Good website optimization starts with great imagery. Images can drive traffic to your website by appearing on image search, and engaging visuals help website visitors remember you better.
This article will discuss the importance of image optimization for SEO and provide all the hacks necessary for taking advantage of its potential.
The discussion will start from a basic understanding of image optimization, such as its definition and importance in SEO, along with the stand-out benefits it offers.
We’ll then compare different image formats to determine which works best for your content and introduce several tools to reduce file size without compromising quality.
Image optimization is the process of manipulating digital images for better website performance. By changing its file format, size, color depth, location, and other web-friendly properties, the optimized image takes up less space but still gives a good visual result.
Additionally, properly naming image files and providing relevant alt tags give search engines more information to index websites. Ultimately, this image manipulation enhances user experiences and can increase website visibility in search engine results.
Using higher-resolution images yet maintaining load times will definitely bring in higher conversation rates which are crucial for successful SEO optimization on websites or applications.
Image optimization plays an important role in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It is essential for websites to properly optimize their images in order to improve visibility on search engines like Google and Bing.
Image optimization involves boosting the quality of property pictures, illustrations, infographics, and diagrams to grab attention better from customers online. This process helps increase web page loading times when users visit a website or page which can impact user experience as well as SEO ranking factors.
In addition, image optimization also improves overall user engagement since webpages with good visuals draw more visitors than pages with dull visuals or none at all. With optimized images in place, you will get great visual content that not only pleases customers but also enhances your search engine rankings over time leading to more traffic.
When selecting the appropriate image format for a website, it’s important to know the pros and cons of each type, as well as determine which format is best suited for certain circumstances.
JPEGs are great for photos with large high-quality images that require some level of compression in order to reduce file size- especially if many colors are involved.
Meanwhile, subject or line art performs better with a PNG format: its lossless compression allows for the preservation of signs and edges while also providing transparent backgrounds if needed.
GIF files include a maximum palette of 256 colors and provide animation capabilities when other formats wouldn’t be suitable; however, the overall quality tends to be less idealistic.
Lastly, WebP shows promise over traditional formats due to its improved image compression technique which allows content over the same size faster.
Knowing which format works best When choosing the right image format, knowledgeable insight into the pros and cons of JPEGs, PNGs, GIFs, and WebPs effectively boosts website optimization when used by tech professionals.
When selecting an image format, there are a few important factors to consider. These include file size, compatibility across different browsers and devices, and whether the format offers lossless or lossy compression.
JPEGs are generally considered best for photography with lots of varying colors, while PNGs work well for images with fewer colors or which require much higher quality.
For high-speed loading times within the web browsers, GIFs and WebP formats can be used for simple artwork such as icons and logos.
Ultimately the selection process should take into account requirements while obtaining the smallest possible image size without compromising on image quality to maximize loading speed for visitors.
Selecting the right image format is an essential step in optimizing images for SEO. Different file formats have different advantages and should be chosen based on their format type, size, loading speed, compatibility, and storage needs.
JPEG is a widely used compressed format suitable for showcasing photographs taken by cameras while PNGs produce crisp graphics such as line art or logos because of their support for transparent backgrounds.
WebP is a new versatile format that offers all the benefits of the other popular file formats with smaller file sizes.
GIFs offer lossless compression that creates animation but is much larger than the other formats and thus not always recommended if saving disk space is a priority.
In decision making it’s important to consider factors like file size versus quality, target demographic.
Reducing image file size is an essential optimization hack for SEO. Optimized images are essential to improving website performance, which search engines take into account when ranking websites. Researchers have found that images larger than 250kb can actually decrease website speed and negatively impact a site’s score in the SERPs.
To successfully reduce image file size, one should employ techniques such as compression tools and plugins, resizing and cropping (to pixels rather than inches), minimizing metadata content, and lazy loading techniques (where media loads online when viewing the reach).
Such efforts make total page load time faster for mobile users across all networks; imperative as most web searches now originate from mobile devices.
Techniques to Reduce Image File Size
Alt text (or alternate text) refers to descriptive text associated with an online image that assists technologies such as screen readers to interpret visual information.
