How to Name Images for SEO
Increase Your Rankings by Naming Your Image Files in Smart ways
Most individuals consider key words, backlinks, and mobile-friendliness when it comes to optimizing a site to help it appear in search engines. However, there is one place that people tend to ignore image SEO. To be more precise, proper naming of your image files can literally make a difference in the search engine ranking of your webpage and in the search results of your image.
This guide will teach you just how to name images to optimize them to search engines.
Why Image Names Matter for SEO
Search engines such as Google are unable to visualize images as human beings do. They use the surrounding text of an image-even the file name- to know what the image is about. There the image naming comes in.
Benefits of SEO-Friendly Image Names:
- Improved search visibility
- Better image rankings in Google Images
- Faster page indexing
- Increased probability of feature snippets.
- More accessible content for users and screen readers
Step-by-Step Guide to Naming Images for SEO
We can deconstruct on how to make good image names that are useful to the user and search engines.
Use Descriptive, Relevant Keywords
The name of your image file must be in a way that it describes what the image depicts. Use the keywords that people may enter in Google to locate that image.
Example:
- Bad: jpg
- Good: chocolate-chip-cookies.jpg
In case a person is looking at chocolate chip cookies, the second picture is far more likely to be found.
Pro Tip:
Identify search terms that are pertinent to your business by using search engine optimization tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Uber suggest and Ahrefs.
Insert Hyphens between Words
Hyphens (-) are interpreted as word breakers by the search engines such as Google. Do not use underscores (), spaces or no separators at all.
Example:
- Bad: jpg or chocolatechipcookies.jpg
- Good: chocolate-chip-cookies.jpg
This assists Google in deciphering a word in the correct way and enhances relevancy of the image in a search.
Be Short and Descriptive
You would like to be descriptive, but do not overdo it. An effective image file name is a short, narrow, description, and usually 3-6 words.
Example:
- Too long: delicious-fresh-baked-homemade-chocolate-chip-cookies-on-plate.jpg
- Just right: homemade-cookies.jpg
The users and the search engines can comprehend shorter names with ease.
Don’t Keyword-Stuff
The same way it is with webpage content, overloading your image name with excess keywords can be detrimental to your SEO. Concentrate on one or two keywords that are of interest and do it naturally.
Example:
- Bad: cookies-best-cookies-cookie-recipes-cookies-delicious.jpg
- Good: soft-baked-cookies.jpg
Google punishes content overloaded with keywords and that applies to names of image files as well.
Use Lowercase Letters
You should always write in lower case when naming your image files. Other web servers consider uppercase and lowercase letters as two separate files, thereby leading to broken links or failure to load.
Example:
- Avoid: Chocolate-Chip-Cookies.JPG
- Better: chocolate-chip-cookies.jpg
Use of lowercase is the best practice of consistency and compatibility.
Additional SEO Tips for Images
It is a good start to name your pictures, but complete image optimization is more. Below are some of the other best practices that can help in your image SEO.
Add Alt Text
Alt text (alternative text) tells the search engines and users with visual impairment what is in your image. It is needed both in accessibility and in SEO.
Example Alt Text:
<img src=”chocolate-chip-cookies.jpg” alt=”Plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies”>
Keep it natural, descriptive and add your main keyword where appropriate.
Optimize Image Size
Big picture images slow down your site, which is counterproductive to SEO. Downsize your pictures to trade off quality and speed.
Tools You Can Use:
- TinyPNG
- ImageOptim
- Squoosh
Efforts to reduce image size to less than 200 KB where feasible without compromising the visual quality.
Choose the Right File Format
The file type has the potential to affect the load times and quality of image.
- Use JPEG for photos (good balance of quality and size)
- Use PNG for graphics or images with transparency
- Use WebP for faster loading and modern browser support
WebP is the most performing but verifies with the browsers of your users.
Create an Image Sitemap
Image sitemap assists Google to find and index your images. This is particularly useful to image-intensive websites such as e-commerce websites, portfolios and blogs.
You may either add a sitemap to your current sitemap or you may create a new one.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using default camera or system file names
Names like IMG_1234.jpg or screenshot-2025-08-30.png give no context. Always rename, prior to uploading.
Using special characters
Avoid symbols like &, %, #, @, or spaces. Stick to letters, numbers, and hyphens.
Uploading duplicates with different names
Google can interpret this as a duplicated content. You should only post what you require and no image should be duplicated.
How This Helps Your Site
Not only are you assisting search engines in getting a better grip on your content by appropriately naming your pictures, but you are also providing a more palatable user experience.
Image SEO can:
- Drive traffic from image searches
- Improve overall SEO performance
- Increase engagement on visual-heavy pages
- Make your site easier to navigate with persons with disabilities.
Final Checklist: Image Naming Best Practices
Before you hit upload, make sure you:
- Use descriptive, relevant keywords
- Separate words with hyphens
- Keep names short and specific
- Avoid keyword stuffing
- Use only lowercase letters
- Save in the right file format
- Add alt text after uploading.
Bill Yeager, Co-Owner of High Point SEO & Marketing in CT
