Best SEO Practices for Images on WordPress to Boost Your Online Visibility

Optimizing images on WordPress is a crucial step in improving your website's online visibility. This can be done by adding alt text to your images, which should be a brief description of the image.

A good alt text should be descriptive, yet concise, and include relevant keywords. For example, if you're using an image of a product, your alt text should include the product's name and any relevant features.

Using descriptive file names for your images is also essential for SEO. Instead of using generic file names like "image1.jpg", use a name that includes the image's content, such as "product-name-feature.jpg".

By following these simple steps, you can significantly improve your website's image SEO and boost your online visibility.

Give your images descriptive file names to help search engines understand what they're about. This is a crucial step in image SEO, and it's as simple as using a descriptive phrase that includes your target keywords.

Use dashes, not underscores, as word separators in your image filenames. For example, instead of "20221001_123456.jpg" for your blue dog collar product photo, copy and then rename it to something like "dog-collar-blue-fabric.jpg" for an SEO boost.

A descriptive file name can give Google clues about the subject matter of the image. For example, "my-new-black-kitten.jpg" is better than "IMG00023.jpg". Try to be specific, such as "big-eyed-playful-black-kitten.jpg" instead of just "black-kitten.jpg".

Consider the keywords that users would type on Google to find your image. For instance, if you're writing an article on Notre Dame, the file name of an image showing a sunrise in Paris over the Notre Dame Cathedral shouldn't be "DSC4536.jpg". A proper file name would be "notre-dame-paris-sunrise.jpg".

Here's a quick checklist to help you create descriptive file names:

Adding Alt Text and Captions is a crucial step in optimizing your images for search engines.

Alt text is used to describe your image and is crucial for image SEO. It's an HTML attribute added to the image tag, which is used to show images on a page. For example, instead of just 'chocolate,' use 'dark chocolate banana bread muffins' to describe your image.

To add alt text to your images in WordPress Block Editor, simply scroll down in the post or page you're editing and click on your image so that it gets marked with the blue frame. Then, go to the Image Settings in the right column of your editor and type in your alt text in the Alt Text (alternative text) field.

Image captions make your content scannable and can be good for family or event photos, photos that need additional explanation describing a background story, and product image galleries. However, they can make your content look cluttered and aren't really necessary if you're explaining the image in the content itself.

Here are some tips for adding alt text and captions:

Compressing your images is one of the most effective ways to improve your WordPress site's speed and SEO. Site speed is crucial for SEO, and Google has confirmed it's a ranking factor on both desktop and mobile.

Google will make website loading speed a part of its Core Web Vitals starting May 2021, so it's essential to optimize your images now. You can use free services like TinyPNG, CompressJPEG, and Optimizilla to compress your images.

Compressing your images can reduce their file size by 70% or more, positively impacting your site's speed. Properly compressed images retain high visual quality at greatly reduced file sizes, keeping users happy and making your web pages smaller and faster to load.

Some popular image compression tools include ShortPixel, Smush, TinyPNG, EWWW Image Optimizer, and Imagify. These tools can be used individually or as WordPress plugins to compress images already in the Media Library.

Resizing your images before uploading them to WordPress is also essential to avoid large, slow-loading files. This will help you achieve faster load times without losing the quality of your visuals.

Lazy loading is a game-changer for image-heavy pages on WordPress. Lazy loading shows images only when they're visible to the user as they scroll down, making the communication between your site and the server more efficient and speeding up page loading.

WordPress 5.4 and newer versions lazy load images by default, so you don't need to install a plugin. However, if you want to add lazy loading for other HTML elements like iframes, videos, and background images, you can use a plugin like WP Rocket.

Compressing images is key to reducing file size and improving load times. WordPress automatically compresses images, but manually optimizing before uploading ensures the best results.

Resizing images before uploading them to WordPress is essential to avoid large, slow-loading files. Properly sized images also help reduce load times.

Lazy loading is now the default behavior for WordPress, automatically improving the load time of image-heavy pages. This means your site becomes faster, enhancing both user experience and SEO.

Here are some tips for image optimization:

By following these best practices, you can improve the load times of your image-heavy pages and enhance user experience and SEO.

Creating an image sitemap can help Google index and crawl your images faster. This is as easy as activating AIOSEO, which automatically creates a sitemap for you.

To check if it's enabled, navigate to Sitemaps in the All in One SEO menu and click on the General Sitemap tab. Make sure your images aren't blocked by your robots.txt file, or you can disallow them using robots.txt.

Adding structured data to your pages can help search engines display your images as rich results. Google has guidelines for adding structured data, such as ensuring the image belongs to the instance of that type and that the image is crawlable and indexable.

You can use plugins like AIOSEO or Yoast SEO to automatically add structured data to several images on your site. For example, your logo or images in how-to articles can be automatically included in the structured data graph.

Here are some types of schema markup that Google Images supports:

By adding structured data, you can make your images eligible for rich results and send more traffic your way.

