One of the biggest attractions of WordPress web development is the massive opportunities for SEO that the
platform provides. Users take all necessary steps for textual content
optimization but disregard a very important aspect and generally forget to
optimize images on WordPress websites. Visual elements like images, videos and
GIFs have become an integral part of the content marketing strategy of an
interface and optimizing them has lots of advantages like faster page loading
speed and improved search results rankings. Here are some of the best methods
to conduct effortless optimization of images on a WordPress website.
1. Resize And Compress Images
A common mistake that most people commit is to upload visual content
without checking the file size and dimensions which may lead to a slower
loading page while eating up precious storage space. It, therefore, becomes
essential to resize and compress images before uploading them on the interface.
Resizing means changing the dimensions or the image size in pixels while
compression refers to reducing the total file size of the picture and the pixel
dimensions may remain the same. Most operating systems have preloaded photo
editing tools that can be used for resizing and the procedure can be conducted
through the WordPress admin dashboard also. Similarly, compression can also be
done by using tools or plugins but people must take care that they compress an
image only once as doing it multiple times will deteriorate its quality.
2. Select The Most Appropriate Image Format
All popular file formats like JPEG, PNG, and GIF are compatible with
most widely used browsers and WordPress also supports all of them but
identifying the most appropriate formats according to the requirements is
necessary because it will affect page loading speed. JPEG is perfect for
photographs, screenshots and images with gradients as it removes detail and
ensures superior compression ratio. PNG has the best quality but its file size
can be large and therefore it must be used only for graphics which require
in-depth detail and high resolution. The limited colour palette of GIFs makes
them unsuitable for photographs and must be used for simple images such as line
drawings, logos, and graphs. GIFs support animation and people can be tempted
to use them in large numbers for increasing the visual appeal of the interface
but they must be used sparingly as too much movement can distract visitors from
the primary objective of the website.
3. Add Alt Tags And File Name To Images
People usually do not add alt tags while uploading an image but doing
so can immensely help optimize images
on WordPress websites. The Alt Text is the brief description displayed to
visitors when the image cannot be loaded and it is also used by search engines
to understand what the visual is all about and helps them to rank entries in image
search results. Alt tags must be brief and concise but descriptive and users
must seamlessly insert appropriate keywords in them for optimization. Another
beneficial tactic can be assigning descriptive file names to all images as
search engines are unable to read pixels in order to ascertain the image
description and rely on the text accompanying it.
4. Take Help From CDNs
Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) reduce the time taken by a website to
load by using a server near the visitor’s location to deliver the content
faster. This is helpful in the speedy loading of images even if traffic to the
interface is high. Most CDNs come with facilities for automatic image
optimization which makes the process easier thus reducing the workload of the
website owner. Another effective method is to choose dedicated CDNs for visual
content as these services are made for automatically optimizing and delivering
only images and other similar material using nearby servers.
5. Use Plugins For The Purpose
Plugins are among one of the most advantageous features of the
open-source platform enabling people to extend the functionality of a WordPress
interface easily without needing to input much code. WordPress developers keep
creating plugins for almost every conceivable functionality and there are
numerous image optimization plugins available. Users have to simply select the
desired settings and the service will perform all necessary functions such as
resizing without requiring the person to conduct the process manually each time
an image is uploaded.
Conclusion
The process to optimize images on WordPress websites is extremely easy
which does not require much technical proficiency and these above- mentioned
tips will be helpful in carrying out the procedure in an even more effortless
manner.
About Author:
Brandon Graves is a WordPress
expert, a hardcore SEO professional, and active blogger. Writing
useful tips about wordPress theme customization, Convert html to
wordpress services is his passion. Follow him on Google Plus to
get instant updates.
