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Image SEO

In search engine optimization, image SEO is the part of on-page optimization that primarily relates to image files. In practice, this is usually simply referred to as image optimization. In addition to better placement in Google image search, the goals of image SEO are to increase the visibility of a website. In addition, the optimization of images can lead to a better ratio. As a rule, images are mainly optimized for the Google search, since the search engine group has the world’s largest database for images and lists an estimated 10 billion images. Image search engine optimization takes into account all elements of a graphic such as file names, file sizes or the placement of the images on the website.

Background

A website consists of many different elements. Some of them are visible to the user, the others, like the source code, usually remain invisible to him. Next to the text, images are the most important visible components of the content of a website. In the area of e-commerce, the quality of product images and design also has a decisive influence on the purchasing behaviour of customers. Large online shops are therefore constantly optimizing their images. Visible and non-visible factors play an equally important role in image SEO.

While the goal of traditional search engine optimization is to have a website as a result, image SEO usually aims to rank well with an image file. However, image SEO is of great importance as part of holistic and therefore holistic search engine optimization.

Google image search update 2017

In 2017, the new Google image search was introduced in Germany as one of the last countries in the world. In the earlier version, Google used iframes within which the images were displayed. If you clicked on an image in the search results, you were taken directly to the website or blog where the image was used. This enabled website administrators to generate traffic with images and thus improve their ranking in the SERPs through clever image SEO.

Since the introduction of the new image search, said iFrame has been omitted. The images are now no longer displayed in their full size, which they are shown on the original page. Instead, users see so-called thumbnails, i.e. preview images with uniform dimensions. If such a thumbnail is clicked on, it will open in front of a black background within the search results. Google has added two buttons to the right of the image. One that takes you to the website that displays the image, and a second that you can use to share the displayed image directly.

The usability was improved by the 2017 update. Users no longer had to go to the original page to view the full-size image, they no longer had to open multiple tabs to switch between individual thumbnails. At the same time, legal experts and website administrators criticized the share button encourages copyright infringement.

Before the big update, only two links referred to the actual image source, after that there were four: the image title, the URL below it, the image itself, and the button to the right. This should ensure that the traffic of the source pages would not decrease. Nevertheless, the new format caused many website operators to lose traffic. Critics of the new image search attribute this negative effect to the fact that users no longer have a reason to visit the original website since Google immediately displays the full-size image when they click on a thumbnail.

According to critical voices, this would ensure that the author would lose both content and aesthetic control over his image because he would not be able to determine the context in which the image would be displayed and used. The Google image search would have lost its character as a search engine whose purpose would be to convey websites to users Since the new image search means that it is no longer necessary to visit the website that provides the image, this feature has been lost.

Google image search update 2018

In September 2018 there was another update of the Google image search. The number of thumbnails displayed has been reduced by a quarter. Previously, information about the image, above all the page title and the domain, was only visible when the user clicked on a thumbnail. Since the visual update at the end of September 2018, this information has been placed directly below the image. As a result, only those images are displayed in the SERPs whose images SEO is particularly strong. Medium rankings run the risk of slipping onto the following pages.

With the 2018 image search update, however, the traffic for well-ranked images will be improved again compared to the 2017 update. The immediate presence of the source information below the thumbnails increases the likelihood that users will view the image in its original form on the originating website.

More updates in Google image search

Also as part of the 2018 image search update, Google has now introduced a reference to the author of the respective image, the so-called image credits.
Since then, advertising images have also been displayed in the SERPs of image searches for searches with transactional keywords.
By providing metadata in the image’s binary file, Google can now attribute the images to their rightful creators. The IPTC information must be filled in for a correct representation of the author, rights holder and attribution. Google wants to strengthen the rights holders and prevent illegal use of the images from the SERP.

What the Google updates mean for image SEO

The reduced number of thumbnails and the (recent) opportunity to generate traffic through images used on the website is significant for image SEO.

The image data, such as meta information, title and file name, must be in the context of the article in which the image is used. Google prefers images from content whose keyword best matches the user’s search phrase. Site operators should optimise the image in the visible area . Google s increasingly weighing the position of the image on the original page. For users who are interested in the image, it should be immediately apparent when they reach the website.

The topicality of an article can have a short-term influence on the positioning of the corresponding image in the image SERPs. So-called evergreen content, which is updated as regularly as possible, is still better.

Aspects of image optimization for search engines

Like the on-page optimization of the website, image SEO has different optimization levels: the visible level, the meta-level and the image level itself. Although search engines such as Google have become better and better at image recognition through artificial intelligence and machine learning, they cannot yet read all image content exactly. For this reason, the context in which the image material is embedded and the meta elements are very important for image optimization.

