Google Images is a search engine in its own right, and for some topics like recipes, products, travel and design, it sends a meaningful share of visitors. Getting your pictures to appear there isn’t mysterious. It mostly comes from doing the basics well and making sure Google can understand and find them.
Use real image tags
Google can reliably index images included with the standard HTML img tag. Images that only appear as CSS backgrounds are generally not indexed as content images. If you want an image to be found, put it in an img element.
Write descriptive alt text
Alt text tells Google what the image shows, and helps visually impaired visitors. Be specific and natural, without keyword stuffing. See how to write image alt text.
Use meaningful file names
Name files with a few descriptive words, separated by hyphens. chocolate-chip-cookies-cooling-rack.jpg beats IMG_4023.jpg. See image file names for SEO.
Surround images with relevant text
Google looks at the page around an image: headings, captions and nearby paragraphs. Place images next to text that discusses the same topic. A page about sourdough bread with a photo of a loaf near the recipe is a strong match. See image captions and SEO.
Use supported formats
Google supports common formats including JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, SVG and AVIF, among others. Pick a format that suits the image. See the best image format for web.
Make images high quality, but fast
Google Images favors clear, attractive pictures, and the pages they sit on need to load well. Use sizes that are sharp without being heavy. A blurry thumbnail or an enormous file both hurt. See the image optimization checklist.
Use original images where you can
Unique photos, graphics and diagrams stand out, and pictures that appear on hundreds of sites don’t. Real photos of your products, place or process help more than generic stock images.
Keep image URLs stable
Changing file paths or names frequently forces Google to re-find your images. Choose a good URL once and leave it.
Consider an image sitemap
If your images load via JavaScript or are hard to discover, an image sitemap, or adding image entries to your regular sitemap, can help Google find them. For simple sites with standard HTML, it’s usually not necessary.
Allow crawling
Check that your robots.txt file isn’t blocking the folder where images live. If Google can’t fetch the file, it can’t index it.
Structured data and badges
For some content types, like products, recipes and videos, structured data can make your images eligible for rich results and badges. Follow Google’s current documentation for the relevant type.
Be patient
Indexing and ranking take time, and results depend on competition. Consistent quality and good page content help more than quick tricks.
A checklist
- img tags, not backgrounds
- Descriptive file names and alt text
- Relevant text nearby
- Sharp but light files
- Crawlable, stable URLs
Get your files ready with our free image resizer before upload.