Your images are your silent salespeople. Want them to close more deals? Let’s talk optimization.

pytalkbiz-magnifying-glass-analying-png-vs-jpeg with icons and line graphs

Choosing the right format, like PNG or JPEG, is just the start. Imagine your photos not just looking great, but also attracting Google’s attention.

We’re talking about more clicks, shares, and a bigger audience.

So, is PNG or JPEG Better? That is exactly what we break down in the article.

Ready to level up your image game?

Let’s dive in.

Beyond aesthetics, is PNG or JPEG Better in the SEO Battle

While PNGs and JPEGs might seem like small details, they’re heavy hitters in influencing, your search engine ranking.

The right format can speed up your website, making Google happy. It can also help search engines understand your content better, leading to higher visibility.

So, while choosing between PNG and JPEG might feel like a small decision, it could be the difference between blending into the online crowd or dominating the search results.

Let’s uncover how to use this image format showdown to your advantage.

Is PNG or JPEG Better for SEO and Why

PNG vs. JPEG: When to Use Which

Prioritize Image Quality and Transparency:

PNG: Ideal for images with sharp edges, logos, text overlays, or transparent backgrounds. Examples include infographics, product mockups, and social media graphics.

PNG:

Infographics: PNGs are best for images with sharp edges, like infographics with colorful charts and graphs.

image of an example of an infographic demonstrating image file type

Logos: Logos often have transparent backgrounds, making PNGs the ideal format for preserving clarity.
Product mockups: Detailed product mockups with sharp edges and text overlays also benefit from PNGs.

Prioritize File Size and Speed:

JPEG: Best for photographs and images with smooth color gradients. Its compression reduces file size without significant quality loss, improving website load times.

JPEG:

Photographs: JPEGs are best for photographs, as they can handle smooth color gradients well.

young lady, holding a Google crystal ball;

lady reading the guide to seo and paid media

Balancing Act:

Consider image complexity: Simple images might benefit from JPEG compression, while complex ones might require PNG for detail preservation.
Test and compare: Experiment with both formats to find the optimal balance between quality and file size for your specific images.

Additional Tips:

Optimize both formats: Even when choosing JPEG, compress the image without sacrificing too much quality.
Use image compression tools: Many online tools and software can help you reduce file size without compromising image quality.

By carefully considering these factors, you can select the best image format for your needs and improve your website’s performance and SEO.

lady with links and anchor and a linkbuilding checklist

Social media graphics: Social media graphics often have smooth transitions between colors, making JPEGs a good choice.

diva bot with long lashes reading a seo checklist. thinking about: How to Use Anchor Text for SEO-

Social media graphics: Social media graphics often have smooth transitions between colors, making JPEGs a good choice.

When experimenting with both formats, look for the following:

File size: JPEGs are generally smaller than PNGs, so they can improve your website’s loading speed.
Image quality: PNGs preserve image quality better than JPEGs, so they’re ideal for images with sharp edges or text overlays.
Compression artifacts: JPEGs can sometimes introduce compression artifacts, which can be visible as a loss of detail or color information.

young girl holding remote to camera and headphones on

Additional tips:

Use good image editing software: A good image editing software can help you optimize your images for both PNG and JPEG formats.
Consider your target audience: If your target audience is primarily using mobile devices, you may want to prioritize JPEGs for faster loading times.
Test different compression settings: Experiment with different compression settings for both PNG and JPEG to find the best balance between file size and image quality.

There is no difference between JPEG and JPG

JPG is simply a shortened version of JPEG.
The longer version, JPEG, stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group.

The shorter extension, JPG, was used in older operating systems like DOS that had limitations on file name length. Today, both are universally accepted and interchangeable.

So, whether you use JPG or JPEG, it doesn’t matter. They both refer to the same image format.

Handpicked Related Articles:

How to Optimize Your Images for SEO

Optimizing your images for SEO is one of those hidden gems in digital marketing that can skyrocket your website’s performance.

You might have the most captivating content, but without proper image optimization, you’re leaving a lot of traffic on the table.

5 tips that can help your images work harder for you.

Use Descriptive File Names: Rename your images with relevant keywords instead of leaving them as default names like “IMG_1234.jpg.”
Add Alt Text: Always include descriptive alt text for your images, which helps with accessibility and gives search engines more context about the image.
Optimize Image Size: Compress your images to reduce file size without compromising quality to ensure faster loading times.
Choose the Right File Format: Use appropriate file formats like JPEG for photographs and PNG for graphics with transparent backgrounds.
Implement Structured Data: Use schema markup to provide search engines with more information about your images, which can enhance your presence in image search results.

Image Optimization: Increase SEO and Accessibility

Tagging Matters!

