5 Tips to Optimize Images for better SEO and Blog Traffic

After sharing a blog post about how to increase blog traffic, I found that that post is useful for many of my fellow buddies. Therefore I thought of sharing a few posts on some of my ideas and experience of this journey as a food blogger. Hope this series will be helpful for you.

When we write a blog post, we need to optimize the post to well rank in Google or any search engine. Images play a more important role, specially in food blogs. Most search engine traffic attracts to the image of the recipe and visits the blog for the recipe. Personally, I search for images when I search for a recipe. If the image catches my eye, then I visit the site to read the post.

As food bloggers, we know how we spend a lot of time capturing a good photograph, then editing it and uploading it into a blog post. But if we don’t optimize it for better search engine results, and if our images don’t appear in search engines, then there is not much effect from those uploaded photos to the blog post (considering the search engine traffic).

Further, it’s essential to recognize the symbiotic relationship between captivating imagery and effective SEO practices. Recently, a medical SEO post we found shed light on innovative strategies for optimizing blog content, including image enhancement techniques. Incorporating insights from diverse domains can enrich our approach to SEO, empowering us to elevate our culinary creations to a wider audience.

So, here are a few tips to follow when you upload an image to your blog post. I follow these tips and I have seen a good percentage of my search traffic drive through the image search.

1) Use keywords in the image name.

Usually, original photos are named like image-3362.JPG or DSC07574.JPG.But if you upload the photo with the same name, search engine crawlers don’t understand what it is about. Therefore give a name for the image that matches the post title.

Say, you have captured a photograph by using all food photography tips and spending a lot of time on it but uploaded it as image-3362.jpg, etc. But another food blogger who doesn’t spend much time on a photograph upload a  photo of a similar recipe, but name it as Mango-Drink-Recipe. (example) When a person search for a mango drink, the 2^nd photo has a lot of chances to appear than the first.

If you try to right-click the images which I have shared in different posts (or in the same post) , you’ll see how I have named different images with different names.

2) Use hyphens in between keywords

When you use keywords to name your images, don’t leave a space or don’t use an underscore in between the words. Use the hyphen instead.

Eg: Mango-Drink-Recipe

3) Compress the images

Before uploading an image to the blog post, compress it to a smaller size without losing the quality of it. I usually use PhotoScape or PicMonkey for post-editing. Other than that you can get help from different photo editing software such as Photoshop. A compressed image loads faster and therefore you gain a good site performance too. On the other way, this will help to improve the bouncing rate of the site.

4)Use Title tags and Alt Tags for the images.

Title tags and Alt tags are more important for better SEO. In blogger, once you upload an image for a blog post, left-click it. Then you’ll see some details appear. Click ‘Properties’. A small box will appear with the name ‘image properties’. Fill this box with a title tag and an Alt tag. I usually use the title of the blog post as a Title tag. For the Alt tag, I use some alternative names that a person can search for the same recipe.

If you hover over the images I have uploaded in my recent posts, you’ll see the title tags appear on images.

5) Don’t stuff

The above are the top SEO tips for image optimization. However, when you use tips no 1 and 4, don’t stuff too many keywords. The text of the image should be short and descriptive. Use 4-5 best keywords that describe the image.

Incorporating these image optimization strategies into your blogging routine can significantly enhance your site’s visibility and attract more traffic. Remember, while the technical aspects are crucial, the essence lies in captivating your audience with stunning visuals that complement your content. By implementing these tips, you’re not just optimizing for search engines; you’re crafting a visually appealing experience for your readers, ensuring that your delicious recipes and engaging content stand out in the crowded online world. So, let’s click, compress, and caption our way to better SEO and increased blog traffic!