The basics of organic search #3: images and traffic

We continue our explanations of key SEO concepts. We have already discussed keyword phrases and then titles and metadata. In this third part, we will detail the importance of images and traffic in organic search.

Images in organic search

Illustrating your content is essential — first and foremost for your users. They will be far more inclined to read you and more receptive. Conversely, a long piece of written content with no images will put off most users and discourage them from engaging with your page. But using images is also a definite added value for your search ranking. You must fill in several tags for each photo used.

Choose a meaningful image name for your SEO

Starting with the name of the image — the actual filename. Always opt for a descriptive name ("hotel-room-lyon.jpg" rather than "IMAG1458.jpg" for a photo of a hotel room).

This way, Google simply needs to read the title of your image to understand its subject and categorise it correctly.
Avoid accents and special characters, and prefer hyphens to spaces between words. This makes it more readable for Google.

The ALT tag

Also think about the ALT tag. This is an alternative text that will be displayed to users who are unable to load your image.

More than that, it is also a way of improving your site's search ranking.

Indeed, this is an opportunity to include a few additional keywords. Here again, as we have already seen, avoid including too many keywords. An overdose will be viewed poorly by Google.

Image formats and file sizes

The format and file size of your image also matter.
Prefer the extensions jpg, gif and png. Some search engines can read other formats, but there is no point in taking unnecessary risks.
Also indicate the dimensions (height and width) of your image to make Google's job easier.
Ideally, the actual size of your image should be the same as the size at which you wish to display it. This will reduce the loading time of your image.

Of course, also think about using images relevant to the content of the page on which they appear. An image placed near pertinent, subject-relevant text is ideal.

Image caption and title

Similarly, remember to fill in the "caption" and "image title" fields.

The image title, not to be confused with the original filename we mentioned earlier, is the text that appears when you hover your mouse over your image.

For search ranking, the impact is marginal. But for the user experience, it always represents added value.

The caption serves a similar role. Having little direct impact on SEO, it enhances the context and optimises the user experience.

Why talk so much about user experience in an SEO-focused article?

It is worth knowing that even when a page is clearly SEO-oriented, one can also draw on users themselves.

The traffic they bring to a page does indeed help with search ranking. A page that receives a certain amount of traffic — many visits from users, whether new or returning — is necessarily a page offering interesting content in Google's eyes. Otherwise, nobody would read it. This is the logic by which Google makes organic traffic an additional SEO lever.

The idea, when creating a keyword-focused page, is therefore to think primarily about search optimisation without resorting to meaningless word-stuffing. The ideal is to offer content that is interesting in human terms: the description of an offer or a service, for example, enriched with well-placed and appropriately numerous keyword phrases.

The more knowledgeable users will easily spot a page designed specifically for search ranking. But this will not be a problem if the content still offers useful information, rather than merely a list of keywords that makes no sense (which is in any case forbidden by Google).

In short, taking care of the user experience is just as important, even when SEO takes centre stage in the design of a page. A well-structured layout — illustrated, airy — allows you to keep the user experience in mind while focusing on SEO.

As we often repeat, Google and its algorithms are designed to deliver a pleasant user experience. Therefore, even on a page expressly created for search ranking, it is important not to forget the human users who might find that page.