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How to Optimize Your Images for SEO

How to optimize your images for SEO - tips on how to save, name, and upload images to maximize the SEO benefits for your blog or online business.

Having images on your website is a big deal.

Humans process images 60,000x faster than text.

As online business owners, we know that a picture is worth a thousand words.

We know we have to invest in high-quality images to help take our website and online presence to the next level… which is why we take spend time and money to find the perfect images to reflect our brand, right?

But when it comes to optimizing those images, we usually drop the ball.

 “According to Raven Tools, 78% of SEO issues are related to images.” — That’s a BIG percentage. 

Learning how to optimize your images for SEO is a win-win.

Search engine bots can’t “read” images, so if they can’t “read” an image, they have no way of knowing what the image…is an image of.

When you start optimizing your images for SEO, you make it easier for those search engine bots to know what your images are.

When they know what your images are, they can show them in Google Image search results, as well as help reinforce the overall topic of your content so Google can better show it to your ideal audience.

So how do we avoid being part of that percentage and start optimizing images to HELP our SEO instead of hurt it?

Here are 5 ways to optimize your images for SEO:

  1. Reduce the Size of Your Images:

If you’re uploading your high-resolution images to your website, you’re not only hurting your image SEO, you’re making your website slower.

When you upload a 3000 pixel wide image to your blog post, you’re making the browser work 2x harder. The browser has to first upload the original 3000 pixel wide image, THEN it has to re-load the image sized down to fit the area that it’s uploaded too.

So, for example, if the width of your website content is 800 pixels, your visitors browser has to load the 3000 pixel image AND the 800 pixel image. Now multiply that process by the number of images you have on that webpage…..see how that can turn into a pretty monstrous problem?

Before you upload ANY image to your website, double check to see what size you’re going to need. If it’s going to be in your main content area, maybe you only need it to be 600 pixels wide. If you’re uploading it to your sidebar, maybe you only need it to be 300 pixels wide.

  1. Use Descriptive File Names:

By default, WordPress and Squarespace use your image file name as the Title of your image when you upload it to your website. So instead of having to go back every-single-time you upload an image, to adjust the image title, get in the habit of naming your images descriptively.

Typical file names are a jumbled mix of letters and numbers, like “DSC00829.jpg”. If you don’t change that file name OR the image title when you upload that photo, you’re not giving search engine robots ANY indication of what that image is showing.

Google can’t “read” images so it uses the file name and other data to be able to tell what the image is all about.

Image titles use hyphens-in-between-the-words-to-tell-search-bots-where-spaces-are-supposed-to-be. So when you’re naming your images, use hyphens, not underscores_like_this.

If you don't remember to save your image with a descriptive file name BEFORE you upload it to your website, make sure you're changing the “Title” before you leave that image upload page.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”When they know what your images are, they can show them in Google Image search results, as well as help reinforce the overall topic of your content so Google can better show it to your ideal audience.” quote=”When they know what your images are, they can show them in Google Image search results, as well as help reinforce the overall topic of your content so Google can better show it to your ideal audience.”]

  1. Run the Image Through an Optimizer:

Image optimizers strip the image of unnecessary information like camera details, metadata, color profiles, embedded thumbnails, etc . By doing this it decreases the size of your image, without affecting the quality of it.

You can use a WordPress plugin like WP Smush It to bulk compress or automatically compress images when you upload them to your website.

If you have a Mac, you can download this app that's a super easy drag-and-drop: ImageOptim (this is the one I personally use).

Or you can take advantage of a free online image compressor like TinyPNG or Optimizilla.

  1. Add Unique ALT Text:

ALT stands for “Alternative Text”. This ALT text will appear on your website in place of the image if for some reason the image cannot be loaded. It helps explain the image in a text format. ALT text is insanely useful for search engine bots and people with screen readers to help them understand what your image is all about.

By default, WordPress will NOT include ALT text when you upload an image, so it’s your job to take the time and manually add this information.

Be as descriptive as possible and add in the keywords and key phrases for the page that the image is going to display on (since the image and content should be related, this shouldn’t pose an issue. More on that next!)

Google even admitted they put a higher SEO importance on ALT text (Google rarely admits to SEO rules and importance, so I'd take this one pretty seriously!)

