Images are the visual powerhouses of search results, dominating attention and driving clicks.
With so many appearing on the first page, they’re a golden opportunity to showcase your products—but only if your images are optimized to rank.
The good news? With the strategies we’re about to share, you can transform every image in your store into a traffic magnet, ensuring more customers discover and engage with your products.
Let’s dive in!
8 Ways to Optimize Images for Ecommerce:
#1. Create a Rich Image File Name
The first step in image optimization for your ecommerce site is to acquire high-quality images, but the next step is to properly name every image so that search engines will be able to find them easily.
If you name an image by the product’s SKU number, for example, you can’t expect that it will show up in search engine results. Instead, all image names need to be descriptive, simple, and keyword-rich.
Think about the keywords that your customers would use to search for an item, and then add those to the image’s file name.
For example, if you sell natural makeup products, you might name an image “all-natural-red-lipstick.jpg,” rather than using a series of letters and numbers that search engines won’t recognize.
#2. Write Alt Tags
Image SEO also involves the creation of alt tags. These are designed to serve as text alternatives to your images when browsers are unable to render them properly.
So, for example, an alt tag would look like this: <img src=“all-natural-red-lipstick.jpg” alt=“all natural red lipstick”>
#3. Use an Image Sitemap
Create an image sitemap to optimize images by providing search engines with additional information about the images found in your shop.
Your website should already have a sitemap to which you can simply add the appropriate image information. Otherwise, you can create a sitemap dedicated to your images.
For every URL that you list in the sitemap, simply add more details about the images that are found on that page. Make sure that you follow these guidelines when creating an image sitemap.
#4. Consider the Size of Your Images
Large images can slow down your website, negatively impacting both user experience and search rankings. To keep load times fast, all of the image files on your website should be as small as possible without sacrificing quality.
Tips for Optimizing Image Sizes Without Losing Quality:
- Compress Your Images: Use image compression tools to reduce file size while maintaining quality. Tools like TinyPNG, ImageOptim, or ShortPixel can handle this efficiently.
- Resize Images to Match Display Dimensions: Don’t upload oversized images and rely on HTML or CSS to scale them down. Instead, resize them to the exact dimensions they’ll appear on your website. For example, if a product image will display at 800x800 pixels, don’t upload a 3000x3000 pixel image.
#5. Choose Modern File Types for Your Images
When specifying the file type for your images, consider leveraging next-gen image formats.
Modern image formats like WebP and AVIF offer superior compression and quality compared to traditional formats like JPEG and PNG. These formats significantly reduce file size without sacrificing image clarity, leading to faster page loads.
#6. Add Structured Data for Product Images
Boost your image’s chances of appearing in rich results by using schema markup. For example, the Product schema includes attributes for images that help search engines understand and showcase your products in search results.
By providing structured data, you make it easier for search engines to associate your images with key product details like price, availability, and reviews, increasing the likelihood of your products appearing in visually rich search features like Google Shopping.
Recommended Reading: How to Optimize Your Google Shopping Product Feed
Properly implemented schema can also enhance your site’s visibility in voice search results, ensuring your products stand out across multiple search formats.
#7. Audit and Replace Generic Stock Images
If you use stock images, ensure they are relevant and unique to your brand.
Overused or low-quality stock photos can diminish user trust and impact engagement metrics. Whenever possible, invest in custom photography to make your brand stand out.
#8. Test and Monitor Image Performance
Image optimization doesn’t stop after uploading. Regularly test your site’s performance to identify any issues with image quality or load time.
Address any flagged images to maintain peak performance.
Optimize Images On Your Site Today for Increased Visibility
In addition to optimizing the written content on your site, you need to go a step further and optimize your images if you want your ecommerce site to succeed and stay ahead of the competition.
Failing to do so could result in missed opportunities to generate more traffic and attract more customers, so image SEO is definitely worth your time and effort.
<<Editor's Note: This post was originally published in March 2017 and has since been updated.>>
