Image Optimization

What is Image Optimization?

Image optimization in the SEO industry involves compressing and resizing images to ensure faster load times and better overall performance of a website. Optimized images contribute to a more responsive design, helping to retain visitors and improve engagement. This practice also involves using appropriate file formats, descriptive filenames, and alt text to make the images accessible and searchable by search engines. By doing this, websites can achieve better rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs), as search engines prioritize websites that load quickly and provide a good user experience.

The process of reducing the file size of images while maintaining their quality to improve website performance and user experience.

Examples

A travel blog featuring high-resolution photos of destinations compresses these images to reduce their file sizes. This helps the blog load faster, keeping readers engaged and reducing bounce rates.

An e-commerce website selling clothing uses descriptive filenames and alt text for product images. When a user searches for a 'red summer dress,' the optimized image can appear in search results, driving more traffic to the site.

Additional Information

Using tools like TinyPNG or Photoshop for image compression can significantly reduce file sizes without compromising quality.

Implementing lazy loading ensures that images only load when they come into the user's viewport, further enhancing page speed.

References

Google image SEO best practices - Google Developers

12 Important Image SEO Tips You Need To Know - Search Engine Journal

Image SEO: Optimizing images for search engines • Yoast