When it comes to your brand’s social media marketing and search engine optimization, you might not think that the images you upload (and how you tag/name them) really make much of a difference. However, your images are just as important as any other content you put out. With that in mind, there are some tips and strategies you should follow with social media marketing images and naming SEO images. 

Why Does Image Optimization Matter, Anyway? 

There are already many components of search engine optimization (SEO) to keep in mind. It can be a bit overwhelming, from making sure your content strategy is up-to-date to posting regularly on social media and optimizing your website for the search engine algorithms. 

Likewise, it can be easy to overlook the importance of image optimization when it comes to your brand’s online presence and overall search engine rankings. However, image optimization matters because when you use the right strategies, you can use images to help boost your SEO by delivering an improved user experience, faster page-loading times, and many other benefits. 

Best Practices for Optimizing and Naming SEO Images 

If your knowledge of image optimization is limited, you’re not alone. Many website/business owners are “guilty” of uploading stock photos and never thinking about these images again. The good news? You don’t need to be a marketing professional to begin optimizing your images (both on your website and social media) for SEO purposes. 

Compress Large Image Files 

When selecting images for your website, make sure to run them through a file compressor before uploading them. This will help reduce the size of each image file without sacrificing quality or resolution in the process. This matters because when file sizes are too large, it can increase the time it takes for pages on your website to load. 

This, in turn, can create a frustrating experience for your site visitors. Meanwhile, search engines penalize sites with slow page-loading times. By compressing larger image files so that they load more quickly, you can optimize your SEO while providing a better browsing experience for your users. It’s a win-win! 

Use Keywords in File Names 

You might not think it matters what you name your image files, but from an SEO standpoint, it does! That’s because images with descriptive names will be more likely to be found by search engines. This, in turn, can enhance your search engine page rankings for relevant keywords. 

Consider, then, going through your media library and updating the names of each file to reflect a description/keyword related to the image itself. This can be time-consuming (especially if you have a lot of images in your library), but it can pay off big time from an SEO perspective. Moving forward, make an effort to name every image file accordingly so that they’re easier for search engine algorithms to find. 

a person at a desk typing keywords for seo images

Save in the Right Format 

The file format you select for your images can also affect your SEO rankings, so choose accordingly. In general, it’s best to stick with PNG, JPG, or WEBP for any images that you upload to your website. PNG files tend to take the longest to load but will also produce the highest quality images. 

Meanwhile, JPG files can be adjusted to just about any file size needed with minimal loss in image quality. It is also worth noting that WEBP files offer loss-less file compression for images but are exclusively supported by Firefox and Chrome browsers. 

Ditch the Stock Photos 

As convenient as it may be to use generic stock photos on your website and social media pages, the reality is that you’ll get a lot more out of using high-quality, custom photos instead. This is because stock images prevent your site from being unique or standing out from your competitors. After all, there’s a good chance they could be using the very same stock photos that you are. 

If you want to set your site apart, try taking your photos and uploading them to your site and social media pages. This will require a little more effort on your part, yes. However, having custom images can pay off big time from an SEO standpoint. 

a person editing a photo on their laptop for seo images

Optimize Your Alt Text 

In addition to naming your image files accordingly, it’s also a good idea to optimize your image alt text for the search engines. Specifically, alt text refers to the text that a browser will display when an image does not properly load. This should be a unique description of the image itself. 

When you take the time to write out unique alt text for each image, you can incorporate valuable keywords and phrases that can boost your SEO. 

Make Them Mobile-Friendly 

If you haven’t done so already, now is also an excellent time to make sure all your images are optimized to load correctly on a mobile device. After all, most people visiting your website these days are probably doing so from a mobile device. 

When images are optimized for viewing on any device, you can rest assured that they will properly scale when being viewed from a smartphone, tablet, or any other device. This not only boosts your search engine rankings but improves your user experience as well. 

an artist at a desk drawing

Looking for More Help with Your Digital Marketing? 

As you can see, taking the time to optimize your photos (both on your website and social media pages) can make a huge difference in your digital marketing. From taking the time to compress your image files to correctly naming and tagging them, a bit of effort can go a long way. 

Still, if handling your social media marketing images and naming SEO images is taking up too much of your time, you can always benefit from hiring a digital marketing agency to handle this on your behalf. At Strategic Growth Advisors, image optimization is just one of the many digital marketing services we offer. Contact us to learn more about what we can do for your brand! 

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