Make sure you do this: SEO your wordpress blog images.  

SEO (search engine optimization) is important for all parts of your blog, including your images.

If you want your blog post to be ranked higher in search engine results, naming your images as you upload them will help you SEO your wordpress blog images … and it’s easy to do.

An added benefit to using the steps below is that your image will have a description readily available for Pinterest.

Assuming you have done the keyword research for your blog title, follow these steps when adding and naming images in your blog posts:

TITLE

Most images when uploaded have an unrecognizable title that Google can’t make sense of, such as Image01.jpeg. 

The title of your image should be the title of your blog post, which includes the keywords you have chosen.

ALT TEXT

The alt text simply refers to a text alternative for images when a web browser can’t properly render them.  Have you ever received an email that included an image you couldn’t view?

If you take time to write a descriptive, keyword-rich alt text, your readers will have added description of the content you are sharing.

Additionally, if you are using Pinterest to market your blog, the alt text will be added in the description on Pinterest automatically, so you don’t have to take that necessary step when pinning.

FINDING THE RIGHT IMAGE

If you have your own pictures to you, that is absolutely the best way to protect yourself from copyright infringement.

But, sometimes, you need an image to convey the right message and none of your own images are appropriate.

My favorite source for free images that are Creative Common licensed come from Pixabay.  You can search for images by typing in a subject or a color, emotion, gender, event, etc.

The images from Pixabay are high quality and available in various sizes to download.

Set up your free account and start searching!  You’ll be amazed and relieved to find such a vast amount to choose from.

Be careful of grabbing images from Google.  There have been countless reports of lawsuits filed against bloggers who innocently thought it was okay to use any image from Google.

The general rule of thumb is this: if the image isn’t Creative Common licensed or you didn’t buy or create it, don’t post it.

ADD A HYPERLINK TO YOUR IMAGE

Be sure to add a link to your images, usually the link in your CTA (Call To Action.)  People get click happy on blogs and if someone happens to click on one of your images, they will be taken right to your capture page, or social media page – whichever link you choose.

When you upload an image, the default setting is for the media link within your wordpress blog.  Use the drop down to add a custom url to the image.

ANOTHER GREAT PINTEREST TIP

Use an online image editing software to add your blog title to the featured image on your blog.  (as I did for this blog post)

This is so that when the image is pinned to Pinterest, the blog title gives your fellow pinners quick, compelling information right there on the image when they are scrolling.  It will increase the likelihood that they will click to read more – and be taken to your blog!

I highly recommend PicMonkey for your online image editing. It does have a yearly fee, but the value delivered from the membership is priceless.

PicMonkey regularly sends out image editing tips with short videos to show you how to use the endless array of editing features. I’ve been able to revive images that seemed too dull to use with their editing features.

The bonus is their affiliate program. (seriously, whatever tool or resource you use, become an affiliate to make extra money by referring people to the product! It all adds up.)

Using images in all your marketing is a no-brainer. But their value as an asset for organic search results and SEO is often overlooked. Your images can also show up in image searches, which is why optimizing every image you use is an important step to take.

My image from a recent blog post now shows up when people search Google for images of Vanabode.

The bottom line is this … everything you can do to SEO your WordPress blog images matters if you want to be ranked in Google and get eyeballs on your amazing blog.

What other tips do you have for optimizing your blog images? Share below in the comments!

 

 

 

 

Trisha
p:  Text me 571-881-6715
f:   Connect with me on Facebook

P.S.  Want a blog, but don’t know where to begin?
How about a done-for-you, all set up blog so you don’t spend weeks and weeks and weeks learning about how to set up a WordPress blog?   Message me, text me, call me!