Because I’m asked to upload images from many sources, I’ve fallen into a habit of processing each one the same way. Those of you who have slooooow websites should pay special attention to this, as this method should help speed things up going forward. It will also help you get the best effect from the images you use.
Crop
Make sure your selected image focuses on post’s topic. If you’re writing about a type of leash, make sure your image shows that leash very clearly. Also make sure that the elements in the background are not distracting. Basically, make sure the image supports your post.
When I work on my laptop, I often use Canva’s Photo Editor tool for cropping images. It’s simple to use and has great results. They even have a few fun filters there, and you can resize your images as well.
Compress
I encourage site owners to show off images they take themselves, as it shows you or your staff in action. But how are most photos taken these days? On cell phones (I love mine!). That creates problems, as cell pics these days are very detailed, which means they take a long time to load on a website. The best way to deal with this is to compress them using a tool like TinyPNG. This tool will take images and compress them nicely. Compressing is making them less dense; good tools like TinyPNG do that while retaining their appearance. You can learn more, including a discussion about what compression actually is, by checking out my post on the topic.
Upload
Upload your image using the tools in your builder. If you use WordPress, you can either add it via the Media Library, or set your cursor within a post and click Add Media.
Add Alt Text
This is something that wasn’t really wasn’t a big deal until the past year or two. When you upload any image now, you really need to include alt text. Alt text is a short (up to 16 words) description of what’s in an image. That’s it. So if you’re posting a pic of a dog on a walk, you can enter Dog Walker Barb walking German Shepherd Dog Barbie in Altoona PA. Remember to use your site-wide keywords but keep them to specific to the image and the post.
Bottom Line
There should be at least one image in every page and post, and you should treat each image carefully by cropping, compressing, and adding alt text. By completing this process consistently, you’ll make your site perform faster and look more professional.
For help uploading your images, or adding alt text to them, or for any other website services, please contact me at Amy@petsitterseo.com or call or text me at (732) 820-0103.
