Google: 12 Image Guidelines for SEO Pros

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John Mueller talked about how to get image traffic through image optimization. In the upcoming Search Central Lightning Talks video series, we are talking about algorithms for working with Google images and how to use these algorithms to promote your site.

Google displays images in Google Images, Google Discovery, and search results.

Sergey Koksharov, author of the Devaka.ru blog, posted a video in Russian on his channel.

Before starting to work with images, MÑŒller recommends asking yourself a few questions:

  • Will your target audience search for content based on images?
  • If so, how exactly will she do it?
  • What image would the user find most appropriate?
  • Are there any relevant images on your pages?

By answering these questions, it will be much easier to select images that closely match the goals of the site.

Optimization recommendations:

  1. The visual content of the page should not run counter to its content. Images should add value to the page and their titles should be contextual.
  2. Find the best place to place your image. The image should be placed next to the relevant text and supplemented with an accompanying caption.
  3. Don t overlay important text over images. This is especially true for headings and menu items.
  4. Write alt attributes. They help users who cannot see the image to find out information about the image.
  5. Post good quality images.
  6. Work on the quality of the site and the information content of the content. The content of the page is used to generate the description of an image in search and is a ranking factor for images.
  7. The site must be displayed correctly on all types of devices.
  8. The URL structure for images should be well thought out. Don t change the URL of your images often. The robot looks at images much less often than pages, so it is important to maintain constant image addresses and create a logical structure for them. Otherwise, you can create a 301 redirect. Be sure to make sure the URLs in the file are not being blocked. Robots.txt file. can also help if you want to prevent scanning of images.

Image Optimization Techniques for Advanced Users

  1. Create structured data markup. The type of structured data should directly depend on the type of pages. You can use Recipe for the recipe page, Product for online sales, and News Article for news articles. For more information on structured data, see the developer documentation.
  2. Install large preview images. High quality visual content can get traffic from Google Discovery. To do this, you should use the max-image-preview: large directive or use AMP.
  3. Submit your license information. This will enable users to understand under what conditions they can use the image. This information can be published using image metadata or structured data on the page.
  4. Consider your download speed. Google recommends:
    • Optimize file size;
    • Use lazy loading;
    • Load responsive images.

These actions will allow the site to load quickly and ensure its quality work. You can also use AMP technology to speed up your site.

More information on working with images can be found in the Google developer help documentation.

The original version of the video can also be viewed with Russian subtitles.

Source: YouTube

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