4 TIPS to Improve Search for Your Images
January 10, 2013
Google says: "Tell us as much as possible about your images" in their Image Publishing Guidelines.
Describing your images with words is especially important for artists and makers because search engines can only see words -- not images.
Google also recommends that the image's file name should be real words (NOT NUMBERS). This principle is the same as covered in a previous post about website URL addresses: Avoid URL Mistakes I Have MADE.
Below is a bad example of an image title currently on my website.
The image is called: b98-99a.gif
I know better now, but this is an old image on my website. A much better image file name might be tin-bracelets-1998.jpg or better yet red-rose-almond-nuts-tin-bracelets.jpg
Try to make your image file name describe the image. I did not realize how important a descriptive name could be when I first established my website, but from here on, all my new images will be given much better file names that describe the images.
Below is a better more recent example.
The image title is candyland.jpg
A better title might be candy-land-flower-metal-brooch.jpg.
Image file name recommendations:
- Image titles should include descriptive information.
- Use a hyphen between each word.
- Do NOT use numbers for your image file names.
- Do NOT use underscores in the title. Underscores are hard for people to see and are not considered separated words in file names.
Candy Land Flower Brooch (back view) from post-consumer recycled tin cans. Domestic iron stamped in the back is my hallmark. Visit my studio online.
Related articles:
Avoid URL Mistakes I Have MADE
REWRITE Short Meta Descriptions for SEO
5 Google Webmaster Tools Improve Sites
This post was updated on July 28, 2022, to provide current links.