Name images meaningfully, write context-appropriate alternative text and manage file sizes without sacrificing useful detail.
Images can explain product features, demonstrate a process or document a project. Identify the information an image carries before choosing its filename and alternative text.
Use relevant filenames
Replace random camera names with short descriptions. Google can use filenames and surrounding context; repeated keywords do not substitute for an accurate image and page.
Describe meaning in context
Alternative text should communicate necessary information to someone who cannot see the image. Purely decorative shapes may appropriately use empty alt text. Google recommends descriptive alt text and avoiding keyword stuffing.
Consider the image's role
The same photograph might show a product's appearance in a catalogue and identify a connector in an instruction guide. Adapt the description to that purpose without needlessly repeating nearby text.
Balance detail and file size
An oversized image can create unnecessary mobile download work. Choose dimensions and compression appropriate to its placement. Check for broken URLs, distorted proportions and unreadable details on the published page.