at the top.
Google retrieves these images from the website where they are hosted, provided they have a proper and clear filename, alt tag, and title attribute. You can also create a sitemap for your images, which allows you to provide additional information to Google.
A sitemap is a file that provides an overview of all the pages and all the elements of your website—in this case, the images. Just like a regular sitemap, you can upload this one to Google Search Console. Think of it as a kind of table of contents, so that Google can better understand the structure of your website. But keep in mind that your image won’t appear in search results right away, because Google still needs to index the page first.
When searching within Google Images, the user initially sees an unfiltered list of results. However, within Google Images, you can apply filters to get a more specific set of results. For example, using the “Search Tools” feature, you can filter by “Size,” “Color,” and “Type.”
The more information and search terms you include with your images, the better your images will generally perform in Google. Of course, relevance—as well as “attractive” images that catch the eye—remains very important for discoverability and CTR.
With a passion for SEO and an unmatched drive for results, Jarik Oosting is the driving force behind SmartRanking. With over 15 years of experience in the field, he has built an extensive body of knowledge spanning technical SEO to complex site migrations. As the founder of SmartRanking, he has assembled a team of like-minded SEO specialists who help businesses achieve sustainable online growth.
His academic background in information science at the University of Groningen, with a specialization in natural language processing, gives him a unique perspective on the world of SEO. For Jarik, it’s not just about visibility in search engines, it’s about sharing knowledge and guiding businesses toward sustainable online success. That mission also led him to write a Dutch book about GEO.