I recently had a client reach out and ask about best practices for file names, so I thought I should hop on and give a few tips on this in case anyone else is wondering about the best way to name their images! This is one of those simple things you can do give your SEO a little boost, and it’s especially relevant for photographers since photography blogs tend to have lots of pictures. Coming up with good file names is super easy too, so it’s worth taking just a few minutes to learn how to name images for improved SEO.
What is a File Name?
An image file name is just the name of your picture. If you don’t write one yourself, a file name will be automatically generated.
So if a file name is automatically generated, why on earth should you bother to write a file name for your photos yourself?
Auto-generated file names are not very informative for the average human user or search engine. They usually look something this: IMG_1234.
A file name like this doesn’t give you a lot of information. Luckily, you’re not stuck with it. You can rename your files to reflect the content. For example smith-studio-newborn-Oct-23.jpg
This, or a similar system, will be much more helpful for you as a photographer. It gives you the name of the client, the type of session it was, where it was held, and the date you did the session. Even without seeing the image, you can quickly figure out some basic information about it.
And once you upload that image to your blog and publish it, you’re not the only one who can see that name and use it to figure out what that picture is all about.
Why You Should Choose Good File Names for SEO
Search engines will also read your file names to help determine the content of your page. Names that seem relevant and applicable make search engines happy, while names that are meaningless or spammy…just aren’t helpful.
To avoid being spammy, don’t worry about naming every image specifically for SEO. While a file name like Houston-TX-newborn-studio-photoshoot.jpg may seem great for search engines, when you overuse those kinds of keyword-heavy file names it can start to look like you’re trying too hard.
File names that only focus on keywords also may not work well for your own system of filing photos so you can easily find and use them. Use keywords where they’re helpful, but also balance that with your own need to be able to access and interpret your files.
As a rule, make sure that your file names serve you well, and then see if there are ways you can make them more SEO-friendly with keywords where it makes sense.
As a bonus: if you’re outsourcing your blog, images with relevant file names make life easier for everyone! I love it when clients upload images to their library that have easily searchable names. If I’m writing a post about what makes your newborn photo sessions so special, it’s really nice to be able to type “newborn” into the search bar of your media library and immediately have a ton of good images to choose from. (And it means I won’t be reaching out to ask you to send me images too. Win-win!)
How to Name Images for SEO
All right, now that you know why it matters, here’s how you do it:
- Make sure the file name is as accurate and descriptive as possible.
- Use your keywords wherever they’re relevant. Only where they’re relevant though! Search engines don’t like keyword stuffing in file names any more than they like it in the main body of your text.
- Use hyphens between words (like-this) rather than underscores (like_this).
- Use all lowercase letters.
- Keep it short. Around 3-4 words is great. And put the most important words first, if possible.
- Don’t use special characters. Just letters and numbers.
- Don’t erase the file extension at the end of file names (e.g. .jpg, .img, .pdf, etc.)
That’s it! Naming your images for SEO is pretty simple. In fact, since it’s so easy, you might be wondering…
Should You Go Back and Rename Images You’ve Already Used on Your Site?
I mean, if you’re bored out of your mind, love naming images, and have literally nothing else to do with your time, sure, go ahead.
Practically speaking though, no. It’s not worth the effort to go back and rename images that have already been published (and therefore probably already indexed by search engines) on your site. This is because:
Search engines don’t index images very often, so it’s going to take them a loooong time to register that you made the change.
Also, file names aren’t super high on the SEO ladder. It’s worth naming them correctly, since it’s quick and easy, and search engines will use the file names as another piece of information when determining what your picture is all about. But search engines actually place more importance on alt text and the text surrounding your image.
Don’t Sweat It
So, that’s how to name images for SEO! Keep these conventions in mind, but also make sure to use a system that works for you. If you’re stressing about which words are most important and should go first, forget that rule and just use whatever is short and descriptive. If you’re worried you might be keyword stuffing, only use your keyword in one image for that post.
Remember, creating good file names is more of an “every little bit helps” kind of thing. It’s not going to transform your site results or rocket you to the top of Google listings. But it can make it easier for you to keep your images organized and give search engines just a little extra help when indexing your latest blog post.
