In SEO, As in Life, Image is Everything, Part 1

While we cannot place enough emphasis on the importance of having quality content that is updated regularly, because we are an award-winning California search engine optimization company, we know that content is not the only area where website falter. Your website is the image that you are showing the world. It is important not to forget that since the internet is a visual medium and your entire website is your (figurative) image, you cannot afford to neglect the (literal) images that appear on your website.

Design with SEO in mind. Be clear with your website designer that you want your website to be equipped for SEO and that it is not just a piece for show. For example, when Flash first came onto the scene, everyone was excited because they were sure that they would able to “wow” internet users with great graphics that would leave a lasting impression. Some companies did. Others have found that internet users were not really interested. They also realized that search engine spiders weave their way through text and not Flash.

Be selective about your image(s). You may not need to go out and hire a prestigious photographer to take pictures for your website, but you do not want to just throw anything up there. Case in point: we know of a company who wanted to include industry profiles on their website. Great idea. This company did not just concentrate on the profile text, however. They asked the persons being profiled to send in pictures and provided specific guidelines. People being profiled were asked to provide headshots, in which they were wearing professional attire and were given a file size limit. This gave the website’s profile section a uniform look.

Define your images. Even if you think that a picture on your website it self-explanatory, you need to give it a caption. Why? You need caption because captions are another opportunity to make use of keywords. Describing photos and images on your website is another way to get the attention of search engines. This same principle applies to any text that surrounds and image on your website, so in addition to captions, use keywords for headings and other words that are close to an image.

You should actually include words like “image’ or “picture” in your captions. When internet users are searching for specific images, they use these words in addition to the word for what they want to see.

When it comes to California SEO companies, Increase Visibility is one of the best California SEO firms around. Call us at 877 SEO ADVICE (877-736-2384) or send us an e-mail at info@IncreaseVisibility.com.