How to name images for SEO

If you want to up your SEO game, you need to learn what to name your images for SEO to get ahead of your competitors because, spoiler alert, they're probably not doing it right. Google image SEO is a bonus benefit of this super easy SEO strategy. Google can read the image file name on all the images you use on your website or blog. When you optimize those names, it makes it easier for you to rank! 

How to Name Images for SEO

When creating images for your website or blog, you want to use your keyword in the file names and separate those keywords with dashes (-), not underscores (_). Google reads the dash as a space to separate the words in your file name. Pinterest and YouTube search work the same way, so if you're on either of those platforms, you'll want to name those files with keywords, too. 

Before you publish any photos on your website be sure to take a few minutes to optimize them for Google (or Pinterest or YouTube, if applicable too). 

Image Name SEO Best Practices

• Use your most important keyword in the image name. For example, if you’re writing a blog post about homemade chocolate cake, you’ll want to use the words homemade chocolate cake for your file name rather than IMG20292.jpg or whatever your camera names it. Example homemade-chocolate-cake.jpg.

• Use dashes (-) between the words in your file name. Google bot reads the dashes as spaces between words. This helps Google bot better understand what your page is about.

• Use your most important keyword at the end of your file name. This one is pretty easy if you have more than one keyword in a name. We’ll walk through the example in #5 because they go together.

• Add your business name to the image file name for Google Images SEO. By adding your business name to the file name, your image may be found in Google Image Search or the search results for your business name. This increases your chances of being found more often on Google.

• If you’re using your keyword and business name, you’ll want to decide which is more important to you (probably your keyword) and end with that. Example – rachel-bakery-homemade-chocolate-cake.jpg

• Include your location information if you’re a local business and people search for the item by area. If you’re a local bakery and people might search for a homemade chocolate cake in Phoenix, AZ, using your location in your copy and image file names can help your SEO Example – Phoenix-homemade-chocolate-cake.jpg.

Final Thoughts on image name SEO

Optimizing your file names for SEO can help Google better understand your website page or blog post. It’s one more signal to Google that you have this content. Spending a few minutes renaming and optimizing your image files can help your overall SEO results.

If you're wondering if you need to change all the names on your website or blog photos you've published previously, it's up to you. Yes, it can benefit you, but it can also be a very time-consuming project. If you want to have the most SEO impact possible, you'll want to rename them. If you feel the project is too big, start from here and optimize everything new.

Are you ready to get started with SEO on your website?