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Image Search Optimization:
An Underutilized Opportunity For Free Web Site Traffic
Image search optimization is an important factor to increasing the chance that your web site or product images will rank high on the search engine result pages at Google, Ask, MSN and Yahoo vertical image search engines. Add to this Google's gradual roll out of Universal search and Ask's Ask3D Search, which blend video and images with text-based search results, and there are new opportunities for free web site traffic.
Image Search Optimization
Because of the increasing number of image searches that are performed each month, image search optimization must be considered an integral part of a search engine optimization campaign. Consider this: image search is now the second most popular search activity after a regular web search. In fact, more people search in Google image search, than in any other vertical image search engine. If your web site's images are not optimized to rank in the top-10 image search results, you are missing out on a major opportunity to obtain cost-free web site traffic.
Blending Vertical Search
Google's Universal and Asks' 3D search technologies blend video and images from local content, news releases, photo and video sharing web sites with text-based search results.
The top positions on the search results page may not be that important anymore. Why? The most recent studies indicate that when there is an image included in the main Web search results, searchers seem more fixated on that image, then on the regular search results, even if that image is in a lower position on the page. New eye studies show that web users tend to skip over the top search results, including the top sponsored ads, when they spot an image as they scan down the page.
Image Optimization Benefits
Here are a number of benefits for businesses and web site operators who optimize images for image search optimization:
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When a linked product image appears highly ranked in the vertical image search results or in the main search results, they provide a source of additional free web site traffic to online merchants. |
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There is currently little competition as image search optimization is not widely implemented. |
Image Search Optimization Implementation
To implement image search optimization successfully, here are a number of factors that should be taken into consideration:
Contextual Cues. It is important to provide contextual cues about an image to image search engines because they are currently not able to directly compare these query keywords with the actual content of an image.
Image file names. File names are more important for image optimization than regular search engine optimization. Since image search engines are not able to directly compare query keywords with the actual content of an image, a descriptive and keyword-rich file name is one important way to determine the relevancy of the search query to the image.
Other factors that should be taken into consideration when determining image file names are:
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Setting up a consistent file naming convention in advance. |
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Naming photographic images in a way which makes sense to the target audience. |
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Use only the .gif and .jpg extensions. Search engines use the .gif extension to recognize graphics and the .jpg extension to determine whether a file is a photograph. |
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Use about seven to eight relevant keywords, separated by hyphens, in the file name. |
Alt tags. Alternate tag descriptions are extremely important for proper image search optimization. Use seven to eight keywords, separated by hyphens, in the Alt tag descriptions. At Google, Alt tag descriptions will show up in the Google search results.
Text around the image and on the page. Provide text context for all of the images on the Web site because this is the only way the search engines can determine relevancy. A lot of good text-based keyword-rich content, link anchor text, title tags, page text, footers and breadcrumb navigation will go a long way. Other factors to think about are:
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Page optimization. When you apply basic search engine optimization techniques to the page that the image is placed on, it can make a big difference. For instance, create keyword-rich anchor text in the links, which point to the page. It is also important to place the image close to the top of the page, if possible. |
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Image access. Images must be placed in an image folder that is accessible to the search engine crawlers. This allows the search engines full access to the images. |
In our next issue of Internet Marketing and Business Review, we will discuss in detail image optimization for photo sharing sites. In the meantime, practice positioning your images on a web site page for better image search optimization. |
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Monday, November 12, 2007
BizActions Conference 2007
Hilton Old Town
Alexandria, VA
Louise Rijk presents:
Email, Social Media and Search in the Overall Marketing Mix
More Details...
Recent Presentations
128 Business Expo 2007
"Blogging and Podcasting For Business"
Click here to play the video.
495/Metrowest Business Expo
Pre-Expo Keynote
"The Rise of the Internet as a Mass Adventising Medium"
Click here to play the video.
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| AMPTalk, our monthly audio podcast show on Internet Marketing is jam-packed with interviews and commentary on a wide-range of topics ranging from paid search advertising, ecommerce web site building, social media marketing and online media buying. |
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Copyright © 1996-2007. Advanced Media Productions, Inc.
Advanced Media Productions, Inc.
251 West Central St., Suite 28, Natick, Massachusetts 01760, USA
Tel: 508-647-5151 Fax: 508-647-5150
E-mail: info@advmediaproductions.com
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