Selecting and optimising images for SEO is a crucial aspect of website optimization. The proper choice of images that align with the textual content is essential for enhancing visual engagement and maintaining synchronicity.
To achieve optimal viewing, it is necessary to use high-quality images with the correct aspect ratio and resolution. While it is advisable to avoid stock photos that may negatively impact organic traffic, hiring a photographer or creating original visual designs is recommended. However, if time and budget constraints exist, free-image resources such as Google Search and Flickr can be utilised to find images with appropriate usage rights.
Image optimisation, which involves resizing images to improve page load speeds and search rankings, can be done using various tools like Photoshop, Picresize, or even the Paint program. Assigning accurate file names, concise and descriptive alt text, and utilising captions can further enhance SEO.
Moreover, optimising images is crucial before commencing link building to ensure website growth and protect against unauthorised use, which can be achieved using tools like Image Raider.
Why Image Selection Matters
The selection of appropriate images is of utmost importance as they should align with the textual content to enhance visual engagement and maintain synchronicity, while also considering factors such as image quality, aspect ratio, and resolution for optimal viewing experience.
High-quality images that are in the correct aspect ratio and resolution are necessary to ensure optimal viewing. It is advisable to avoid using stock photos as they can negatively impact organic traffic. Instead, hiring a photographer or creating original visual designs is recommended. However, if time and budget constraints exist, free-image resources such as Google Search, Flickr, Unsplash, Piktochart, and GifGrabber can be explored for image options.
Ensuring that images are properly optimised by resizing them using tools like Photoshop or online tools like Picresize is crucial for page load speeds and search rankings. Accurate file names, concise and descriptive alt text, and captions can further enhance the SEO value of the images.
Lastly, it is important to protect images from unauthorised use by utilising tools like Image Raider.
Overall, image selection plays a vital role in optimising images for SEO purposes.
Free Image Resources
Google Search and Flickr are two popular sources that provide free images with usage rights for website owners. These resources offer a wide range of images that can be used to enhance the visual appeal and engagement of a website.
Google Search allows users to find free images by selecting ‘Labelled for Reuse’ under Usage Rights, ensuring that the images can be used without infringing on copyright laws.
Flickr, on the other hand, offers a valuable collection of images with Creative Commons licences, which provide specific guidelines on how the images can be used. It is important to verify the usage restrictions on Flickr before selecting any images to avoid any legal issues.
Other websites such as Unsplash, Piktochart, and GifGrabber can also be explored to find suitable image options for website optimisation.
By utilising these free image resources, website owners can enhance their SEO efforts by providing relevant and visually appealing images to their audience.
Optimising Images for SEO
One key aspect of image optimisation for improved search engine optimisation is the careful consideration of file names and alt text to accurately describe the visual content.
File names should be descriptive and relevant to the image, using keywords when appropriate. This helps search engines understand the context and relevance of the image.
Alt text, or alternative text, is text that is displayed in place of an image when it cannot be loaded or accessed. It serves as a textual representation of the image for search engines to understand its content.
Alt text should be concise, descriptive, and include relevant keywords.
By optimising file names and alt text, websites can improve their visibility in image search results and enhance their overall SEO strategy.
