[Checklist] Best Practices For Naming Images SEO in 2024

Highlights

1. Optimizing images for SEO enhances user experience and boosts site ranking.
2. Image optimization increases shareability on social media, driving extra traffic.
3. Proper image names create more keyword opportunities, improving search performance.
4. Alt text improves image accessibility and helps search engines understand content better.
5. Best practices for naming image SEO include using relevant names, adding keywords, and separating words with hyphens.

If you want to improve your site’s SEO, an easy way to start is by naming your images for SEO. This can help you attract more traffic from Google Image Search and improve your ranking in search results.

Another reason to focus on image SEO is that Google Image Search now makes up 20% of all search engine traffic. 

Imagine boosting your traffic by 20%. Who wouldn’t want that?

In this guide, we’ll share best practices for naming images SEO and why it’s important.

Why Are Images Important For SEO? 

Optimizing images for SEO pays off in the long run, like anything you invest time in. Here’s why:

1. It improves user experience by keeping visitors on your page longer and encouraging them to scroll further.
2. Images make your content more shareable on social media, boosting visibility and driving extra traffic.
3. Optimizing images creates more keyword opportunities, helping your site rank better in searches.
4. Google Image Search can drive additional organic traffic to your site.
5. Best practices for naming images SEO make your website more engaging and improve its search performance.

4 Best Practices For Naming Images SEO

Now you understand why naming images for SEO is essential, here are four quick tips to help you name your images effectively:

1. Choose Relevant File Names 

When you download or screenshot an image, it usually comes with a random name, like a string of letters and numbers. However, to help search engines understand your images better, you should give them clear, descriptive file names. Make the file names as short and relevant as possible.

If you use similar images on your site, differentiate them by adding a number at the end or using unique adjectives. 

For example, if you run a travel blog, you can name images “adventure-1” and “adventure-2” or add more detail, like “hilly-areas-trip” or “best-places-to-visit.”

2. Include Keywords 

Keywords are important for optimizing your content, and your images are no exception. Moreover, try using tools like Google Keyword Planner to explore relevant keywords for your images. Choose keywords with good search volume but avoid overly competitive terms. Long-tail keywords work well because they are more specific and easier to rank for.

Include the keywords in your image file names, but be careful not to overuse them. Google could mark your images as spam if you use keyword stuff. Stick to using keywords in one or two images per page.

3. Separate Words with Hyphens 

Improve your image SEO by separating words in file names with hyphens. Search engines read hyphens as spaces, which helps them understand the file name better.

Although some users use underscores, search engines often don't recognize them. This can hurt your SEO. It's also smart to use only lowercase letters for your file names, especially on systems like Linux and macOS, which treat "travel-plans" and "Travel-Plans" as two different files.

4. Add Alt Text 

Alt text helps search engines interpret your images and improves visibility for users who can't see the images. Alt text serves as a backup description when images don’t load properly.

Make sure your alt text explains the image accurately. For example, for an image of someone working from home, you might use "working from a laptop at home." Moreover, you can add keywords to the alt text to boost SEO. Additionally, alt text can be an anchor if your image links to another page.

Conclusion

Best practices for naming images SEO are essential for improving user experience and rankings. By using relevant file names, incorporating keywords, separating words with hyphens, and adding accurate alt text, you can boost your site's visibility and drive more traffic. Moreover, properly optimizing images enhances accessibility, makes your content more shareable, and contributes to long-term SEO success.