Creating a sitemap is a straightforward process that can greatly benefit your image SEO. You can help Google index and crawl your images faster by creating an image sitemap.

All images on your website are automatically included in the XML sitemap when using AIOSEO. This function is what’s called an Image Sitemap.

To enable it, simply activate AIOSEO and navigate to Sitemaps in the All in One SEO menu and clicking on the General Sitemap tab.

Make sure your images aren’t blocked by your robots.txt file, as this can prevent Google from crawling them. Disallowing images in robots.txt is a simple way to keep them private.

Google is clear about the importance of image sitemap information, which helps discover images that might not be found otherwise, such as those reached with JavaScript code.

Structured data is a crucial element in helping search engines understand your images and display them as rich results. Google Images supports schema markup for products, videos, and recipes.

You can add schema markup to your site using a plugin like AIOSEO, which can help you achieve nice-looking rich results. Google has guidelines for structured data, which you should follow to ensure your images are displayed correctly.

Structured data doesn't directly impact your ranking, but it can help you achieve a more fleshed-out listing in Image Search. Yoast SEO automatically adds structured data to several images on your site, including your logo and images in how-to articles.

Adding structured data can make your images eligible for rich results, sending more traffic your way. This is especially useful for recipes, videos, and products.

To optimize your featured images, you can add structured data following a standardized method of labeling pages. This can help search engines display special and enhanced search results, like rich media results for recipes.

Here are some examples of structured data types that Google supports:

By incorporating structured data into your images, you can improve their visibility in search engines and drive more organic traffic to your site.

Choosing the right image format is essential for balancing performance and quality. WebP and AVIF offer delightful compression without sacrificing quality, making them an excellent choice for high-quality images that won’t slow down your site.

Optimizing images for SEO brings a delicious mix of benefits, from faster load times to improved search visibility. Properly optimized images give users a smooth experience, and search engines love treating sites that deliver on performance.

For images, the right format doesn’t exist. It depends on the kind of image and how you want to use it. Here are some general guidelines:

Specifying width and height for images in CSS can significantly improve your website’s user experience and overall performance. By setting explicit dimensions for your images, you can optimize the layout and prevent content from shifting while the images load.

Image quality and performance matter for several key reasons. Optimizing images for SEO brings a delicious mix of benefits, from faster load times to improved search visibility.

Properly optimized images give users a smooth experience, and search engines love treating sites that deliver on performance. This means faster loading, reduced bounce rates, and better accessibility.

Image SEO is essential because it improves search rankings for more organic visibility, traffic, and conversions. By optimizing your image content, you can rank higher for your target keywords and user search queries.

Specifying width and height for images in CSS can significantly improve your website’s user experience and overall performance. This practice is essential for improving Core Web Vitals, including Largest Contentful Paint (LCP).

Here are some key benefits of specifying width and height for images in CSS:

By combining image optimization with other techniques, such as proper image formats, compression, and lazy loading, you can maximize the impact on your website’s speed and Core Web Vitals.

WebP and AVIF are next-generation formats that offer delightful compression without sacrificing quality. They're supported natively by WordPress, making them an excellent choice for high-quality images that won't slow down your site.

Choosing the right image format is crucial for balancing performance and image quality. JPG is best for website graphics with many shades of colors, while PNG is ideal for high-quality images with text, such as screenshots and drawings.

The most common image file types are JPG, PNG, and GIF. Each has its own strengths, depending on the type of image and desired balance between quality and file size.

Here's a quick rundown on common image formats and their typical uses:

If you want to preserve background transparency in your image, PNG is the way to go. It's also a great choice for high-quality images that don't need to be compressed, like screenshots and drawings.

For larger photos or illustrations, JPEG is a great option. It provides good results in terms of colors and clarity with a relatively small file size. Just be aware that it's a lossy compression format, so some image quality may be lost.

WebP is another excellent choice for high-quality images with smaller file sizes. You can use tools like Squoosh to convert your image into WebP.

Optimizing images for SEO is a crucial step in improving your WordPress site's performance and search visibility. Properly optimized images give users a smooth experience, and search engines love treating sites that deliver on performance.

Choose a descriptive file name that includes your focus keyphrase, making it easy for Google to understand what the image is about. For instance, use "notre-dame-paris-sunrise.jpg" instead of "DSC4536.jpg" for an image of the Notre Dame Cathedral.

WebP and AVIF formats offer excellent compression without sacrificing quality, making them a great choice for high-quality images that won't slow down your site. These formats are supported natively by WordPress, so be sure to check for browser compatibility and provide fallback formats like JPEG when needed.

Image SEO is crucial for any WordPress site. Optimizing images for search engines can improve search visibility, reduce bounce rates, and increase traffic from organic search.

Properly optimized images give users a smooth experience, and search engines love treating sites that deliver on performance. This is because image optimization is about improving search rankings for more organic visibility, traffic, and conversions.

Image search represents about 20.45% of all searches on Google and other popular sites. This means that adding images to your content and optimizing them for SEO is a good idea.

