If your SEO journey has just begun, then I might surprise you by saying that when creating content for your site, you also have to properly name images.
As a blogger and SEO specialist with many years of experience in digital marketing, I know how crucial it is to create cohesive elements on a website. Image description is one of its musts.
In this article, you’ll learn:
- Why is naming images important for better SEO results?
- How to name images, and what’s the outcome?
- What to avoid while naming images?
So, how and why to name images for SEO?
Let’s figure it out.
The Importance of Naming Images for SEO
Naming images for SEO plays just as important a role as the entire content. An image is, after all, an integral part of the text—if you introduce it to your website.
Google, when crawling your website, mostly takes these 5 elements into account:
- Credibility
- Readability
- Appearance
- Correctness
- Consistency
These five elements constitute a message: for both your user and the search engine.
If a search engine robot sees ‘hieroglyphs’ instead of an appropriately named image, like backlinks-for-seo.jpg, your site won’t be as appealing.
Do you want your site to rank highly and quickly in Google’s rankings? Name properly name images on your site.
So, what’s the importance of naming images on your website?
Quick results in ranking and better readability of the site by the search engine.
This is a quick & low-key element that will significantly impact search results.
Name Your Images Adequately
What does it exactly mean to name images adequately? After all, you just learned that it’s something you need to do!
Adequate naming refers to the element that is included on the page with the given image, not so much to the content of the post itself.
You might be writing about building backlink infrastructure for SEO, but mention a book that talks about it. Then you refer to the book that is visible in the image. There’s no direct correlation between the book and SEO, right? Nevertheless, an indirect correlation suggests that reading this book named XYZ will help you better build SEO.
In that case, you can name the image: book-on-SEO-link-building.jpg. And this is a perfect example.
Remember, what’s important for the search engine (and your readers!) is the direct content of the image, not the entirety of the text described.
Good and Bad Examples of Naming Images
The rule is simple: the clearer, the better.
Use all the necessary keywords, but don’t overdo it. Too many keywords, known as keyword stuffing, can damage your SEO rankings.
Good Examples of Naming Images for SEO:
1. organic-gardening-tips.jpg: descriptive, contains relevant keywords, is easy to understand and clearly indicates the image content.
2. seo-all-you-need-to-know.jpg: specific, keyword-rich, and gives a clear idea of what the image is about.
3. best-yoga-poses-for-flexibility.jpg: includes targeted keywords and accurately describes the image.
4. latest-smartphone-review-2023.jpg: Timely and specific, with relevant keywords for tech enthusiasts.
5. homemade-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe.jpg: descriptive, appetizing, and keyword-focused for food-related searches.6. efficient-solar-panels-home-installation.jpg: clearly conveys the subject and includes keywords relevant to green technology.
Bad Examples of Naming Images for SEO:
1. DSC_001.jpg: generic, provides no information about the image content or context.
2. image2.png: non-descriptive and lacks any keywords or context.
3. photo.jpg: too vague, doesn’t help search engines or users understand the image.
4. new-pic.jpg: doesn’t indicate what the image is about, missing the opportunity to include keywords.
5. untitled123.jpg: generic and uninformative, contributing, nothing to SEO efforts, literally.
6. downloaded-image.jpg: indicates a lack of personalization and relevancy, offering no SEO value.
Don’t Stuff Your Images with Keywords & Generic Names
The names in the above point best illustrate what it means to write in a generic way. Avoid this at all costs.
Google, which pays attention to every detail of a page, analyzes not only those elements that a user may not notice, but also those that a user will notice. Indeed, it’s hard to win with Google. But fortunately, you don’t have to fight him.
Always create content according to the principle: if it’s readable to the user, it’s readable to Google.
Good and effective naming is an additional element that will influence the high ranking of your site. But unfortunately, it won’t guarantee a position in the rankings.
Most Important: Avoid Keyword Stuffing & Generic Names
- Avoid keyword stuffing. Apply only the most important keywords that convey the main idea of the photo.
- Don’t use generic names. They are weak and do not stand out from your competition.
Incorporate the Target Keywords in the Image Filename
Here is the main element you must remember when naming images for SEO: incorporate the keyword.
If your image contains coffee, about which you’re writing, include the keyword coffee. If it’s about SEO, then SEO must be included.
Keywords, just like in creating content for a website, also need to be included in the names of images.
It can be a single word: coffee.jpg
But you can also include several keywords: black-coffee-from-colombia.jpg
As with the abovementioned name, Google will recognize that you are describing the image in particular.
What it is: coffee, what’s its color: black where it is from: Colombia.
In this way, you will influence the faster rise of your site’s position in image search, not just in organic search.
Name Images to Boost Image Search
There is a direct correlation between naming images and gaining higher and better organic results in so-called image search.
Hence, Image Search can be divided into 3 interconnected vessels:
1/ Function: Image search is a type of online search where users input text queries to find images related to those queries. For example, typing “Eiffel Tower” into a search engine’s image search will return images of the Eiffel Tower.
2/ User Interaction: The user provides textual input (usually keywords) to search for images.
