Image SEO is one of the simplest ways to win incremental traffic in the US market. It is also one of the easiest places to make mistakes that slow your site or confuse search engines. This checklist keeps it clean, fast, and policy-safe.
Start with intent: why is this image here
Search engines want helpful pages. Every image should support understanding or conversion. Avoid decorative images that add weight but no meaning.
Product pages: show detail, scale, and use.
Service pages: show the process and real people.
Blog posts: show examples, steps, or data.
File name rules that work
Use lowercase words separated by hyphens.
Describe the image, not the brand name only.
Keep it under 6 to 8 words.
Example: use 'blue-reusable-water-bottle-32oz.jpg' instead of 'IMG_1234.jpg'.
Alt text: write for humans, not robots
Describe what the image shows in simple language.
Include a keyword only if it is natural.
Skip filler like 'image of' or 'photo of'.
Keep most alt text under 125 characters.
Size and compression for US audiences
US users expect fast pages. A heavy image can ruin LCP. Always compress and resize.
Resize to the maximum display size, not full camera size.
Use WebP or AVIF when possible.
Aim for under 200 KB for hero images when you can.
Lazy-load below-the-fold images.
Core Web Vitals checklist
Use a fixed aspect ratio to avoid layout shift.
Preload the hero image only if it is above the fold.
Do not overuse blur placeholders.
Image schema and accessibility
If you have product images or recipes, structured data can help visibility. But keep it accurate and avoid misleading markup.
Use schema only when it matches the content.
Ensure captions match the image.
Never use hidden text for keywords.
A clean publish checklist
File name matches the page topic.
Alt text describes the image accurately.
Image is compressed and resized.
Aspect ratio is set to prevent layout shift.
No copyrighted logos or trademarked visuals.
If you follow this checklist, your pages load faster, rank better, and comply with Google and AdSense rules.