Currently, search engines use alt attributes for both the signal of a web page’s relevancy and to help classify images; hence making it an essential SEO element.
Furthermore, enabling visually impaired people to access digital content without a barrier also makes it critically important for ADA compliance.
Alt text (also referred to as “alt tags” or in some areas, “image descriptions”) are used by search engines to understand the purpose of images and how they relate to other content on a page.
Writing effective alt text is important for improving image SEO since search engine bots cannot interpret visual information on their own.
Good guidelines for writing effective alt text include avoiding key phrases that could potentially be associated with different topics; describing what it is rather than what it looks like–abstract language should be avoided and only relevant keywords should be used; keeping the description brief, but descriptive enough so that bots can comprehend the nature of the image accurately.
When optimizing images for SEO, the file name plays an important role. Using unique and descriptive words that use relevant keywords can help maximize the search visibility of image files on search engines.
While it’s a good idea to include an informative or keyword-relevant title when uploading an image, at the same time it is worth ensuring you use low-case words with underscores (or hyphens) rather than spaces to separate each word within your titles, as blank space can cause compatibility issues.
In addition, all other characters aside from alphanumeric should be avoided in order optimally replicate extended Latin versions of said characters and enhance cost-effectiveness.
Image captions and descriptions can offer numerous SEO benefits for websites. By utilizing these optimization techniques, website owners can help create more engaging content and make their pages more easily searchable for indexing by search engines.
Additionally, proper image labeling allows users to access information pulled from an accompanying caption or description that may provide further context to the raw visual elements of the webpage.
Enhancements in this area will also improve customer reach as visitors quickly and effectively discern what a page has to offer without having to actually view all images in their entirety.
Ultimately, properly formatted image labels lead to an improved user experience across any given web platform which will likely result in increased web traffic from organic sources seeking additional clarifications on various topics covered through such illustrated works.
Using image captions and descriptions is an easy and effective way to increase the visibility of your content for search engine optimization (SEO).
Writing good, descriptive captions that include relevant keywords can help boost engagement with website visitors.
Best practices for writing image captions include:
When possible, make reference to parts or subjects located within the image. Lastly, use active language free from hyperbolic phrasing that readers may not understand quickly.
Including relevant keywords in image descriptions is a basic step for optimizing images for SEO that can often be overlooked. When done correctly, this will provide further context for both the search engine and the user to understand what an image contains.
This ultimately helps increase your chances of appearing in SERPs when these terms are searched.
It’s important to select specific and accurate words that directly describe the contents of the picture as opposed to using too many general or unrelated words. Focus on natural descriptions rather than keyword stuffing; make sure each word chosen serves a purpose.
Image Sitemaps are XML files used to inform search engines about the location and information of all the images present on a website.
Images that have been indexed can appear in related image searches. Having Image Sitemaps for your site is one of the essential image optimization hacks for improving SEO, as it helps ensure that every important image gets found by Google bots when crawling pages, therefore significantly increasing its chances of showing up in relevant searches.
Furthermore, such an XML file allows you to add extra valuable data associated with images on your web pages and provide their direct URLs without relying on navigation links.
Image Sitemaps are an invaluable tool for SEO. Utilizing image sitemaps can help search engine crawlers discover and index images on a webpage to use them in image search results.
To maximize the positives of utilizing this resource, there are a few tips that should be followed when optimizing Image Sitemaps for SEO: Include both images and videos in the same sitemap but have separate tags within each type; provide detailed file names and alt text with relevant keywords; list high-quality thumbnails with precise dimensions and use original URLs if reusing material from other sources.
Further, it is helpful to link images properly using anchor links whenever possible as well as submitting key information regarding downloads through special tags (download size or expiration).
Optimizing image loading speed leveraging optimized images and their respective sitemaps can help websites quickly serve them to users, with faster speeds providing a better experience for the user coupled with improved SEO rankings.
By offering fast image loading times users, particularly mobile users, will enjoy smooth scrolling and seamless page loads which in turn reward your website organically (and naturally).
