10 Image SEO Best Practices to Implement Today

1 Use Descriptive, Keyword-Rich File Names

Replace generic file names like "IMG_1234.jpg" with descriptive names that include your target keywords.

Pro Tip: Use hyphens to separate words (not underscores) as search engines recognize them as word separators.

2 Optimize Alt Text for Accessibility & SEO

Alt text serves two crucial purposes: helping search engines understand your images and assisting visually impaired users.

alt="shoe" (too generic)

alt="Nike Air Max running shoes in blue size 10"

Best practices:

• Be descriptive but concise (under 125 characters)
• Include your target keyword naturally
• Don't stuff keywords ("blue shoes, best shoes, running shoes")
• Leave alt text empty for decorative images (alt="")

3 Choose the Right Image Format

Selecting the optimal format can reduce file sizes by 50-80% without quality loss:

• WebP: Best for most web images (25-35% smaller than JPEG)
• AVIF: Emerging format with superior compression (30-50% smaller than WebP)
• JPEG: For maximum compatibility when needed
• PNG: Only for graphics requiring transparency

Tools like PixelWebP make conversion to modern formats like convert JPEG to Webp, JPEG TO PNG, JPEG to AVIF, Webp to AVIF

4 Compress Images Without Losing Quality

Proper compression balances quality and file size:

• Aim for 70-85% quality for WebP/AVIF
• Use lossless compression for logos and graphics
• Test different compression levels to find the sweet spot

Example savings:

• Original JPEG: 450KB
• Optimized WebP: 95KB (79% reduction)
• Optimized AVIF: 75KB (83% reduction)

5 Implement Proper Image Sizing

Serve images at their display dimensions to avoid unnecessary data transfer:

1. Determine the maximum display width of your images
2. Resize source images to that exact dimension
3. For responsive designs, use srcset to serve appropriate sizes

<img src="product.webp" 
     srcset="product-400.webp 400w,
             product-800.webp 800w,
             product-1200.webp 1200w"
     sizes="(max-width: 600px) 400px,
            (max-width: 1000px) 800px,
            1200px"
     alt="Product description">

6 Leverage Structured Data for Images

Enhance your search appearance with schema markup:

• Use ImageObject schema for important images
• Mark up product images with Product schema
• Implement WebPage schema with primary image

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "ImageObject",
  "contentUrl": "https://example.com/image.webp",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "acquireLicensePage": "https://example.com/license",
  "creator": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Photographer Name"
  }
}

7 Optimize Image Loading Performance

Improve Core Web Vitals with these techniques:

• Lazy loading: <img loading="lazy">
• Above-the-fold priority: <link rel="preload" as="image" href="hero.webp">
• CDN delivery: Use image CDNs like Cloudflare, Imgix, or Cloudinary
• Cache headers: Set long cache lifetimes for images

8 Create an Image Sitemap

Help search engines discover all your images:

1. Generate an XML sitemap specifically for images
2. Include image URL, title, caption, and license info
3. Submit through Google Search Console

Sample entry:

<url>
  <loc>https://example.com/page</loc>
  <image:image>
    <image:loc>https://example.com/image.webp</image:loc>
    <image:title>Product Name</image:title>
    <image:caption>Detailed product shot showing features</image:caption>
  </image:image>
</url>

9 Optimize for Image Search Intent

Different image types rank for different queries:

• Product images: Optimize for commercial queries
• Infographics: Target informational searches
• How-to images: Focus on tutorial/guide keywords
• Location photos: Include geographic keywords

Research what image types appear in search results for your target keywords.

10 Monitor Image Performance

Track how your images perform in search:

• Google Search Console → Performance → Images tab
• Identify which images drive the most traffic
• Check for indexing issues
• Monitor impressions, clicks, and CTR

Use this data to refine your image SEO strategy over time.