secrets for powerful image seo · searchmetrics, a leading enterprise seo firm, recently released...

A HANDS-ONContent Marketing Guide

How to Drive More Website Traffic with Images

Secrets for Powerful

IMAGE SEO

INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................03

SECRET 1: Use Only High Quality Images ............................................06

SECRET 2: Create Great Image Alt Tags ..............................................09

SECRET 3: Give Image Files Descriptive Names ....................................12

SECRET 4: Deploy Semantic Markup Language .....................................15

SECRET 5: Create an Image Site Map .................................................18

CONCLUSION ..............................................................................20

TABLE OF CONTENTS

5 Secrets for Powerful Image SEO

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When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), images are often relegated to a seldom-visited corner, ignored except for some cursory attention, or just outright forgotten altogether. If you’re making any of those mistakes – and chances you are – it’s time to shape up your Image SEO now.

Images can serve as powerful tools to help your search efforts. In the algorithms they use to crawl your website, Google (the Goliath of them all), Yahoo, Bing, ASK and the others all look for information detailing the content of the images you use.

To ignore Image SEO is to leave behind significant traffic you could have had. Fortunately, Image SEO – the tactic of properly optimizing your website images to attract and gain more organic traffic – is easy to do with a little time, attention and work.

At Brandpoint, most of the audits we conduct for prospective clients return results such as shown on the next page, with a preponderance of website issues related to image optimization, or more specifically the lack thereof.

INTRODUCTION


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This client, like many, is missing a huge opportunity to grow their organic traffic. But there’s a more timely reason to take a fresh look at your website Image SEO.

Searchmetrics, a leading enterprise SEO firm, recently released their much anticipated annual survey, “SEO Ranking Factors and Rank Correlations – Google US.” Buried deep within this valuable, voluminous report is this golden nugget:


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Does this mean you need to cram as many images as possible onto your web pages? No!

But this specific observation does highlight an actionable insight for all web masters: Low hanging fruit in the form of Image SEO can provide a new source of organic traffic. Properly optimized images help your website rank higher in both the search engine results pages (SERPs), as well as Google’s (and the other search engines’) image search.

Take a look through Brandpoint 5 hands-on tips for achieving achieve quick wins with Image SEO. Your traffic will grow, and that will only drive more leads and sales.

“Even if one ignores smaller image elements, the data shows that the more pictures there are per page on average, the

better the page is ranked.”

Use Only High Quality Images

Secret 1:

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Remember that Google and other search engines reward websites committed to providing the best user experience possible. Poor quality, low resolution images do not fit the description of “best user experience.”

In addition, stock images (or images that look “stocky”) rarely do the job. In a perfect world, all images would be unique. This takes the guesswork out of whether or not the image is relevant to the content. But that’s not always possible from time or resource standpoints.

Also keep in mind that if you use stock images, you’ll rarely rank on image search. Obviously Google does not want to rank multiple copies of the same tired image. This is not a user best experience. Stock images are obvious, usually not well thought out as to their article relevance, and not deserving of high SERP rankings.

But as mentioned, many times stock photos are a necessity. If so, it’s essential to insure they are not only high quality but contextually relevant to the content. Always ask yourself these two questions when deciding upon a stock photo:

• Does the image match the intent of the user?• Does the image connect with the target user on their path to a

conversion?


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Canva is a great alternative to using stock images. Canva allows users to easily create enticing graphics and forgo the need for those same tired images everyone else uses.

Finally, remember that context is the key: Keep the image near the relevant text. The content around the image provides search engines information about the subject. Insure the image is placed in close proximity to the content it relates to, and ideally above the fold.

Example of poor image: Example of good image:

https://www.canva.com/

Create Great Image Alt Tags

Secret 2:

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A few things to keep in mind before we discuss image alt tags.

First, search engine bots cannot read the text content of images. Second, detecting what an image is about is a very difficult task for a searchbot. Don’t count on a search engine’s ability to perform this. Thus, you need to create useful, descriptive and relevant text about your images. This is paramount.

So, what are image alt tags anyway, and why are they important?

Alt tags help search engine understand what’s going on. An alt tag is a text alternative to an image when a browser can’t properly render the image. When the image is rendered by the web page, you can see the descriptive text created for the image if you hover over it with your mouse pointer. Originally created to insure accessibility for the visually impaired, alt tags were “hijacked” by SEO community as a useful tool to rank higher in the SERPs!