Caching and Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) are optimization techniques that can significantly improve image loading speed and search engine ranking. The Caching involves temporarily storing a copy of the image on the user’s web browser, so the same time isn’t spent fetching it every time it is requested.
CDNs are networks of distributed servers that allow images to load faster from the server physically closest to their location, enabling your webpage with these optimized images to respond quickly to user requests even from different geographical locations.
While using a CDN requires an additional cost, implementation will give you and your users much quicker access to content around the world – ultimately better SEO performance during page queries as well as an improved UI/UX experience for your website visitors.
Responsive image design is a popular technique to optimize images for faster loading times and improved user experience on mobile devices.
This involves displaying a web page’s images at various resolutions depending on the size of the device they are being viewed on.
This allows all parts of an image to be properly viewable, regardless if it’s being used on a laptop or small mobile phone, while also significantly reducing load time since only part of the original image will need to be loaded into a device’s browser memory.
Lazy loading and progressive loading are two simple yet effective techniques to improve image loading speeds for improved SEO performance.
It ensures only images above the fold (the area of a web page that can be seen without scrolling) load on page visit, while other contents (including images below the fold) are deferred until they actually enter the user’s viewport or simply when scrolling down.
As a result, instead of your entire page being large and clunky due to a bulky serving of images, only those above the fold appear fast and clean leaving a great impression on users.
Implementing image optimization hacks effectively can considerably impact the SEO of an online website. From optimizing image formats for web crawlers to compressing file sizes to utilizing captions and descriptions, there are several steps involved in styling an eye-catching and well-optimized website.
Furthermore, through employee techniques such as caching, content delivery networks, responsive images or progressive loading one can drastically improve page speeds leading to better utilization of crawler resources.
All these practices result in improved rankings that complement earning organic web traffic powered by search engine websites. So, now is the time to start executing the optimizations recommended in this article to increase your website’s search visibility today!
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Most marketers love Google Ads.
We're no exception.
But we totally understand that businesses in certain industries sometimes have a deep resentment of Google Ads and their restrictive policies.
Google's policies for advertising are generally intuitive and straightforward, but for certain regulated and sensitive categories, the standards are much higher and less clear. Pharmaceutical companies, gambling websites, political campaigns, and other industries often struggle to get their ads approved consistently.
In fact, if you don't know what you're getting into, trying to advertise as a business in one of these categories can be a recipe for disaster.
How are you supposed to use Google Ads effectively if you belong to one of these regulated or sensitive categories?
Sensitive and regulated categories in PPC advertising face a number of challenges, including:
· Stricter guidelines. Most PPC advertisers are familiar and comfortable with basic Google Ads guidelines. But if you belong to a regulated or sensitive category, you'll have far more guidelines and more nuanced guidelines to deal with.
· Higher scrutiny. Google pays much closer attention to ads in regulated and sensitive categories, meaning you face closer scrutiny when your ads start circulating. Reports will be investigated quicker and much more strictly, and even minor violations can work against you.
· More ad disapprovals. Similarly, ads are much more likely to get disapproved in these categories. You'll face an uphill battle as you try to get your ads circulating.
· The risk of suspensions. Businesses in these categories also face the risk of frequent, ongoing suspensions. This trend is also worsening; in fact, in 2023, Google Ads suspended more than 12.7 million advertiser accounts – doubling their actions over the previous year.
This makes it much more difficult to advertise effectively and secure a positive return on investment (ROI). Additionally, failing to adhere to Google’s advertising policies can hurt your company's reputation and compromise your long-term potential for success.
The most important thing you can do to improve your results in a regulated or sensitive category is to plan for a sustainable, long-term strategy. Every year, thousands of business owners in these categories attempt to fool Google, find clever ways around its policies, and devise techniques that allow them to cheat the system.
These approaches can usually work temporarily. You can cheat your way into the listings and generate some traffic to your landing page.
But inevitably, these techniques fail, and they can ultimately get you blacklisted.
You're much better off taking the slow, steady approach, following the rules even if it means compromising your advertising effectiveness in the short term. Think about the long-term consequences and possibilities of each decision you make.
There is some good news here.
Google isn’t shy about publishing its advertising policies.