Don’t keyword stuff… Google hates that, and it could end up flagging your content, instead of helping it. For example, if you're writing a piece of content about a new pizza your restaurant is serving, you'll want to add an image of the pizza and give it an ALT text like this: “new gluten free pepperoni pizza Buffalo BY by Mariahs Pizzeria” – It's SUPER descriptive and even includes local keywords.

Don’t do this: “Gluten free pizza pepperoni pizza Buffalo NY best pizza pizza pizza pizza pizza”

Also, you don’t have to add hyphens to the ALT text.

  1. Make Sure Your Image is Relevant:

When you’re choosing images for your website or blog post, make sure they’re relevant to the content they’re sharing a page with. I mentioned in the introduction that you’ll up the odds of Google knowing what your page content is about if your using related images.

Being the most popular search engine on the internet, Google keeps it real.

They don’t want to show their user’s misguided or irrelevant information.

They want people to find solutions and answers to their problems as quickly, and accurately as possible.

If you’re using images and visuals to help emphasize the point of your content, Google loves that.. what they don’t love is random images and visuals that end up confusing users.

Search engine optimization can be quite tedious, especially when you’re getting started, but once you have the foundation of it down, all it takes is the right habits to keep it moving in the right direction.

Learn about the 7 Types of Content that Increase Website Traffic & Improve SEO.

 

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[one-half]About the Author:
Mariah Magazine is web designer and developer that focuses on helping clients improve their website and online presence. Since the internet world is such an elaborate tool, especially for online businesses, she specializes in helping people relate to their target audience and getting their website to work smarter, not harder.

Website: https://mariahmagazine.com

Find Mariah on Pinterest | YouTube | Instagram | LinkedIn

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Easy Ways to Customize Stock Photos for Your Brand

You probably already know that stock photos can make your life much easier by saving time and $$$, BUT it's kind of annoying to know that you're using the same photos as a bunch of other people, right? Luckily there are a few easy ways to customize stock photos for your brand to make them look more unique!

OVERLAY TEXT

You're probably using stock photos for your blog or social media and adding a text overlay is an easy way to make them look more intentional. You can overlay text for blog post titles, quotes, testimonials or any other promotional messaging for your brand. Use your brand fonts and colors so that your graphics are easily recognizable – even if you are just using stock photos! For example, I use my own stock photos for most of the graphics you see on this blog, but since I'm using consistent fonts / styles for the text all of my blog post graphics have a similar look and are easily recognized when people see them on Pinterest.

OVERLAY COLOR

Many styled stock photos have excess white space where text can easily be added, otherwise you can always add a colored overlay over all or part of the image so that your text stands out. Adding a colored overlay over a whole (or part of an) image is an easy way to make stock photos that aren't entirely in your brand's color palette work for you. Since the overlay “hides” most of the colors in the image, you can be a bit more flexible with the stock images you use in this way.

You can also add a colored overlay over only a small portion of an image where you want to add text or other branded elements. If you're using neutral stock photos this is an easy way to infuse a bit of your brand's personality into your graphics without distracting too much from the style of the images.

In the examples below, you can see the original image in the top left – I've added a light overlay with dark text, a dark overlay with light text, a gradient overlay (a great option if you want to use multiple brand colors), an opaque overlay that covers part of the image, and a transparent overlay that covers part of the image. So as you can see there are a lot of different ways to use color overlays to customized stock photos for your brand!

Customize stock photos using color overlays

OVERLAY YOUR PRODUCT IMAGES

If you sell physical or digital products, use your stock photos to showcase whatever you are selling. You can overlay product images on stock photos with negative space or mockup style images with frames or tech elements where you can insert your work. I love the way The Spotted Olive used one of our stock photos to showcase these festive holiday gift tags on Instagram. You could also use tech mockups to share screenshots from your website, blog, or shop!

In the example below, I've used an image from the Styled Stock Society library and added a screenshot of my Subscription Creation Roadmap. This is an easy way to use mockups to promote digital products during launches or promotions and can increase conversions on your sales pages (because it allows people to actually see what you want them to buy)!

CROP / ROTATE / FLIP THEM

Last but not least, instead of sharing stock photos “as is” – most high quality images can be cropped, rotated, and/or flipped for a more unique effect. This is also an easy way to get more bang for your buck since you can crop stock photos in multiple ways and use them multiple times!

