Next Gen Payment Gateway: Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Image Optimisation Guide

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Image Optimisation Guide?

As Google's crawlers become smarter and more efficient, the process of improving your website's ranking becomes more and more cumbersome. Now, optimisation steps need to be taken in order to rank your website at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs). There are many factors that affect Google rankings, with image optimisation being one of the most important parameters.

Image optimisation can drive millions of traffic to your website through image-based search engines. Every image element contributes significantly to SEO. From captions to alternative text, image copy to link redirects, these elements play an important role in overall on-page SEO.

You should start image optimisation in the following cases:

1. When you can't display your product in Google Image Search

2. When rankings do not improve despite following the Penguin algorithm

3. When the bounce rate is higher than you expect

Here are some key steps to optimise your website images:

Naming images correctly

In search engine optimisation, naming images using keywords helps in optimisation. Even if you don't view the image, you should let Google know what the image is about. Therefore, create a name that is descriptive and rich in keywords. Search engines not only crawl your content but also search for image file names. We recommend that you use up to 3-5 words in your image name.

For example, if your image is about an email invoicing tool, then your image file name should not be ey12345.jpg, but emailinvoicing.jpg.

Avoid abbreviations

Whatever your product or business is, avoid using any abbreviations. For example, instead of using PS for Payment Solutions, use the full name Payment Solutions. Group all elements together and use only dashes or underscores (- or _) to separate keywords.

naming convention

Always have a consistent naming format for multiple images. Do not name individual images in multiple formats. For example, if you have an image named "sms-invoice-payment-solutions.jpg", you don't want the other images to be named "sms-invoice-payment-tools.jpg ". Google crawlers will not accept multiple formats for the same type of image. It can also become unmanageable to use multiple names for the same image that is used frequently.

Alternative Text Attributes

Alternative text is added when an image fails to load for any reason. It could be because the user has closed the image in their browser, or they are using a screen reader, and the alternative text feature ensures that key information is not lost. Therefore, the alternative text should be descriptive. Make sure to include the target keyword in the alternative text option.

Google sees alternative text as a key ranking factor for optimising images. Alternative text should be transformed for different sizes of the same image.

Fill in the details

Fill in important details such as image titles, description text and anchor text. Image captions are displayed when the mouse hovers over an image on your website. On the other hand, description text is visible on your web page. Use some keywords in the description text. Remember, every aspect of image optimisation should have a unique keyword density.

Always create a great user experience to score higher in Google rankings. Quality images are a great way to attract Google crawlers to your website. High-quality images increase website traffic and show up better on Google's search results pages (SERPs). Always create a separate landing page for your images as it helps Google gather more relevant information about your page. Remember to provide useful information such as captions, descriptive text and alternative text.

Also read our blog post, "How to Attract Google Crawlers to Your Website." Stay tuned to PayU Knowledge Platform to take your online business to the next level.