You should place the most important image on top of your page and try using original photographs that are unique to your blog or website. This will help grab people's attention and make them click through to your site.

Disabling attachment pages is also a good practice. This can hurt your SEO if not done, as search engines consider pages with little to no text as low-quality or 'thin content'.

Using a CDN is a great way to speed up your WordPress site, but did you know that you can also use an image CDN to optimize your images? Image CDNs like Sirv, Cloudinary, and Imagekit can handle image transformation, optimization, and delivery on the fly, making your images load much faster.

An image CDN can convert your PNG images to WebP on the fly, which loads fastest and gives the best image quality. This means your visitors will get the best possible experience.

You can also use platforms like Cloudflare to determine how to resize, reformat, and serve images. This gives you more control over how your images are delivered to your visitors.

It's great for SEO to have your images optimized on the origin server at your website hosting firm. But using an image CDN can take it to the next level by delivering optimized images to your visitors.

Your images should be resized to fit the blog content of your page, not the entire screen width.

The maximum width of your blog or page is crucial to consider, as using larger images can slow down your page loading and negatively affect your SEO.

For example, if your blog's maximum width is 706px, your images will never be displayed wider than 706px.

To check the maximum width of your blog or page, go to the Web Developer settings in your browser and click on the Inspector tool.

Hover over the column you want to check, and a black box with the dimensions will appear, showing you the maximum width.

Using large images may seem harmless, but they can still load in their full size, even if the browser resizes them to fit the screen.

Large images are heavy in file size, which can reduce your page loading speed and negatively impact your SEO.

Choosing the right format for your images is crucial for WordPress optimization.

PNG is a great format for preserving the quality of images with text, such as HD screenshots, but it results in larger file sizes.

JPG, or JPEG, is a lossy compression format that's perfect for photos without text, resulting in smaller file sizes.

You can use tools like Squoosh to convert your image into WebP, a format that produces high-quality results with smaller file sizes.

Here's a quick rundown on common image formats and their typical uses:

SVG is ideal for logos and icons, as it allows for resizing without loss of quality.

Before choosing a format, check if your preferred format is supported by the browsers and devices your audience uses.

All In One SEO (AIOSEO) is a powerful WordPress SEO plugin trusted by over 3 million websites. It includes an Image SEO module that makes optimizing your images much easier.

AIOSEO's Image SEO module allows you to optimize image metadata by setting a format, stripping punctuation, converting the casing, and more. To use this feature, go to your AIOSEO dashboard » Search Appearance » Image SEO.

If you're looking for other image compression options, consider using ShortPixel, which can be used as a standalone tool or as a WordPress plugin. ShortPixel can compress images by 70% or more, and it also supports converting images to next-gen formats like AVIF and WebP.

Here are some popular image compression tools and plugins for WordPress:

These tools and plugins can help you compress images properly, retaining high visual quality at greatly reduced file sizes.

AIOSEO is a powerful WordPress SEO plugin trusted by over 3 million websites.

It has a feature-rich Image SEO module that makes optimizing images easier.

You can access this module by going to your AIOSEO dashboard » Search Appearance » Image SEO.

This module allows you to optimize image metadata by setting a format, stripping punctuation, converting the casing, and more.

Optimizing your images this way makes it easier for search engines to understand what your image is about.

Other plugins like Yoast, All in One SEO, and RankMath also have modules or features that help identify and correct image SEO problems.

For example, Yoast will tell you if your image alt text is missing target keywords or if you're missing images altogether in your content.

ShortPixel is another great plugin for image compression, which can help reduce image file sizes and improve page load times.

You can use ShortPixel as a streamlined approach to image compression for your WordPress images.

This plugin is especially useful for manual compression of images before uploading to WordPress.

Compression tools are a must-have for any image optimization workflow. Squoosh is an online tool that can help you shrink the file size of your images, and it's free to use.

ShortPixel is another popular option, especially for WordPress users. It can be used as a standalone tool or as a plugin to compress images already in the WordPress media library.

Proper image compression can reduce file sizes by 70% or more, making a significant impact on site speed. TinyPNG, CompressJPEG, and Optimizilla are some free services that can help with image compression.

ShortPixel is a great choice for compressing images, and it often achieves compression ratios of 70% or more with minimal loss of image quality. It also supports converting images to next-gen formats like AVIF and WebP.

Here are some popular image compression tools for WordPress:

Over-compressing images can leave them pixelated and unappealing, so strike a balance between quality and size.

Ignoring mobile optimization is like forgetting the candy wrappers – essential for a clean experience. Always check your images across devices.

Alt text is crucial for search engines and users with disabilities, so don't skip it.

Keyword stuffing in alt text can be just as bad as over-compressing images – Google prefers a natural, light sprinkle of relevant terms.

Uploading high-resolution images without resizing can slow your site down, turning your sweet treat into a sticky mess.

Here are the common mistakes to avoid in image SEO on WordPress: