How to Optimize Images for Website Speed

Your images = untapped SEO gold. Here’s how to mine it for all it’s worth. Your website images should do more than look good. They should drive traffic, enhance user experience, and boost search rankings. Here’s how to turn your visuals into SEO powerhouses: 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 A file called “IMG12345.jpg” tells search engines nothing. Instead, use descriptive, keyword-rich names like “modern-blue-sofa.jpg” to give your images meaning and context. 𝗔𝗹𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 Alt text isn’t just for SEO—it makes your site accessible to all users, including those using screen readers. Write concise, descriptive text like: “A modern blue sofa in a bright living room with minimalist decor.” 𝘉𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘴: sprinkle in a relevant keyword naturally. 𝗦𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 Large images slow down your site, which hurts both user experience and rankings. Use tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim to compress files, or switch to WebP for a faster, modern format. 𝗕𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲-𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 Serve images optimized for every device using the srcset attribute. Responsive images ensure your site looks amazing, whether it’s on a desktop or a smartphone. 𝗟𝗮𝘇𝘆 𝗟𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 Why load all images at once when users may not see them? Lazy loading ensures images only load as they come into view, improving page speed and performance. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 Images don’t live in a vacuum. Pair them with relevant captions, headers, and surrounding text to help search engines—and users—understand their purpose. 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗦𝗘𝗢 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘀 → 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮: Use schema markup to get your visuals featured in rich results like product carousels or recipe cards. → 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗽𝘀: Help search engines find your visuals by creating a dedicated image sitemap. → 𝗖𝗗𝗡 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁: Serve images faster globally using a content delivery network. Image SEO is a perfect example of the small tweaks that create big results: faster load times, better accessibility, and stronger search rankings. --- Follow Jeff Gapinski for more content like this. ♻️ Share this to help someone else out with their SEO #seo #marketing #images

Slow website load times could be costing you prospects who aren't willing to wait around. Ever notice how quickly you click away when a page takes too long to load? Your prospects feel the same way. That's why I wanted to share a simple tool I've been using for years to help advisors boost their site performance: Squoosh. This free resource lets you compress those high-resolution images slowing down your site without sacrificing quality. In this quick demo, I take a 2.9MB image and shrink it down to 390KB in seconds. The result? Faster load times, better user experience, and improved SEO rankings. What's one small tech improvement that's made a big difference in your digital presence? Drop it in the comments and let's build a resource list together!

Your app could be 50% faster with one simple fix. And most developers completely ignore it. Ready? Image optimization. That’s it. Not AI. Not some new JS framework. Just… resizing, compressing, and properly loading your images. Why does it matter? Because images often make up 60–70% of a page’s weight. And when you skip optimization, your app moves like a 90s dial-up connection. I’ve seen apps cut load times in half just by swapping high-res PNGs for compressed JPEGs or WebP. But here’s what usually happens: → Devs tweak backend logic for hours → Chase framework performance gains → Meanwhile, users are stuck watching a spinning loader And every second they wait? You’re losing: ❌ Conversions ❌ Credibility ❌ Cash Before you start tearing apart your stack, ask this: Have we optimized the basics? Because sometimes, the difference between “good” and “great” is just a smaller file size. 👉 Follow David Robinson for no-fluff engineering advice that makes your software faster, leaner, and built to scale.