Images are used to spice up the appearance of a web page, and to communicate information that you need your visitors to grasp. Good use of images can make a big difference in the usefulness of a site, and in search engine ranking. It is, therefore, important to ensure that you use images appropriately, the right kind of images, and in the right format. The factors to consider include the image name, size, type, and tags that you use with the image, as described below.
Image choice
Whether to use or not use an image depends on the need. If your image mostly consists of text, it is better to use plain text to pass the message. Images always take up more size compared to text, which may lead to your site loading slowly (something Google and other search engines really hate). However, it is said that an image is worth ten thousand words, and if using an image helps to communicate more, go for it.
Choose a relevant image, and do not attempt to deceive a search engine in order to generate more traffic. Remember that search engines will look at the bounce rate, and use that to lower the ranking of your site. Let the image supplement the other content of the page in communicating your message the visitor.
Image name
You need to name your images appropriately. Since search engines consider the name of the image, it is a best practice to use your keywords appropriately when naming your image. Do not use the default name, such as the name that is automatically appended to image by your camera.
A good name should be descriptive, short and contain keywords that you are optimising.
Alt tags
Alt tags are used in place of your image, in case for some reason your image fails to load in a browser. This could be the case for people who have turned off images in their browser, or those visually impaired. By using alt tags appropriately, their experience is greatly enhanced, and search engines love that.
Image size
The size of an image matters a lot in website optimisation. This is because a very big image slows your site while a very small image may not convey your message effectively. This requires one to resize the image into an appropriate size. Care should be taken to ensure that the image does not become pixelated in the process.
Image type
There are different types of file formats that can be used, such as JPEG, PNG, GIF and others. Various formats can be used depending on how you want to optimise your site, and each has certain advantages. JPEG is an older format, which has the capacity produce high-quality images. GIF has the advantage of ability to support animation. The compressed image shown here would be 20.9 KB in PNG, 26.5 KB in GIF format, and 51.3 KB in JPEG
Image location
Where you locate your image on a page matters. For optimum performance, ensure that your image is located at the most relevant content. This is useful to the readers so that they can identify with the image at the most crucial point of reading. This also helps to avoid distractions when reading.
