How Optimise Images for Google Image Search

Scanning through images has become an excellent way for online shoppers to find what they are looking for and to stay entertained.

Lots of visual social sites like Instagram and Pinterest are hugely popular because of the visual appeal of the content displayed on these sites.

Google’s image result is also very popular for entertainment, business, educational, and shopping purposes.  People and especially online shoppers love to scan through Google’s images for some inspiration for personal style, home décor, fashion ideas, and much more.

It is very important to optimize your images so they will appear on the first page of Google’s image search results because the images on the first page are most likely to result in conversions.  It is also important to optimize images so the right image will, in fact, be displayed when related keywords are used on the search engine. With the right image, you can inspire more conversions and even boost your sales.

But image optimization isn’t as easy as it might sound.  In fact, it is quite time-consuming to optimize your images but well worth the extra time and effort you spend.

Here are a few tips to optimize your images for Google so you can inspire more conversion rates.

The Right Image is Essential

It is so important to find the right type of images for your content.  Images should match your business style, vibe, and tone and it is absolutely critical for your images to be good quality.  The more visually appealing, interesting, or captivating an image is the more reaction you will get from your posts.

There are plenty of popular sites where you can get stock images for great content for free such as the following;

–    Free images

–    New Old Stock

–    Public Domain Archive

–    Unsplash

–    Pexels

Your File Format Should be Correct

Images should be accessible from a great variety of devices such as tablets, smartphones, and PC.  It is important to export the image to a format that is functional for most internet users so they can access the image quicker without having to install additional apps just to view your content.

Here are the most popular file formats to save your images at all times;

Jpeg – This is the most common image format and one of the best to consider.

GIF – This bitmap image can be animated and is also a good yet low-quality solution for your marketing content.

PNG – PNG enables you to save or share files with transparent backgrounds and is compatible with most devices.

Web Optimised Images

The first thing you need to do for web optimization is to reduce your image size as much as possible so it will be easy and quick to open even on slow internet connections.  Compression tools like Compress JEG, TinyPNG, and even Microsoft Office Picture Manager are great for compressing web images. Adobe Photoshop is a great program to consider if you want to keep quality loss to a bare minimum.

Use the right file name

Give your image a descriptive file name.  This will make it easier to find the image whether on a PC or on the internet.

Get the right alt text

“Alternative text” or alt text is used to enhance the identity of the image when you hover over the image with a mouse cursor.  Use keywords and a description of your image.

Use image sitemap

It can be good to add a sitemap to your webpage, especially for images that are loaded with JavaScript.  The sitemap gives Google more information about the image and makes it easier to find.

Use social media

Add social media buttons to your images so customers can easily save or share the images on their sites or pages.

These are all great methods to boost image optimization so your marketing images can hit their mark and lure in more conversions.