Here’s how to create great alt image tags:

• Keep the targeted user in mind.• Be short and concise. Keep it to 7 words or 140 characters.• Use the focus keyword.• Don’t keyword stuff. Ever.• Describe the image.


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Here’s an example: for an article about motorcycle riding on an open road, which is a better image alt tag for the photograph?

The second provides a better description, context, and includes the focus keyword, Minnesota young man riding motorcycle.

1. Alt= “Man on motorcycle.”

2. Alt= “Minnesota young man riding motorcycle on open road.”

Give Image Files Descriptive Names

Secret 3:

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Do not, we repeat do not, let your camera name your image files for you. If you do, you are missing a huge SEO opportunity. Let your competitors be the lemmings, not you! Instead, take advantage of this easy SEO win and always, always, name your images with SEO in mind.

Search engines crawl website files, including image files, looking for context and clues to determine the contents of a webpage. The secret is this. Name your image so that someone who can’t see it knows what’s in it! It’s that simple.

Which of the two file names below provides more clues and context for this image?

1. Name= “C198555.jpg”

2. Name= “happy-family-gardening.jpg”


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The second description provides not only a better description but a keyword phrase the resort villa owner will want to rank for.

You can also create an image title (depending on the CMS) using the same best practices as above (though you’ll only have 55 characters to use).

Deploy Semantic Markup Language

Secret 4:

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Google’s Hummingbird algorithm update continues to move Google search closer to the ideal of an answer engine. Semantic markup language (RDFa and JSON-LD are the two most popular types) provide structure to website data, allowing search engines to more accurately classify, curate and return more accurate results in the SERPs. Hummingbird improved Google’s ability to determine the relationship between entities and connect the dots between them.

The concept of entity extraction is a key factor of the newly refined search engine. This term describes the process of extracting document metadata (of which alt image tags are one form) from unstructured website pages.

Schema image markup language classifies website images in a manner more easily read by the search engines. It communicates to the searchbot additional information about elements on a page, like images. Because so few websites still do not understand it and thus do not use it, employing it as a tactic to gain visibility for your images is an easy win.


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You can find schema markup language for images here or use this handy tool to generate it for you. You or your webmaster can then easily insert the new code into the HTML of your website.

http://schema.org/ImageObject

http://www.microdatagenerator.com/image-object-schema/

Create an Image Site Map

Secret 5:

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Google provides many helpful resources for image optimization, including this helpful guidelines page.

Overlooked by many webmasters is a page detailing instructions for submitting an image sitemap. This free tool allows webmasters to submit more information about their images to Google, allowing the search engine to more easily discern what the images are of and rank them more accurately. With the goal of having your images rank higher and thus returning more traffic, this is an easy but seldom used tactic to rank for relevant searches.

https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/114016?hl=en

https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/178636


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Website images reflect the unique identity of your brand or company. But to accomplish this they must be found. Your goal in deploying images is to create a better user experience than your competitors, and to make sure the search engines can bring people to you. In that regard, image SEO is essential.

Start at the top of the list of tips, and work your way down. The first three secrets (high quality images, good alt tags and descriptive names) are certainly within your control and skill set. The last two secrets (deploying semantic markup language and creating a site map) are a little more advanced and involved, but well worth the effort. Perhaps your IT department can help here.

Rest assured, though, that any of these steps will improve your image SEO. And that will help the search engines find you … and drive more traffic to your website.

CONCLUSION

Brandpoint is a full-service content marketing agency providing a complete suite of content strategy, development and distribution services to clients. We’ve been in the content marketing biz since 1996 – before it was even known as content marketing! Our on-staff content consultants, strategists, writers and project managers stand ready to give you the personalized attention and service your content deserves.

We’d love to hear about your content challenges and needs, and offer up some solutions that are right on target. Ideas are free, and we’re glad to help!

ABOUT BRANDPOINT

Call for a Free Content Consultation Today!

1-800-374-5270

850 5th Street - Hopkins, MN 55343 • p: 877.374.5270 • www.brandpoint.com

http://www.brandpoint.com/

http://www.brandpoint.com/

secrets for powerful image seo · searchmetrics, a leading enterprise seo firm, recently released...

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