Do Your Onsite Images Carry Any SEO Juice?
Did you know that the use of images and the addition of the correct tags can play a crucial role in achieving excellent search engine results? Search engines such as Google are trying to incorporate more images into their results and for e-commerce websites in particular, getting rankings on Google images can offer a great way of drawing visitors to your website.
How To Optimise Your Images?
By simply following a few basic guidelines, you will be able to take the required steps towards ensuring your images work for you. Following a few 
simple guidelines can help ensure your images are working hard for your SEO.
1) Choose The Right Image: Finding the most appropriate image is the most important part. A good image which attracts attention and describes itself can really do the job for you. Steer clear of irrelevant images – this can have the opposite effect.
2) Utilise The Alt Tags: Alt tags displays the text in-case the image is not able to load in the browser helping users to know the details of the image. It not only helps the users but also acts as a base for search engines in identifying what the image contains. The Alt tag must be direct and succinct – avoid lengthy descriptions and keyword stuffing.
3) Re-Name Your Images: Using a file name that is relevant but is none generic means you will ensure the right sort of traffic are coming across your content. If your file name is too generic, you may end up with non-relevant visitors to your site – potentially skewing your site stats. The above example has been named “Houses of Parliament at Night” – relevant, but not too generic a title.
4) Re-Size Your Images (Where Necessary): Google considers the page loading time as one of the important ranking factors, which will be
dictated by the size of the page (image file size, video size, etc). Optimizing images in terms of size can really improve your site performance. File size depends on the resolution of the image, the higher the resolution the bigger the file size. So you need to maintain a balance between the size and the quality. There are different image types supported (JPEG, PNG, GIF) on the web, and choosing the best will depend on your requirement. Try and choose a image which is of good quality and lowest file size. Very high resolution images will be huge and, as such, should be avoided.
Why Is It Important To Do This?
- Search engines can detect an image but not what the image is. This makes it difficult for them to sort out images based on user query.
- Images have now been added to the main page search results in Google resulting in a potential for more traffic.
- Images can break up text blocks are are better at enticing people into your site.
- Images can also act as link bait if you allow image sharing in exchange of a link.
- Image sharing is more prolific among users with sites like Pinterest getting more popular.
Further Information
Footprint specialise in creating bespoke websites, designed to help take your business to another level. If you’d like to speak to us regarding any of our services, give us a call on 01883 372488 or contact us via Facebook and we’ll be happy to talk you through your options.
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Shenise’s Wing Walking – 9th July!!
Saturday the 9th July 2016 is a momentous day for the Footprint family and Shenise in particular! On this day, Shenise takes to the skies to perform a ‘wing walk’ in an effort to raise money for a truly excellent cause.
To make a donation, please visit the following link to submit your details – https://www.justgiving.com/shenisewingwalking
For a look into why Shenise has decided to undertake this amazing feat, check out below for a little insight.
What Is The Back Story?
“I decided that I wanted to do something different this year so in a mad moment with friends I suggested Wing Walking (think wine was involved). Other than being shocked my friends said what a great idea. “But just one thing you don’t like heights Shenise” – oh yeah I forgot about that, but you know what it’s just a fear I can do this and overcome a fear I have had forever.”
“It’s for such a great cause and charity Matthew’s Friends. The staff & volunteers work so hard. Luckily I will be fitted with 4 different camera’s & a Go Pro so if I pass out then I’ll be able to watch the footage back. So I would really appreciate your donation for this great charity.”
Who Are Matthew’s Friends?
Matthew’s Friends provide information and support for children and adults using Ketogenic Dietary Therapies for epilepsy, Glut1, Brain Cancer and other neurological disorders.
The video below highlights some of the outstanding work that Matthew’s Friends have completed during the past 10 years
Please Dig Deep!!
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
To make a donation, please visit the following link to submit your details – https://www.justgiving.com/shenisewingwalking – Don’t forget to dig deep!!
Offering a Helping Hand (From The Ground!!)
To help support Shenise, Footprint Web Design are very proud to donate the £500 costs which must be covered to allow the wing walk to take place.
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3 Tips To Help Choose The Perfect Domain Name
Whether you are setting up a new business website or starting a blog the importance of choosing the right domain name is there for all to see.
When it comes to choosing a domain name which is effective and appropriate, we believe that there are a few guidelines which can help you along the way. Below you will find 3 of the most important tips that you can follow.
No. 1 – Choose a Unique Name
Whilst this may sound fairly obvious, you would be surprised how many people try to choose a name which is fairly similar to a well established 
company with the hope of riding their coat-tails to draw some traffic to their own website.
This is a tactic which is very unlikely to succeed and will only work towards undermining the identity of your own company.
Top Tip – Focus on the strengths of your company.
No. 2 – Keep It Simple
Short, catchy and relevant names are often the best idea for any domain name because they are easy for people to type and just as important, easy for people to remember.
Not only do short domain names help potential customers, they also look better on printed media and when used on Social Media channels as they unlikely to be shortened when posted.
Top Tip – Never underestimate the power of word of mouth marketing. Choosing a catchy and to-the-point domain name will make it as easy as possible for people to pass the details to their friends, family and colleagues should the need arise.
No. 3 – Eliminate The Guesswork
It is always good practice to ensure that your domain name automatically offers potential customers a good idea of what your company actually does without them having to visit your website if possible.
For example, the following domain name http://www.jandpplumbing.co.uk makes it immediately clear that this company is a plumbing company.
Top Tip – Choosing an obscure domain name may result in the need for an increased effort and expense when it comes to branding and market to ensure customers know more about your products and services.
Bonus Tip – Make it SEO Friendly
Are you looking to target a particular keyword in your future SEO efforts? Whilst many of the most popular domain names will already have been snapped up, if you can purchase something relevant to your target demographic, you may be able to put it to good use.
For example, if you are a plumber in London looking to target that particular geographic area, the domain name www.plumbers-london.co.uk could prove to be highly beneficial.
Further Information
If you’d like to speak to us regarding any aspect of web design or SEO, please give us a call on 01883 372488 or contact us via Facebook and we’ll be happy to talk you through your options.
