Advanced Image SEO Checklist to Improve Web Performance

Technical Optimization of the Images

Pick the right image format:
Choose the right formats for your visuals: JPEG for photos, PNG for logos or graphics with no background, and WebP for optimal compression and quality.

Resizing an image for the web:
Set the image dimensions to match the display sizes on your site.

Compres the image:
Reduce the file sizes but maintain the quality.

Use responsive image techniques:
Use HTML attributes like srcset and sizes to serve optimized image resolutions based on the user's device and viewport.

Use SVGs for simple graphics and icons:
SVGs scale perfectly and load fast, making them ideal for logos and icons.

Strip unnecessary metadata from image files before upload:
Removes extra file data to reduce size and improve privacy.

Use image schema markup:
Add structured data for images, especially for products, recipes, or articles.‍

Secure Indexing & Discoverability

Generate and submit an image sitemap:
Create a separate XML sitemap for your images, including URLs, captions, and licenses.

Implement Open Graph meta tags (og:image):
Manage how your images appear when shared on social media by correctly implementing the og:image tag in your HTML.

Enable lazy loading for the images:
Configure images to load only when the user reaches them on the page.

Ensure robots.txt doesn’t block important image directories:
Allows search engines to crawl and index your images.

Use canonical tags if images are reused:
Prevents duplicate image indexing across multiple URLs.

Serve images via a Content Delivery Network (CDN):
Distribute your images through a CDN to deliver them from servers located closer to your users, reducing latency.

Configure browser caching for images:
Instruct user browsers to store image copies locally for a defined period.

On-site Image Optimization

Use consistent naming conventions for all image files:
Makes files easier to manage and improves SEO clarity.

Write a descriptive alt text for all images:
Provide brief and accurate alt text for your pictures so that search engines can understand the content and purpose of it.

Add targeted keywords in the image file names:
Make sure your image file names are also keyword-rich (e.g., dark-roast-coffee-beans.jpg).

Avoid keyword stuffing in alt text:
Make sure your alt text are natural, do not just write your targeted keywords as alt text.

Use images for featured snippets and visual search:
Design visuals to answer questions or match image search intent.

Use original images:
Try to use original images over stock photos. Search engines and users prefer original visuals.

Accessibility & User Experience of the Images

Add user-friendly captions:
Add a short caption below the pictures to provide additional context and incorporate your targeted keywords.

Make sure image buttons and links work with keyboard:
People should be able to use the Tab key to select and activate image-based buttons or links.

Don’t use fast-blinking or flashing images:
Avoid images that flash quickly. They can be irritative for some users

Make sure your text and background images have good contrast:
If images have text, make sure that there is a contrast between the text colors and background for readability, particularly for users with visual impairments.

Optimize image placement for content flow:
Position images logically within text to break up blocks of text and support your content.

Image Quality & Integrity

Use images with good resolution:
To make your website look professional, use images that are crisp and clear without pixelation or blurriness.

Ensure consistent image styling and branding:
Your images need to have uniform style, color palette, and branding elements.

Use image that is relevant to the content:
Use visuals that support and enhance the text.

Avoid overly stock-looking or generic images:
Choose original or high-quality visuals that reflect your brand.

Avoid embedded text within images:
Prioritize actual HTML text over text placed in the images, as embedded text is not crawlable by search engines.

Ensure all images display correctly in light and dark mode (if supported):
Test visibility and contrast in both modes.

Preventing Layout Shifts

Use CSS aspect-ratio boxes for layout stability:
Prevents layout shifts while images load for that set CSS aspect-ratio.

Preload large images that appear above the fold:
Speeds up perceived loading time for key visuals.

Specify exact image dimensions (width and height):
Include width and height attributes in your <img> tags to prevent Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) and ensure stable page rendering.

Ensure images fit within content containers:
Make sure images fit into their designated display areas to prevent layout issues or horizontal scrolling.

Test image responsiveness across different devices:
Testing to ensure that images render on different screen sizes and browsers without any problems or delays.

Avoid stretching or distorting image aspect ratios:
Maintain original image aspect ratios to ensure images appear correctly.

Track Image Performance

Use UTM parameters in image links:
UTMs can greatly helps track traffic from shared or embedded images.

Understand how visuals impact user engagement:
Monitor bounce rates and sessions for image-rich content:

Track image organic traffic:
Monitor inbound traffic from Google Images and other visual search platforms with your GA4.

Check image visibility and clicks in Google Search Console:
Use the Image Search filter in GSC's Performance report to track impressions and clicks for your images.

Analyze Core Web Vitals for image-heavy pages:
Pay close attention to CLS and Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) metrics on pages with notable image content.

Analyze and fix image crawl errors:
Check image crawl errors encountered by Googlebot in your GSC and resolve them.

Image Management

Keep backlinks intact and avoids 404s:
Archive unused or outdated images instead of outright deletion (if linked externally).

Conduct regular image audits:
Periodically review and remove outdated images to conserve server space and improve site efficiency.

Manage redirects for deleted images:
Implement 301 redirects for any photos that have been removed to preserve link equity and prevent broken image links.

Develop guidelines for content creators/uploaders (if applicable):
Provide clear instructions for all team members or content creators who might upload images to ensure consistent adherence to SEO best practices.

Advanced Image Optimization Techniques

Test image loading behavior with Lighthouse or WebPageTest:
Use these tools to check how fast images load and impact overall page performance.

Consider AVIF for next-generation compression:
Learn more about the newer image format AVIF that offers greater compression but quality preservation compared to WebP.

Implement client hints for dynamic image serving:
Utilize client hints to let the user's browser tell your server its device capabilities (like screen size or network speed), so your server can deliver the perfectly sized image.

Employ the <picture> element for art direction:
Use the <picture> element to serve different image versions based on queries or device capabilities to allow a targeted presentation.

Explore image processing APIs:
Leverage APIs (e.g., Cloudinary, Imgix) for on-the-fly image optimization, dynamic resizing, and format conversion at scale.

Off-Page Image SEO

Use schema markup to enhance image display in social previews:
Schema markup improves how images show up when shared on different platforms.

Facilitate image sharing on relevant social media platforms:
Make it easy for users to share your images on social platforms.

Monitor for unauthorized image usage and attribution:
Use image search tools to find instances where your images are used without permission and ensure proper attribution or backlinks.

Claim ownership using image EXIF (where applicable):
Embed creator info to protect and credit your image.

Strategically build backlinks to images-rich pages:
Promote content featuring unique, high-quality images to attract inbound links, benefiting the entire page's SEO profile.

Engage with relevant visual communities and platforms:
Share your images on industry-specific visual platforms (e.g., Behance for design and Flickr for photography) to increase exposure and potential referral traffic.

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Maria Harutyunyan

A well-structured approach is the cornerstone of successful SEO. That's why we’ve developed a series of in-depth checklists designed to streamline your SEO strategy. From building high-quality backlinks and optimizing your WordPress site to tackling on-page SEO and technical optimizations, our checklists offer precise, actionable steps to help you confidently navigate every aspect of SEO.

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