Image Optimisation Tips - Increase traffic and visibility

Increase traffic and visibility by optimizing available images on your website. If the images are properly optimized on webpage, it helps attracts the visitors and search engines also. Now, all major search engines are providing an image search service that increase website traffic and visibility.

Images play several roles in search engine optimization. The appearance of images is naturally important to the overall look and presentation of your web site. But beyond the superficial value, carefully named images can also serve a dual role in search engine optimization. One trick is to use relevant keywords in the name of the images.

According to Evans, image search optimization offers free product promotion, more optimization opportunities than regular search alone, less competition.

Original and Qualitative Images
Try best effort to use original image design or manage with good quality pictures and make necessary resolution adjustments. If images are taken from another website, there are mostly chances for panelize your site.

Related images
Use related images that can explain your topic where content and image is available. Sometimes images says everything what you want to say in content or on webpage.

Small size Images
Whenever user downloads a page containing large images, it takes a long time to download. When visitor opens a webpage, and if it contains a large image, it takes more than 10 seconds to load, and your visitors will run away faster than you can say “back button”. Heavy images cost you money and traffic. If webpage’s contain smaller or compressed images, webpage downloaded fast.

Use compressed format of images
Mostly websites are based on bitmap. The problem with Bitmap images is that each pixel has to be defined with a color, causing the file size of an image to be rather large. So you need avoid bmp format and use compressed format such as JPG, GIF and PNG.

Name of image
Give a particular name of image. In view of SEO, image naming should be based on keywords with using '-' hyphen. When a user search images in search engine, it search the naming images related to query. Use keywords in 'alt' tag for an image naming.

Image placing position
Place the image on the webpage where it is suitable. If there is need of image to visible on page them place a suitable and related image, otherwise do not garbage the page with without requirement of image.

Slice the images
Slicing the images appears to load faster but the slicing shows its pattern. If you slice an image properly and display the sliced image correctly you won't see any lines. Use Adobe ImageReady which comes with Photoshop (not cheap). You can use it to slice images and it can also supply the appropriate HTML to display it correctly.

Image thumbnails
Another useful tip is to use thumbnails. Thumbnails are miniature versions of a picture that are hyperlinked to its actual size version. The thumbnail will load fast, and by clicking on it your visitors will be able to see the actual size version.

According to searchenginewatch.com "Image search optimizers on the panel expressed their desire to see more opportunities for image search optimizers, such as a keyword research tool specific to image search (like the Overture keyword tool) and the ability to submit image/multimedia specific feeds."

Evans say "That would allow webmasters to have better control over defining what
the image was in relation to content,".

"Right now, 95% of the focus is to what traffic into websites comes from "regular" search, not on images," added Evans. "Once experienced search marketers and/or web analytics analysts start to point out the higher conversion rates and growing traffic from image search, that's when the request for more information will begin to grow."