OOPSIE DOOPSIE

Who doesn’t love a good picture? I think now, within the blogging community, it’s expected that a blogger will include photographs, images or some sort of visual element in a blog post. And that’s actually great, because including images can {and will} absolutely support a blog’s overall search engine optimization and share-ability, if that is even a word… So, with that said, here are my top five optimization considerations for blog images. Enjoy!!

01 /// File Name

Do you often leave your image file names as “photo1.jpg” or “blogpic01234.jpg”? Don’t! The optimization can begin before the image even hits the server. Give your image file the correct name. This will help the SEO efforts of the blog post AND it’s just better organization of all the files you may have on your computer {but, mostly, hoping you do this because of SEO}. It doesn’t have to be a long, drawn-out name and, in fact, it really shouldn’t. Keep it short, sweet and to the {keyword} point. For example, “diy-pom-pom.jpg” or “image-optimization.jpg”. Just give those images a little personality and TLC. Each one is unique and deserves a name to suit!

02 /// Alt Description

Once you add the image(s) to the blog post, click to edit the image and enter an “alt” description. {This can also be done in the HTML and appears after the “img src” tag.} This provides search engines another look at what the image depicts and, bonus, it’s what social sites, like trusty old Pinterest, automatically pull in as a description. Double-duty. And, if for some reason the image does not appear correctly on the screen or it doesn’t load in a person’s browser, the “alt” description will be there so … a visitor can read what should be appearing. 😀

03 /// Number of Images

There isn’t a magic number of how many images you should post in a single blog entry, but I would recommend to be thoughtful of how many images you do include, and always include at least one visual element. Give your readers something to look at and let the text break up a little bit. But don’t go nuts-o with a million photos that it turns the post into a scrolling slideshow. In that case, create a SLIDESHOW 🙂 Also, the more images, the more time it will take to load your post. Although it may only be a few moments longer, that could be the difference of a few visitors staying and/or returning to your blog.

04 /// Image Width

To bring a little bit of uniform and organization to the post, consider making all the images the same width. This width may or may not be the same width as the text, but that is also something to consider. By giving all of your images the same width, it will not only bring cohesion to the post but it will be easier on visiting eyes, which is most important.

05 /// Ready for Social?

Always be thoughtful of how your post will be shared across several social networks. So many options. So. Many. Options. Are your posts’ images optimized for all the ways it could be shared? Make it easy for your visitors. Here are a few examples:

Pinterest :: Do you have an image with the title of the post / post’s subject matter? When a visitor clicks the “Pin It” button and the title and description {aka alt description} is ready and waiting on the image, this makes sharing a breeze and a user more likely to return to your blog since your stuff is so gosh-darn shareable. *gush*

Instagram :: Do you have an image {or two or three} that has a little bit of an interesting element to it, could be cropped to showcase all you hope to include and be shared on Instagram? Although you are the one that is most likely to share on Instagram, that is no reason to NOT include an Instagram-worthy picture in a blog post. In fact, this picture is insurance. Your visitor will not second-guess about landing on the right blog post after seeing the image on Instagram. You took the guesswork out for them. Bravo!

Twitter :: Inline image previews can be a beautiful thing … if done right. Horizontal images will work best, and, you know what – I recommend reading this article from Sprout Social about sizing and image optimization for Twitter. Because it’s all good.

And there you have it – a few more ways in which images can continue to support your blog, bring you some more traffic and really serve as a contributing force to the overall success of your blog.