In the example below, you'll see one of the images from the Styled Stock Society and how it could be cropped / rotated to create 4 completely different images to share on Instagram. There are definitely other ways you could crop, rotate, or flip this image to create different graphics for your blog, website, or other social channels so don't be afraid to play around a bit to see how many ways you can use your styled stock photos!

TIPS FOR CUSTOMIZING STOCK PHOTOS FOR YOUR BRAND

If you're customizing stock photos for your brand using any of these methods, it can be helpful to use certain tools to make the process as simple as possible! Personally I use Adobe Photoshop for most of my customizations but you can use free tools like Canva to add text or other branded elements as well.

  • Create templates – regardless of what tools you are using to customize your stock photos, setting up templates can save you a ton of time. Setting up templates makes it easy to just switch up your stock image and text instead of starting from scratch every time you want to customize something.
  • Be consistent – if you're adding graphic elements, colored overlays, or filters to your stock photos, you should be consistent with the styles and colors. You want your images to be easily recognizable, so don't change things up too often!

CUSTOMIZE STOCK PHOTOS FOR YOUR BRAND

So those are a few ways to “customize” your stock photos so they are a better reflection of your brand. Stock photos are an affordable option for incorporating high quality visuals into your marketing (and I recommend them, especially if you have a limited marketing budget), but sometimes you may want the images to look more unique to your brand. Luckily there are a lot of different ways to customize stock photos with a little bit of creativity and free tools like Canva.

How are you customizing stock photos for your brand?

The Best Resources For Instagram Props

Must-haves for your instagram prop box - keep small accessories, paper goods + more around to help you in styling your instagram photos and creating a more cohesive brand.

If it isn't obvious already –

My instagram feed is rarely instant.

I previously shared that I prefer batching tasks, and taking photos for instagram is one of the things that I tend to do in batches to save time. Also, since my “ideal” natural lighting happens mid day, taking a lot of photos at once helps me to get more consistent (and better) lighting. Throughout the week I might share photos of things that are more “in the moment” like when there's a really pretty sunset or a cute photo of my dog, but most of my photos are taken ahead of time.

For me, instagram is a curated gallery / highlight reel of my life and behind the scenes look at my business, so I'm very intentional about which photos I decide to share. 

Whether you're styling your photos for instagram or your website, it's helpful to have a prop box of items on hand to help you create more interesting photos. To build your own prop box, think about what types of items you already have around your home and gather them together in one place. From there, you can start to purchase additional props within your niche – for example, I work with a natural beauty brand that incorporates a lot of “natural” elements like flowers and greenery to complement their products.

Often I want to take a photo of a particular product like lipstick or jewelry, and having things like trays and coffee table books around helps to make my photos less blah. I try to only buy “props” that are things that I will actually use in real life and that relate to my brand – so you'll primarily see polished, feminine, and modern accents in black / white / gold / pink  anywhere that's associated with wonderfelle.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Whether you're styling your photos for instagram or your website, it's helpful to have a prop box of items on hand to help you create more interesting photos.” quote=”Whether your styling your photos for instagram or your website, it's helpful to have a prop box of items on hand to help you create more interesting photos.”]

PROPS + BACKGROUNDS

You can find almost anything on Amazon, Target, or Etsy 

For specific props here are a few ideas that you can use for styling flatlays or behind the scenes shots:

Office supplies (pretty pens + pencils, notebooks, planners, folders, paper clips, scissors, post it notes, notecards, stationery, etc.). Find fun office supplies at:

Small home accessories + kitchenware (candles, trays, coffee table books, picture frames, decorative objects, coasters, plates, glasses, mugs, bar accessories, etc.) A few great places to find home accessories include:

Small personal accessories (jewelry, watches, keychains, scarves, wallets / clutches / pouches, makeup, glasses, headphones, etc.): Find cute options at:

Other: flowers, succulents, food / beverage items, technology (phones / tablets / etc.)

If you’re looking for resources to make the backgrounds of your photos more visually appealing, consider these:

What are your favorite resources for Instagram props?

Instagram Resource Guide for shooting, editing, scheduling photos