SEO Optimisation for Website Images
5 simple steps to make every image count
Image SEO is about helping search engines understand what your images show, how they relate to your content, and why they deserve to appear in search results.
Beautiful images are important.
But on their own, they are not enough.
Google cannot actually see your images. It has no eyeballs (yet).
Instead, it relies on the clues you give it to understand what an image shows, how it relates to your content, and whether it deserves to appear in search results.
The good news?
A few simple tweaks can make a big difference.
Here are five practical steps you can take to ensure every image on your website is working harder for you.
1.Keep images high quality, but low file size
One of the biggest mistakes I see on websites is uploading large image files straight from a camera, phone or screendump.
✘ Big images slow your site down.
✘ Slow sites frustrate users.
✘ And Google does not reward slow websites.
What to aim for:
Under 300kb per image wherever possible
Sharp, clear visuals that don’t compromise quality
Fast load times across desktop and mobile
Fast-loading images improve:
Page speed
User experience
SEO performance
If your site feels sluggish, oversized images are often the first place to look. I like to use Adobe Photoshop to compress my images but there are a bunch of free image compression websites that can do this for you. Remember .jpg is best for photographs and .png is best for logos, icons and any other graphics
2. Use descriptive image file names
Before you upload an image, take a moment to rename it.
Google reads your file names, and they are a valuable SEO signal.
Good example:solar-panel-install-scottish-borders.jpg
Not so helpful:
✘ IMG_47592.jpg
Best practice:
Describe what is in the image
Use real words
Separate words with hyphens
Keep it natural, not stuffed with keywords
This helps search engines understand your content before they even look at the page.
3. Write clear, meaningful alt text
Alt text serves two important purposes:
It improves accessibility for screen readers
It helps search engines understand your images
Alt text should describe what is actually visible in the image, not just list keywords.
Good alt text:
“Roof-mounted solar panel installation on a modern home in the Scottish Borders”
Avoid:
✘ “Solar energy business Scotland renewables installer”
Think of alt text as calmly explaining the image to someone who cannot see it.
Clear, accurate descriptions benefit everyone.
4. Surround images with helpful context
Images do not live in isolation.
Google reads the text around an image to understand how it relates to the page topic.
That means:
Headings matter
Captions help
Nearby paragraphs provide context
Try to keep images close to relevant copy and avoid letting them float without explanation.
When the image, the text and the page topic align, you send a much stronger signal to search engines.
5. Page relevance really matters
An excellent image only helps SEO if it is on the right page.
For example:
A strong solar PV installation photo works best on a solar PV service page
Not hidden away in a general gallery
Think in terms of alignment:
Image + page topic = stronger search relevance
Choose images intentionally for each page rather than reusing visuals randomly across your site.
What this means for my clients
I always advise my clients to invest in a photoshoot because professional on-brand images are powerful.
But when they are also formatted properly, they do much more than just look good.
When I design and build websites, I think about how every image supports:
SEO
Load speed
Accessibility
User experience
Conversions
These are not quick wins or one-off tweaks. They are small, considered decisions layered into the structure of your site.
Over time, they help your website work harder, feel easier to use, and become more discoverable in search.
This is why I build Squarespace websites with SEO at the core, not as an afterthought. So your site is not just beautiful on day one, but continues to support your business as it grows.
Frequently asked questions about image SEO
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Image SEO is the process of optimising images so search engines can understand what they show, load them quickly, and connect them to the right page topics.
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Yes. Images influence page speed, accessibility, user experience and page relevance, all of which are ranking factors.
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Aim for under 300kb per image where possible, while keeping them sharp and high quality.
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No. Alt text supports accessibility and also helps search engines understand what an image contains and how it relates to the page.
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Yes. Squarespace allows full control over image file names, alt text and layout, which makes these optimisations especially effective when done properly.
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