You don’t need me to tell you about why you should be using images in all your blog posts.
Just in case you’re unsure it’s because images will entice visitors to click through to your website more readily. A headline is all well and good, but a great image is more persuasive.
But just adding one at the top of your blog isn’t enough either, especially if your blog is reasonably long (say, 500 words plus). You see, people don’t read every word, they scan for what’s important to them and the use of images throughout your post will draw their eye down and keep them engaged, especially when coupled with sub headings and short paragraphs.
The result is greater engagement and a lower bounce rate.
How to optimise images
Adding a few images willy-nilly won’t cut it because you’ll be missing out on an important SEO opportunity, in fact 3 of them.
Image file – what are you going to call it?
You probably don’t give an awful lot of thought about the name of your image file, but you should.
Google’s spiders (bots or whatever else you want to call them) can’t read or interpret images on their own, but what they can do is read file names.
That’s why it’s important to make sure you create a file name when you upload your image that exactly describes it. So, imagine you were trying to tell someone in a different room what the images is and use that as your new file name.
Alt tag – What if your image wasn’t there?
As you already know, keywords are essential for search engine optimisation.
The purpose behind the Alt tag is to provide a text alternative to the image. So, if for whatever reason your image couldn’t be properly displayed, the reader would get a good sense of what it was from the Alt tag description.
Your tag should be written in plain English and include your keywords, but in a meaningful way, not just stuffed in any old how.
Image size – how big?
If your reader has to hang around waiting for your image to load, they’ll give up and go elsewhere. That’s why it’s important to keep your image file sizes small.
Ideally, your image should load in no more than a second or two, so it yours is taking longer resize it.
Making the most of your SEO
It’s surprising what effect small tweaks to your blogging habits can have on your search engine optimisation.
So, on top of your content optimisation, make sure you bear these image tips in mind to offer the best possible reader experience.