How To Increase Blog Traffic Using Image Optimization
One hugely overlooked tactic to increasing blog traffic is with the proper use of website and blog images. Knowing how various algorithms calculate ranking of image search results is key. They aren’t analyzing the actual picture, but rather, the information. The actual blog images provide very little information that can increase search engine ranking. Using minor image optimization, proper image filenames, and image size and quality, anyone can increase blog traffic. Search engines don’t know what content the physical blog image contains. Keywords found in HTML image tag, alt tag, and image quality are what they rely on.
HTML Image Title To Increase Blog Traffic
It seems easier, when adding blog images to not change the HTML image title or image filename that your camera assigned. Although easier, sadly, when search engines crawl data, this is useless information in image search. Make sure to name your images descriptively and that the image filename or its source tag (SRC tag) contains the primary targeted keyword because this is the first information that is analyzed and sent through their algorithms.
Before uploading pictures to a website ensure to make these image filename changes or you will need to edit them later. For example, if you wanted to increase blog traffic relating to a blog post about a cool Pink Lemonade Recipe, you could change the image title or SRC tag to pink-lemonade.jpg to help both for a improving ranking in a vertical search engine ranking and a better ranking in the image search. Studies show that 63 percent of google image search clicks turn into site traffic. This is a very overlooked and easy way to increase blog traffic.
Image optimization With Alt Text or Alt Tag
Alt text, or alternate text, was originally an attribute to help the vision impaired to better understand the web and blog images were. Alt tags are used to aid the reader know what the picture was when there is a problems loading the site. They are used to help know what a faulty image was. Search engine rank algorithms use the alt tag to try to understand more about what your blog image is a picture of, and this is why it is important to be extremely descriptive even with the HTML Image tag, both image filename as well as alt tag.
SRC Text And Alt Text Example
The alt text should be descriptive enough to both describe what the blog image is about, if at all possible, use any targeted keywords or key phrases that will help increase blog traffic along with an improved search engine ranking. Alt text should NOT be spam crammed bundles of targeted keywords, but rather be clear and cohesive and optimized for clear image search. If these blog images are piled too high with targeted keywords, the search engine’s crawling algorithm may overlook, or degrade the quality of image.
Importance of High-Quality Images
Image size may not seem like it would be very important, besides, you can always size the photo inside of the HTML code, right? Wrong. Uploading a blog image that is too large means that it will slow down your website. Increasing blog loading speed will actually lower your search engine rank and position on image search.
Decorative images can add appeal to the website or blog and can improve image search presence. It also can increase the ability for more targeted keywords. Adding too many of these images, with large file sizes, can dramatically slow down a website. If these decorative images are important and useful to the page, make sure to decrease the image size before uploading and fill out all of the HTML image tag and alt tag information. If these images are just only decoration, do not use alt tag or src tag on them, because you want the crawling algorithm to skip the blog image.
Use of original images is very helpful for blog or website search engine rank. Using original images will ensure no use of copyrighted photos. Also, it will ensure that the image contains quality links. It also is more eye catching when every other website uses stock photos, or the same photo. Original images stand out, and if they are high-quality images, can drastically increase blog traffic from the image search.
Other Easy Ways to Better Image Optimization
- Allow others to use your blog image if they link it back to your website.
- Enter a description including targeted keywords under the image.
- Turn on Photo geotagging. Enabling photo geotagging will allow for location oriented image search.
- Link your Flikr photo pages to your blog or website, or related blog page. You should add hyperlinks to the Description field below the blog image.
- Post as many fully optimized blog pictures as possible. This will allow the search engine rank to increase blog traffic little by little. Adding up little fractions of results does increase the whole result.
Things That Destroy Search Engine Rank with Blog Images
- Do not store the blog image in the sidebar column, header, or footer. Search engine rank crawling algorithms generally ignore these sections.
- Avoid unnecessary or unrelated photos. Search engine rank algorithms can become confused by what the blog is about. They won’t know now to help drive traffic to your blog.
- Make sure that your alt tag parameter is valid, error will degrade the quality of your blog.
What Next?
There are many ways to increase blog traffic and improve your search engine rank. Image optimization is definitely not the only, or best way, but is a great place to start. With proper implementation, you should be able to start using image optimization to increase blog traffic. The blog’s traffic will increase by having your blog images noticed by the search engine’s algorithms. High-quality images will help your blog rank on image search.