If you're willing to do the reading and research, you can thoroughly understand what Google expects from regulated and sensitive categories like yours – and you can easily adhere to the guidelines.
Well, maybe not “easily,” but reliably.
Generally, Google splits content into two types:
· Restricted content. Restricted content is sensitive content that is subject to more regulations. You must precisely comply with requirements for copy, images, website content, and more if you want to remain in circulation.
· Prohibited content. Prohibited content is totally disallowed. You cannot include it without facing significant consequences.
Unfortunately, we can't give you a big list of all the rules you need to follow, as the rules are different for various industries. Some of the most popular industries and categories that face steeper restrictions include:
· Pharmaceuticals and healthcare products
· Weapons and explosives
· Financial services (including cryptocurrencies)
· Gambling/games of chance
· Alcohol, tobacco, and similar products
· Political ads
· Adult content and services
While there are certainly commonalities between regulations across these categories, each category has its own unique blend of restrictions and rules to learn. For example, pharmaceutical businesses require formal certification from Google and are only allowed in some countries. In the financial services industry, you'll likely need a specific license, and you'll need to provide adequate disclosures for your products and services.
The more intimately you know these rules and regulations and how they apply to your industry, the more likely you'll be able to advertise successfully. Don't advertise until you're sure you understand all applicable Google Ads policies.
One other important note here: you need to stay updated.
Google isn't stagnant, and its advertising policies are constantly in flux. Accordingly, you need to stay abreast of recent changes and update your ad approaches in line with them.
The easiest way to do this is to subscribe to Google Ads policy updates, but you should also regularly engage in Google Ads forums. If you're lucky enough to have a representative, maintain open and transparent communication with them and stay in touch regularly; they can be a massive benefit for businesses in regulated and sensitive categories.
The more research you do, the better. You need to thoroughly understand your advertising landscape before you try to thread this needle.
· Google Ads policies. Obviously, read and understand Google Ads policies as they relate to your industry. We mostly covered this in the previous section, but it's part of the research you need to do.
· Licensing and certification requirements. Even if it's not specifically required by Google, it's a good idea to get any appropriate licenses or certifications. It's a mark of authority and trustworthiness that might save you if any of your ads are reviewed for potential policy violations.
· Laws and regulations. Similarly, violating any laws and regulations in the country where you're advertising could be grounds for ad removal or account suspension, even if those violations aren't specifically listed in Google Ads policies. Always ensure legal compliance before advertising with Google.
· Competitor advertising. It's also a good idea to research your competitors. It's very likely that businesses similar to yours, in the same category, are already advertising successfully. Look at what they're doing. How are they phrasing things? Which disclosures are they including? Do you notice anything missing? You can learn a lot simply by studying previously successful ads.
· Market research. The success of your Google Ads largely depends on your ability to successfully target and appeal to your demographics. If you're properly informative and persuasive, with relevant messaging to the people you're reaching, you're much less likely to face reports, removals, and suspensions. Accordingly, you need to do a deep dive into market research so you better understand your target demographics and can appeal to them with relevant content. If you don't have buyer personas, develop them. If you don't know what your target audience is struggling with or what they want to, pause your ads until you figure it out. There are no shortcuts here, so do a deep dive into your market research if you want a reasonable chance to succeed.
When creating and preparing new ads, make sure everything is compliant, including your copy, your images, and any of your website content.
Remember that the rules and restrictions vary by industry, but these are some general rules that can help you get started:
· Stick to the facts. Don't exaggerate. Don't embellish. Certainly don't lie. It's important to stick to the facts as closely as possible, even if it makes your ad a bit stoic or “boring.” Purely factual advertising rarely gets removed.
· Avoid prohibited or sensitive terms. Review prohibited and sensitive terms that apply to your industry, and avoid those terms like the plague. Consider creating a list of alternatives that you can rely on instead.
· Be transparent. Be absolutely transparent with your target audience, even if you're forced to reveal things that weaken the appeal of your products and services. Offer disclosures when required, and potentially when not required if they can boost your credibility.
· Adopt a serious, professional tone. Don't play with fire. Your best course of action is to adopt a serious, professional tone across your ads. It's much less likely to be reported, and it will seem more authoritative and trustworthy.
