Let’s be perfectly clear: image SEO isn’t just about alt text

Your images might look stunning, but if they’re not optimized, they’re practically invisible to search engines. Image SEO ensures they don’t just sit pretty – they actually help drive traffic and improve rankings.

Uploading unoptimized images is like painting a masterpiece and hiding it in your attic – no one will ever see it. Search engines can’t “see” images the way humans do, so they rely on filenames, alt text, and structured data to understand and rank them properly.

You could ignore image SEO, but that means missing out on a huge chunk of organic traffic, especially for e-commerce, blogs, and visually driven industries. The good news? Image optimization isn’t rocket science – with a few tweaks, you can:

• Improve your website’s visibility in Google Image Search
• Reduce page load times (hello, better rankings and user experience)
• Boost engagement and conversions by making images work smarter

Let’s break it down so you can start optimizing without overcomplicating things.

Image SEO explained (no-fluff)

Here’s the essential breakdown of image SEO without the industry jargon or unnecessary complexity. If you’re looking for the straightforward, actionable version that actually delivers results, you’re in the right place.

WTF are we talking about here? (definition)

Optimizing website images to enhance visibility and ranking in image search results and overall page SEO.

What’s this  trying to accomplish? (goals)

Increase organic traffic through image searches, improve user engagement, and enhance page load speed.

What actually works? (best practices)

• Descriptive, keyword-rich filenames and alt text
• Compressing images to reduce file size without sacrificing quality
• Choosing correct file formats (JPEG, PNG, WebP, SVG)
• Structured data markup for images
• Responsive images optimized for mobile and desktop

Where do most people get it wrong? (common mistakes)

• Missing or generic alt texts (“image123.jpg”)
• Using overly large images affecting page load speed
• Incorrect or irrelevant image filenames
• Not optimizing for mobile devices

When should you focus on image SEO? (use cases)

• E-commerce product images
• Infographics for blogs
• Portfolio or photography websites
• Visual-heavy industries (travel, design, fashion)

How much will this move the needle? (impact on rankings)

Medium impact.(can significantly boost visibility in image searches and indirectly help general SEO).

How long until I see some movement? (timeframe for results)

Medium-term (typically weeks to months after optimization).

What should be in your SEO toolkit? (tools + software)

• Adobe Photoshop or Canva (image editing)
• TinyPNG or Squoosh (compression)
• Screaming Frog or Ahrefs (audit alt-text and image issues)
• Google PageSpeed Insights (performance checks)

How do you know if it’s working? (metrics to track)

• Image search impressions and clicks (Google Search Console)
• Page load speed
• Bounce rate and session duration
• Engagement and conversions from image clicks

Who’s crushing it with image SEO? (examples of successful implementation)

• Etsy significantly improved visibility by optimizing alt text and image sizes for their product images.
• Pinterest’s high-ranking images regularly drive substantial referral traffic due to precise image SEO.

Who should you be listening to? (experts)

• Rand Fishkin (founder of Moz and SparkToro)
• Brian Dean (Backlinko)
• Aleyda Solis (International SEO expert)

Is this something you can DIY? (difficulty level)

Easy to Intermediate (basic optimizations are straightforward, but extensive image catalog management can be complex)

What’s this going to set you back? (cost considerations)

Low to Moderate (minimal direct costs; potential expenses include image editing software and dedicated time/resources for optimization)

Image SEO: Where to go from here?

You’ve got the image SEO basics down, but the search landscape changes faster than Google can update its algorithm.

Stay ahead with deep dives from the Loganix blog:

Or if you’d rather spend your time growing your business instead, get in touch with our team. We’ve helped hundreds of businesses just like yours climb the rankings with proven strategies.