3/ Technology: Relies primarily on matching the text in the user’s query with metadata and descriptions associated with images, such as:
- ALT Text,
- File Names,
- Context on the webpage where the image is published.
In a nutshell, if you want your website to rank highly, it’s essential to name the photos that appear in your post.
Use keywords that play a key role, and don’t exaggerate the number of words in the title. Too long a title means, Google won’t find each of them, and your site will end up where you want it to be.
Want to reach the top spots faster? Frequent (always) and proper naming of images is a must for good SEO.
Keep the Names Sweet and Short
Short titles always work well, just like in the case of search engines.
An adequate, readable, and short description is a must.
Your SEO image title should not have more than 8 words.
In an ideal scenario, however, it should contain between 3–6 words, ideally 5. In extreme cases, this number can reach 8 words when your title really can’t be shortened. Sure, it happens. Similarly, when there is only 1 word as an image title.
Title: coffee.jpg
Looks much better than
Title: black-coffee-with-sour-cream-with-no-sugar-in-spain.jpg
Though the above example would look much better as:
- Black-coffee.jpg, or
- Black-coffee-in-spain.jpg
No worries, at the end of the day, a bit of creativity doesn’t hurt.
Add Clear Data Structuring
Incorporating structured data into your web pages can enhance their visibility in search engine results, particularly for image SEO.
This is crucial as Google adds specific badges to Image Search to help users find what they really want, indicating their relevance.
Structured data is supported by Google Images for various types like products, recipes, and videos. To make your images display these badges in Google search, it’s necessary to implement the right schema markup on your site.
Write Readable ALT Text for SEO
First things first, what’s ALT Text?
Alt text, a short form of “alternative text”, is a crucial component in web design and SEO, serving both accessibility and search engine optimization purposes.
Furthermore, ALT text is a concisely written description that is added to the HTML code of an image on a website. It provides a textual alternative to the image.
That’s why ALT text is one of the key elements in the realm of SEO.
Structured data is supported by Google Images for various types like products, recipes, and videos. To make your images display these badges in Google search, it’s necessary to implement the right schema markup on your site.
Google or other search engines can’t “see” images the way humans do. Instead, they use the ALT text to understand the content and context of an image. This information helps search engines index the image properly, making it more likely to appear in search results, especially in image searches.
How Does It work in HTML?
When it comes to naming images for SEO in HTML, it’s all about clarity and relevance.
HTML, the code that makes up your website, allows you to name your images in a way that search engines understand. This is crucial because search engines use this information to figure out what your image is about and when to show it in search results.
Here’s the simple rule: use clear, descriptive names for your image files. Instead of naming an image something like “IMG_1234.jpg,” name it “fresh-chocolate-chip-cookies.jpg” if it’s a picture of cookies. This tells search engines exactly what the image is, making it more likely to show up when someone searches for chocolate chip cookies.
Then, there’s the alt attribute in HTML. This is a brief description you add to your image tag, like this: <img src="fresh-chocolate-chip-cookies.jpg" alt="Warm chocolate chip cookies on a cooling rack">. This description helps search engines understand the image even better, and it’s also used to help people who can’t see the image understand what’s there.
So, what’s really important? Name images, and do it:
- always,
- appropiately.
Naming your images for SEO in HTML, be clear and descriptive both in the file name and the alt attribute. This helps search engines understand your images, making your website more visible in search results and more accessible to everyone.
2 Best ALT Text Practices
1. Write Descriptively and Concisely: The ALT text should accurately describe what is shown in the image, but it should also be concise. Ideally, it should be no more than 125 characters.
2. No ‘Image of’ or ‘Picture of‘: It’s unnecessary to start ALT text with phrases like “image of” or “picture of”, as screen readers already see the presence of an image.
Takeaways
1. Always Pay Attention to Naming the Images
This must be your new and indispensable element in your SEO strategy. A good name for images on your website means quick results in search and image results.
2. Best Practices in Naming and Structuring Images
Remember, the way you name images is more important than simply naming them.
For example, an image named “organic-gardening-tips.jpg” is more effective than a vague name like “DSC_001.jpg”.
3. Naming Images & its Impact on Image Search
Using appropriate, concise, and descriptive titles, ideally between 3–6 words, will make images more discoverable and relevant in searches. This practice, combined with readable ALT text and structured data, will improve a website’s visibility in both traditional and image-specific search results. It’s worth its weight in gold.
And what’s your experience with naming images for SEO?
Let us know in the comments, it’ll help our readers!
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And again—thanks for reading & contributing!
Simon
Author Profile
- Simon Gorlak is a Digital Marketing Expert with over 8 years of experience. He specializes in 3 areas: SEO, Lead Generation on LinkedIn, and Email Marketing. Simon's blog gathers knowledge that helps Marketers & C-level to increase profits from their online businesses. Also, his content helps to reach the most difficult customers, make others' content to be read & purchased. Besides digital marketing, Simon speaks 4 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Polish & works as a Head of Business at an Indian Start-up.
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