· Eliminate sensationalism. In line with this, eliminate all forms of sensationalism. Graphic or revealing content, exaggerated claims, and other techniques designed to evoke strong emotions are probably going to work against you.
· Focus on using images for context. If you're going to include images, make sure they provide meaningful context. Advertisers sometimes select images based on how easily they grab attention or how exciting they are, but this is a surefire way to fail if you belong to a sensitive or restricted category.
· Include warnings if necessary. If there are any warnings that are relevant to your products and services, include them. More information is typically better in matters like these.
· Leverage the power of AB testing. The more relevant and effective your ads are, the more likely they are to succeed. Leverage the power of AB testing to learn more about what your audience wants to see and how to give it to them.
Don't forget about your landing pages.
These are important to Google as well.
If your landing pages deviate from Google Ads guidelines, or if they contradict what's in your ads, it could work against you.
These are some tips to get you started:
· Keep it relevant. Always make sure your landing page is completely relevant and in line with whatever is included in your ad. If users click your ad and find something unexpected, unpleasant, or otherwise jarring, Google might take action.
· Issue disclaimers and warnings. This is an opportunity to double down on disclaimers, warnings, and important disclosures. Err on the side of caution and make these prominent to show that you're in full compliance with both Google Ads policies and laws in your area.
· Make your business information accessible. Make your business information transparent and accessible. Offer your brand name and business location information, and give visitors some way to contact you, preferably via phone and email. It's a sign of trustworthiness and it can proactively resolve potential disputes.
· Be straightforward and transparent. Everything on your landing page needs to be straightforward and transparent. Follow the same rules you did for your ads, and avoid exaggerations and sensationalism.
· Double check Google Ads requirements. Always double-check Google Ads requirements when constructing your landing page. You should fulfill or comply with each item on your landing page to be safe.
You've already done significant market research, so make sure you apply it correctly. Target your audience very specifically so that your messages are only shown to people for whom they are relevant. If someone outside the scope of your target demographics sees your ads, they'll be much more likely to issue reports – and your ads will be much more likely to be removed. It's especially important to target people in the right geographic area.
There are some Black Hat techniques designed to circumvent Google Ads rules and regulations, or otherwise give you an unfair advantage in a sensitive or restricted category. These techniques typically violate Google policies and are largely considered unethical by the advertising community.
One of the most prominent examples is cloaking. Using one of several techniques, cloaking can allow you to advertise to audiences with content different from what you showed Google for approval. It's obvious why this is potentially beneficial, but it's also obvious why this is unethical.
As you might imagine, these techniques can work temporarily. They can give you a significant short-term advantage, allowing you a better strategic position and potentially more ad opportunities. However, if you use them, you could get your account suspended, or even permanently blacklisted. Even if you evade that, you could ruin your company's reputation and jeopardize your long-term results.
Do not follow these strategies. If a PPC agency recommends any such strategies to you, fire them.
They simply aren't worth it.
Navigating the world of Google Ads isn't easy.
In fact, it's stressful and incredibly difficult if your business happens to belong to one of these sensitive or restricted categories.
The good news is it's much easier to be successful when you work with a PPC advertising agency that has experience creating and managing ads for a business like yours. We're deeply acquainted with all the rules and restrictions you need to worry about, and we know how to make target demographics like yours convert.
If you’re ready to get started with a free consultation, contact us today!
When you want to use paid search marketing platforms, Google Ads often leads the list. Because of its versatility, simplicity, and popularity, it’s obvious why it’s a popular choice. But when you drop all of your PPC advertising money into one marketing strategy, you could lose some leads.
That’s why some businesses explore paid advertising marketing outside of Google, with many turning to Linkedin Ads.
Google Ads and Linkedin Ads are highly efficient ways to market your products and services to businesses and consumers. But each marketing channel has its advantages and disadvantages. Whatever you choose, make sure you discuss the matter with your web development company.
Below is a closer look at each option.
