Have you given any thought to the images you use and how you tag them? Chances are you haven’t, but you really should. So few people pay much attention to this and it can really make a difference.

Picture This

It is very important to use images with any content you post. It breaks up the text for a reader and it is a very good SEO practice. The image alone won’t do much, you need to choose good alt and title tags to go with them to achieve true search engine greatness.

Search engines such as Google help their users with images. If there is a duplicate image it removes it and leaves only the most relevant ones available in its searches. This means it’s important whenever possible to choose a unique image, possibly by creating your own. The image, coupled with the tag texts, will add value to that piece of content in Google’s eyes, and therefore will gain better position on Google’s search pages.

Tag Team

Just what are alt tags and title tags though? Both are essential and both are easy to write text for.
An alt tag contains the text that will be used by search engines to identify and classify an image. It should contain a brief and concise description of the image as this tag is displayed whenever the image is not available. It is also read aloud to any blind users. A good example of a simple alt tag would be a picture of a dog which could read ‘dog’ or ‘Yorkshire terrier’. It really is as easy as that.

The title tag is displayed to a user who uses the mouse to hover over an image. An accurate title is essential yet again as it will also be read aloud to blind users. Both texts can be similar, but should not be identical. They are after all describing the same thing.

Text Appeal

The alt tag and title tag should contain an accurate description of what is shown in the image. The above example of ‘dog’ could be seen as being a little bit under descriptive and could be expanded upon a little bit. For instance, you can include any keywords into these tags to help out. One keyword per tag is generally enough and it should be implemented in as natural a way as possible. Never overload your tags with keywords and don’t make it appear to be spam-heavy.

So ‘dog’ could be changed to ‘dog grooming products for sale’ or anything similar which pertains to your brand or business. An SEO plug-in will tell you when you’ve hit the nail on the head with your tags, which is very helpful while you master this skill.

Image Optimization

Any image you choose should of course be relevant to your content. As mentioned above it should be unique if possible and there’s no better way to ensure this than to provide your own original images.

If you are unable to do that then there are a number of websites of stock images, many of which can be used for free. Often the only condition to using a free image is that you credit the creator for it. You can of course purchase an image but be aware that others may have used the same one you choose. In order to check whether this is the case, try an image search to check that your chosen image isn’t among the hits. If it’s not, then you will have a much better chance of ranking higher with that particular image. If your chosen image is there, then it’s best to choose a different one.

All images should be placed in the text in a natural way and in a way that makes sense when compared with what the text says at that particular point of your content. The alt and title tags should be perfect too and then you should see your content fare much better on search engines.

Sometimes you gain some information that can be seen as invaluable. This is one of those times. The fact that alt tags and title tags are so important and yet, so few people are either using them properly or using them at all means that correct usage will see you become a winner.

Make sure you follow the tips outlined above and you will definitely do much better on search engine results pages and your brand or business will become more successful.

The post Using Alt Tag and Title Tag Optimization to Your Advantage first appeared on MediaHype.

The situation is rather unfortunate since SEO and Web Optimization are viable tools that when done right can bestow a business with more customers and more qualified leads. Furthermore, a number of studies have revealed that SEO has the potential of offering better Return On Investment when compared to the more conventional forms of digital marketing. So, what make it such a big deal?

1. It Builds Trust and Credibility

Websites are great marketing tools and great SEO or Web Optimization can strengthen your brand and make it more recognizable to the public. To put this into perspective, SEO taps into the psychology of users such that when they search for relevant business related keyword and phrases and your website appears at the top, they automatically take it that you are the best. The title of your website and the meta description tags, for instance, send powerful brand-strengthening messages while at the same time assisting in spreading marketing information that is in line with the strategic goals of your business.

2. SEO is Great for Visibility and Branding

While appearing at the top of search engine results and rankings is not necessarily the ultimate goal of your business – get users to click on it is – it does help you build an irrefutable brand. SEO taps into the value of simply appearing in the results for terms that have direct correlation with your business’ website. Greatly implemented SEO and Web Optimization makes it more likely for you to show in all related searches and this goes further on to give you more and more mindshare and recognition with potential customers. At this point, it is extremely likely that they will click on your website since it consistently appeared on all the search results.

3. SEO Is a Measurable Marketing Technique

Marketing has to be cross-checked and monitored to ensure that the progress is being made and that there is a return on investment. Choosing SEO as your marketing strategy not only allows you to effectively monitor various metrics of your websites performance such as traffic and this is what makes SEO such a unique tool. In addition to this, since every element of a SEO and Web Optimization can be measured, evaluated and corrective measure applied where necessary. The return on investment can also be evaluated in both short and long terms then compared to how the website is performing.

4. It is Based on User Intent

Unlike other forms of digital marketing, that are tailored to work by interrupting the audience’s activities with sales pitches, SEO aligns to the intent and interests of searchers. It essentially meets the target audience halfway by presenting relevant and targeted messages that appeals to customers’ interests and needs. This also assists in reputation management which in turn results in the development of a stronger brand. Therefore, SEO effectively generates the highest conversion rates of any targeted digital marketing initiative and this what defines the high return nature of SEO – healthy SEO is often more expensive but it definitely has a long-lasting impact on the target audience and your business.

5. It Optimizes User Experience

In light of everything that we have mentioned and are yet to mention, it is quite clear that, ultimately, is to optimize user experience by making it as friendly and as fast as possible. Search engines are all about providing users with what they are looking for and capitalizing on SEO and Web Optimization makes search engines automatically register you as a top provider. It is as simple as that!

6. SEO Helps You Stay Competitive

Let’s face it. SEO is everywhere and everyone is coming up with new and innovative ways of taking advantage of what it has offer – this includes your competitors. SEO an associated Web Optimization tools helps businesses to use updated benchmarks that are tailored to keep your business on the right track as far as trends and advancements are concerned. Ignoring SEO and Web Optimization allows your competition to out-maneuver you and no one needs to search google to know that this spells doom for your business.

7. Optimal Insight into Your Customers

Once you have all the factors figured on and your website is receiving a considerable amount of traffic, you will need to know more about your clients. SEO further serves as a customer retention tool that works alongside other popular services such as Google Analytics to help you retain your existing customer base and attract more. This is done by knowing the keywords they use, the technology they use, their locations and even the time periods during which they visit your website.

The post The Importance of SEO and Website Optimization first appeared on MediaHype.