The following aspects apply to the optimization of the image

File Format: The common file formats for images are JPG or JPEG, PNG and GIF. Formats such as SVG are rather unsuitable for images in the context of a website. New formats are constantly being developed, which are intended to guarantee high quality even for images with small file sizes. These include FLIF, HEIF and Google’s WebP project, in which images can be displayed up to 34 per cent smaller without losing their SSIM index. The common file format is JPG. PNG is also suitable for graphics. These types of image files are easily compressed to good file size.
File size: For an image URL or file to be included in the index faster and easier for Googlebot to crawl, it is recommended to work with moderate file sizes that are optimized for the web. High-resolution images that are compressed to a file size of around 150 kB optimize the page speed of a website. Since the loading speed of a website is one of the ranking factors, optimizing image file sizes is very important.
File name: This plays an important role in the later ranking in the image search. It should represent exactly what is shown in the picture. At the same time, the image with the file name is placed in the overall context of a website. For Google and other search engines, the name provides an important orientation for understanding the topic of the website.

Example: picture with fir tree. Filename: fir.jpg

Additions are added with hyphens.

Ex: image with green tomato. File name: green-tomato.jpg

Image size: In SEO circles, everyone agrees that images that are too small, such as thumbnails or previews, do not stand a great chance of ranking well in image searches. A guide size of 300 pixels has been established for at least one side of the image.
Image format: When displayed in the image search, images in landscape format, or more precisely: in 4:3 format, are usually clicked on more frequently and, since the last Google update, are also preferred.
Image source: The URL of the image also plays a role in image SEO. It is advisable to use a thematically relevant folder structure.

Example: www.beispielseite.de/autos/renault/r5.jpg

If you want to promote the indexing of image files, you can store all image URLs in a separate XML sitemap and upload it to the Google Search Console, formerly Google Webmaster Tools.

While the previous image search functioned via the text information provided, further developments are indicated. The use of text, alt tags, file names and the sitemap is still common practice. But Google is also working on the visual search algorithm and is putting a lot of energy into the Google Lens project , a mobile image recognition system that started work in 2017.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is used using extended image search, which is intended to learn to understand image content via categories and keywords to be assigned. In the foreseeable future, however, it is not recommended to rely exclusively on AI but to understand it as a supplement to the previous image search.

EXIF Metadata

EXIF data or EXIF metadata is information about the camera used to take a picture. The time of creation and the GPS position can also be determined. The EXIF data is read out by Google (as of November 2021, but is not displayed in the search. However, Google states that the data may have an impact on the ranking.

Essentially, however, EXIF data is used to determine the origin of created images. There are no disadvantages in not specifying them, but if they exist, they should not be deleted either.

The following aspects should be considered when embedding the image and the meta information

Environment: The content surrounding the image is important for the ranking of individual images. The use of relevant keywords plays a particularly important role here.

ALT attribute: The classic function of the alt attribute is to describe an image when it cannot be displayed in the browser due to technical problems. Accordingly, the alt attribute should accurately reflect the content of the image and contain the main keyword.

Title tag or image title: The meta title should also be used to accommodate a relevant keyword. However, the title is primarily important to improve usability and not as a major SEO factor.

Markups: Images can be tagged with structured data that search engines can read using schema.org and other markup languages. This data makes it easier for the bots to crawl and assign.

Link to the image SEO

The following factors must be considered if a good ranking is to be achieved:

Strong internal linking: This can be both “hard” and indirect via thumbnails. However, here, too, action should be taken in moderation.

Multiple uses: In this case, image SEO is complementary to content SEO. Because the multiple use of an image with the same meta information is more beneficial for the ranking. This also applies to exact copies.

Backlinks: These do not directly affect the ranking. Nevertheless, it could be true: the more trust a website has, the more likely it is that its images will also rank well.

It is certainly also important when optimizing images that the subsequent ranking for a specific keyword or group also depends on the competition. As a result, it will be more difficult to rank well with a celebrity’s image than with a photo that has been optimized for a fantasy name. However, it is also conceivable that so-called “ long-tail ” keywords have better chances of good rankings in image searches than individual keywords.

Advantages and Benefits of SEO

The advantages of image SEO can be outlined in the following key points:

Increasing visibility: Since images with high relevance are also displayed directly in the organic Google SERP, websites with well-optimized images can increase their presence in the search result lists.
Indirect traffic boost through a good ranking with images: If images are clicked on in Google image search, more users will get to the website. Accordingly, traffic can be increased with image SEO.
Possibility of a top ranking via Universal Search: A website can be not found in the top rankings with the URL but with an image.
Improving topic relevance: If images are marked with all important tags, the overall thematic context of the website can be improved. This increases the chances of achieving better rankings in Google searches.
Improving usability: If images are appropriately compressed and of high quality, the usability of the website increases. Compression is particularly important in the context of mobile optimization since smartphones usually have less bandwidth on the go. Large image files can then unnecessarily delay page loading.
More traffic for e-commerce websites: When potential customers search for products, they often use image search. Anyone present there thanks to image SEO increases the chance of additional visitors and thus more conversions.

Extended benefit

Optimized image files not only support a website in terms of search engine optimization. By reducing the loading time of a website, image SEO has a positive influence on the user experience. In addition, optimized image data is also ideal in terms of accessibility, to give users with visual impairments the opportunity to experience all the content of a website.

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