We think it’s reasonable to conclude that Google reaches a vast audience worldwide – its ad reach is a stunning 4 billion people. Google search handles about 70% of desktop searches, and many companies report that they get about 90% of their organic traffic from the search engines. Also, up to 95% of the mobile search market comes from Google.
People use Google’s search a lot, and having the ability to target search terms with specific search ads is a massive benefit of Adwords. People tend to search for very specific things in Google, so if you can customize your Google advertising for your targeted audience, you’ll receive plenty of leads.
So, we can assume that most people’s targeted audience uses Google to some degree. That’s a massive advantage for companies when they want to target an audience.
However, businesses that want to narrow down their search may have issues getting their Google ads settings right with both Google Ads. And if you blunder when segmenting your audiences, your digital ad campaign could suffer.
LinkedIn features a narrower audience – 500 million users – namely businesses and business professionals. But this more limited audience makes it the perfect place for effective B2B marketing. LinkedIn lets marketers serve online ads to decision-makers and vital audience members in several ways.
Summary: For B2B firms that want to reach decision-makers, Linkedin is a terrific advertising platforms. If your B2C company intends to increase its reach, Google Ads could be the best fit.
When you target your audience with Google Ads, you have a few options: location, affinity, technology, buyer behavior, demographics, and interactions with your app or website.
No matter how much you know about your buyer, you may struggle to avoid clicks from worthless leads that cost too much.
In some cases on Google, people may not even know what they’re looking for. You can try to advertise to your desired targeted audience on Google Ads, but it can be challenging to get to the precise people who will most likely buy what you sell.
When people sign up for LinkedIn, they usually provide many details, such as their occupation, title/job title, experience, industry, education, interests, and more. All of this information can be leveraged for great advantage when you start your marketing campaigns.
Also, LinkedIn users can join many groups, start conversations, and obtain followers. The data is priceless when you want to target a specific audience and market to them. LinkedIn also has a Matched Audience that helps advertisers match their email marketing lists and website visitors with users on LinkedIn.
Many marketing experts think that LinkedIn Ads offer more value. LinkedIn has refined targeting, and you can make your product known to them so that you can tell them about something they didn’t know existed.
Summary: For B2B and B2C companies looking for a broad audience, Google Ads has enough targeting features. But for B2B firms that want to target specific groups, LinkedIn Ads has about 100 segmentation methods for micro targeting.
When you want lead generation, Google Ads has a broader reach and is the most effective. First, you can bring in a lot of prospects to your site without breaking the bank. The audience you’re after on Google visits the search giant with the idea to find the best product or service. This makes generating leads easier.
Getting leads from LinkedIn can be more challenging. Users of the platform may sign in to read industry news or talk to group members. No matter how perfect your ad is, viewers may not be in the mood to buy anything.
That said, Linkedin has a way to target ad leads through in-site messaging, which can generate plenty of leads.
When it comes down to dollars and cents, LinkedIn Ads usually are more pricey than Google Ads. As in Google, you can select cost-per-click or cost-per-impression.
LinkedIn also features a cost-per-send for InMail advertising. Typically, you’ll pay about $5 for each click, $6 for 1,000 impressions, and .80 for each send.
With Google Ads, the average CPC is $1. But to leverage that low cost, you need to work on your audience segmentation. If you don’t your ROI may be below what you want.
Summary: Advertising budgets for each platform depends on several factors. On average, Google Ads cost less than LinkedIn Ads. If your B2B company has a tight budget, you may want to focus on a limited variety of LinkedIn ads instead of a broad range of Google Ads.
So should you advertise with Google Ads vs LinkedIn Ads? Yes!
What we mean is, it depends. The correct choice depends on your budget, product or service offered, marketing goals, and target audience. You should not assume that when you need a digital marketing campaign, Google Analytics Adwords is the only choice.
It’s critical to evaluate the market, understand who your buyer is, and make a data-driven decision about the best marketing platform to reach your well-defined goals. One type of company might do better with Google Ads, and another may find LinkedIn Ads preferable.
The great news is you don’t need to choose between the two platforms. Many businesses use both, as well as Facebook, Instagram, and others. If you have the budget, it may pay off to diversify your paid search advertising to get the best ROI.
