Website Images for SEO and CRO

Does your website have any images on it?

I thought so.

A website without images is extremely rare. And for good reason. Images provide a ton of value.

They improve website design (unless used poorly). They make a website look more colorful and lively. They can have meaning if they’re relevant.

Images can also help boost SEO (search engine optimization) and CRO (conversion rate optimization).

And here is some more good news. Optimizing images for SEO and CRO is easy!

I’m going to provide a checklist of sorts for how to optimize your image. The list won’t be comprehensive, but it will cover the most important steps. Don’t skip a single one, or you could significantly hinder your results.

But first I need to talk about image selection. This is probably the hardest part of the process.

Whatever images you select need to be relevant to the content. Don’t just pick any stock photo off the internet just so you have a picture on your home page. If possible, use a photo relevant to your business that you have taken yourself.

If that doesn’t work, you can scour the internet for a free (or paid) option, but it does need to be relevant to the content of the page.

And now---as promised--the checklist.

• Name the file based on your content. Don’t use the random names that appear when you snap a photo on your phone or download a photo from the internet. Make the file name relevant to the image, the content of the page, and your website.
• Choose the right file type. If the image isn’t the appropriate file type, use a tool such as https://squoosh.app/ to convert it. Most of the time, you want the file type to be JPEG. If the image needs a transparent background, you will need it to be a PNG. Google image file types to learn more about this subject. It can be nuanced.
• If the image is larger than it needs to be, resize it manually before using it. This will significantly reduce the file size of the image. By doing so, you will speed up your website. Not only is this great for your website visitors, but it is also great for SEO.
• Add the alt attribute to your image. Screen readers will read this text aloud in place of the image. It’s also a great place for an SEO plug. Be sure that the alt text reflects the content of the page or section that the image belongs.
• Add a caption BELOW the image. This caption text is a great place for important messages. Caption text is frequently read. Because of this, you want to be on your A game when you decide what the caption text should say. It should likely be something that can help lead to a sale.

It’s as simple as that. With just these few tips, you can handle about 80% of what you need to as far as images are concerned.

Sure, there are additional optimizations that can be done such as using the srcset attribute, further reducing image file size, and using CDNs for increased performance. But these optimizations can wait until after you handle the basics.

I know that some of these tips are a bit technical and not everybody will know how to follow them. But they are crucial.

If you have any trouble with any of the steps or need further help, email me at [email protected] and I’ll see what I can do.