Photos, images and graphics provide a powerful way to display your products and services that even the best text description can’t. Customers can gleam quite a bit of information about your business from simply glancing at a photo. But pictures don’t really jive with SEO, right? Not necessarily so. When you search for something in Google, photos and videos with those keywords appear in search results. It’s much easier to get an image on the first page of Google than a text link. Here are a few ways you can optimize your images to share them with more potential customers.
Rename your image files using keywords.
Pictures uploaded from a digital camera are likely to have names like “IMG_9990.†Keeping with these automated image names will prevent your pictures from showing up in search results. To make your images turn up in Google, make sure to give them meaningful names that incorporate your keywords. For instance, if you own a Mexican café and have a photo that shows off your salsa bar, title your image something along the lines of “Eduardos-Mexican-cantina-salsa-bar.â€
Share your images on Flickr.
Expose your pictures to a larger audience on the web by posting them on free photo-sharing websites like Flickr, Picasa or Zooomr. For each image, provide a description and plenty of keywords. Make sure your account is public so you images can be viewed and searched by anyone.
Add an image gallery to your site.
In addition to uploading photos to photo-sharing sites, it’s beneficial to host images directly on your website from an SEO standpoint. That way, these photos that turn up in search results also point back to your website, and each image can be access by a direct link. Optimize each image by adding alt text, an invisible description of the picture that search engines use to decipher the content of the picture.
Promote images on social media networks.
Anywhere you have a profile on the Internet, think about how you can add your pictures. Add a photo gallery to your Facebook page. Upload photos to your business’ profile on Yelp or Foursquare. Look at how you can add your images to the conversation on Twitter. Pictures not only liven up your profile but quickly show potential customers that happened upon your profile what you’re all about.
CyberMark can help you get image-ready from sharing your photos on Flickr to creating an image gallery that presents your pictures in their best light. Contact us to discuss other ways you can use photos to promote your business.
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