Using images to improve your website

Images make a up a large part of any website design. From the hero image or hero slider as the above the fold content, to product images or images of your services, your website should be full of images. But can this influence Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)? And if so, how? Well, here at Pumpkin Web Design we are Preston’s leading web design and web marketing professionals. We provide a wide range of website solutions and SEO services across Preston and the North West, from Southport to Wigan, and even Manchester, and we work with a wide range of companies and  businesses, in a variety of sectors. As a result, we have produced this guide to the role of images in SEO.

What are the options for using images to improve your website?

To make sure that the images you add to your website bring real value and help to improve your website, there are a two main categories to consider, and these are: 

• Optimising images for SEO
• Choosing images that will add value

Optimising images for SEO

Images on your website can be optimised for search engine performance, just like any other element of your web design. This involves:

• Using your keyword- For all your website SEO, you will need to research the most suitable keyword for your content. The keyword needs to be relevant to your topic, and your company, but also relevant to what your potential customers are searching for on search engines like Google. For more information about keywords, take a look at our detailed guide.
• Completing all image tags- Once you have chosen a keyword, you can then use this when you fill in the tags for the image. The title tag, alt tag, caption and description tags should all be completed using the keyword at some point. This will help Google to understand what your image is about, and to rank it accordingly. As a result, users searching for images for the keyword, will be shown your images, if you optimise correctly, and meet the final step.

Choosing the right king of images for your website

Images are not all created equal. And when it comes to your website, and your image optimistation, you should be focused on only choosing the best possible options. As a result, your images should be high quality, professional, and most importantly: original. Original, professional images perform much better than stock images or standard pictures that will be reused across the internet. Not only do these make your website appear bland and boring, but search engines will also be to source the image on a number of other website. And this can cause issues with SEO.

The role of images in SEO

So now you know how to optimise images for search engines, why should you start implementing this? What exactly is the role of images in SEO? Well, there are a couple of things that images can help with directly. These include:

• The keyword placement- keyword stuffing is a practice that went out of favour a number of years ago. But with image optimisation, you can put your keyword into your webpage an unlimited number of times. The title, alt, caption and description tag for just one image can each contain your keyword or phrase. So if you have three or four images, you have the opportunity to increase your keyword presence dramatically, without influencing user experience or your content, in a negative way.
• Search results- image search is popular with browsers and potential customers. People like to see what they are buying, and with a direct link back to your website, image search can be a key source of organic traffic. But your images wont appear in the search results, if they are not effectively optimised.

For more information about SEO practices in the New Year, and how to make sure your company succeeds, get in touch with the experts here at Pumpkin Web Design.