Optimising your Images to Improve SEO

There are plenty of small but powerful ways to improve the overall optimisation of your website, and image optimisation is one area that business owners often underestimate. Well-optimised images can dramatically improve page speed, search visibility, and user satisfaction, especially as Google continues to prioritise fast, mobile-friendly experiences.

A website that loads quickly and communicates clearly to search engines via properly labelled and compressed images will almost always outperform one that overlooks these details. Fortunately, optimising your images is simple once you understand the basics. Below, we’ve listed the essential steps to help you get ahead of your competitors.

Name Your Image Files

One of the most common mistakes people make is uploading images with their default filenames, such as IMG_3323.jpg. Unfortunately, these filenames don’t provide any useful information to search engines, which means you miss an easy opportunity to signal what the image contains.

A short, descriptive filename gives Google valuable context and improves your chance of ranking for relevant searches. If your image shows the London skyline, for example, a filename such as london-city-skyline.jpg is far more meaningful and professional than a bunch of random letters and numbers. Keep filenames concise, descriptive, and natural, and avoid keyword-stuffing or creating long, complicated names, as these can appear spammy and unhelpful.

Insert Alt Text

Another essential step in image optimisation is adding alt text. Alt text describes the content and purpose of an image, helping search engines understand it while also improving accessibility for users who rely on screen readers. It also appears if the image can’t load due to a slow connection or browser restrictions.

The good news is if you use WordPress, adding alt text is easy. You can select an image in the WordPress media library and enter a concise description in the “Alt Text” field, tailoring it for each image so that every description is unique and relevant. If you prefer working directly in HTML, switching to the “Text” or “HTML” view of the editor allows you to add alt attributes manually within the image tag, ensuring consistent accuracy throughout your site.

Think Mobile

So many of your potential customers will view your site on their phone, so it’s worth enabling responsive image settings (such as ‘srcset’) to ensure users receive the best-sized image for their device and connection. This improves loading times and overall performance for the best user experience.

Reduce Your Image Sizes

Page loading speed continues to be a major factor in SEO and conversion rate optimisation. Large, high-resolution images can significantly slow down your website, especially on mobile devices where connection speeds vary widely. Even if an image appears small on your website, browsers still need to load the full file unless you resize it before uploading.

Resize your images to the exact width needed for your layout (often between 600 and 1200 pixels) to keep pages efficient. There are plenty of free online tools you can use for this, like Pixlr or Canva, which makes resizing simple even if you don’t own image editing software.

Compress the File

Compression is just as important. Tools like TinyPNG or optimisation plugins in WordPress can reduce file sizes dramatically while maintaining visual quality, especially for large header or background images. To stay ahead of your competitors, consider using image formats such as WebP or AVIF, which offer superior compression compared to JPEG and PNG.

A Quick Recap

These are small habits that, when applied consistently, strengthen both your SEO and your user experience. Remember to:

• Name your image files thoughtfully
• Add relevant alt text
• Resize your images
• Compress files to keep the size down
• Consider your mobile users

If you would like to discuss image optimisation or any other SEO concerns, we’re here to help. Get in touch with us today, and visit our blog regularly for updated tips and insights from our SEO team.