Image tags like file names and alt text play a key role. They help Google and other search engines understand your images, potentially improving your website’s ranking. Moreover, they aid screen readers by describing images for visually impaired users.

young lady looking into camera notes starting avoid these mistakes

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Non-descript file names like “image. ABC.png” are not beneficial. Instead, use descriptive names like “Shopify-pricing-plan.png” to aid search engine categorization. Similarly, avoid neglecting alt text or keyword stuffing.

Helpful alt text provides a clear and concise image description of the content.

Benefits Beyond SEO

Image optimization goes beyond SEO. Optimizing images can lead to appearing in image search results, attracting new visitors.

Additionally, well-tagged images improve page load times and user engagement, as search engines favor accessible and optimized content. Ultimately, using images as an SEO tool enhances your site’s visibility, accessibility, and user experience.

Takeaways:
* Use descriptive file names and clear alt text for images.
* Optimized images improve SEO, accessibility, and user experience.

Best Practices for Image File Names

1. Descriptive and Relevant: Use descriptive file names that clearly describe your page’s content.

2. Use Hyphens: Separate words with hyphens, not underscores or spaces.

3. Lowercase Letters: Use lowercase letters to avoid issues on different servers.

4. Keep It Short: Be descriptive, try keeping file names concise.

screenshot-of-graphic-with-png-and-jpeg-description.png

Best Practices for Alt Tags

1. Descriptive and Detail: Describe the image content in detail. This helps screen readers convey the information to visually impaired users.

2. Contextual Significance: Ensure the alt text is relevant to the context of the page content.

3. Avoid Keyword Stuffing: Use keywords organically, but don’t overdo it.

4. Informative: For functional images (e.g., buttons), describe the purpose, not the appearance.

5. Avoid Redundancy: If the image is purely decorative, use an empty alt attribute (`alt=””`).

Example

Suppose you have an image of a Shopify pricing plan chart.

Image File Name

Before: `image. ABC.png`
After: `Shopify-pricing-plan-chart.png`

Alt Tag

Before:`alt=””`

After: `alt=” Chart showing different Shopify pricing plans including Lite at $9/month, Basic Shopify at $39/month, Shopify at $105/month for growing businesses with professional reports and lower transaction fees, Advanced Shopify at $399/month, and Shopify Plus starting at $2000/month”`

Example in HTML

Here’s how you might include this optimized image in an HTML document:

“`HTML

“`

Benefits

– **Accessibility:** Descriptive alt text helps screen readers communicate the image content to visually impaired users.

– **SEO:** Search engines use file names and alt text to understand the image content, which can improve search rankings.

– **User Experience:** Well-named files and alt tags make content more understandable and professional.

The best image formats for creating small file sizes and maintaining adequate quality are:

1. **JPEG (JPG)**: JPEGs are ideal for images with gradients and photographs. It uses lossy compression, which can significantly reduce file size, but at the cost of some image quality.

image of table and icons showing how to choose the best image format

2. PNG: The PNG format is better for transparency and sharp edges, such as charts and logos. PNG uses lossless compression, so the file size is larger than JPG; yet maintains higher quality.

3. WebP: An advanced image format. It provides both lossless and lossy compression. It often produces smaller file sizes than JPEG and PNG for comparable quality.

image showing to bot figures one with paint canvas and the other pen and table.

Regarding chart images they contain text and sharp edges, PNG is a good choice if you want to maintain quality. If you prioritize smaller file sizes and can tolerate some quality loss, JPEG or WebP would be better options.

How to Convert a PNG to a Webp file

Listed are various tools and software.

1. Online Image Converters:

Websites like:

convertio-screenshot-convertio is a image resizer pytalkbiz

Convertio. co
Cloudconvert.com
Ezgif.com

You can do stuff like this with Ezgif for “FREE”

ezgif.com-webp-is a gif maker and image converter

The above three online conversion software offer free services. You can upload your PNG or JPEG file and convert it to WebP.

Handpicked Related Articles:

Desktop Software Converters

2. GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program):

Open the image in GIMP.
Go to `File` > `Export As`.
Choose the WebP format from the list of options.
Change the quality settings as needed and export the image.

3. Photoshop (with WebP plugin):

Download and install the WebP plugin for Photoshop.
Open the image in Photoshop.
Go to `File` > `Save As`.
Choose WebP from the format options.
Modify the settings and save the image.

Command Line Tools

4. Using cwebp (from Google’s WebP library):

– Download and install the WebP utilities from Google’s WebP page.
– Open a terminal or command prompt.
– Use the following command to convert a PNG or JPEG file to WebP:

“`sh

cwebp input.png -o output.webp

“`

– You can adjust the quality with the `-q` flag (0 to 100), for example:

“`sh

cwebp -q 80 input.png -o output.webp

Prompt for Naming Images and Creating Alt Tags
“Hi, I have an image that I need to optimize for accessibility and SEO. What do I need to do:

Suggest a descriptive and SEO-friendly file name for the image.
Provides a detailed alt tag for the image that describes its content accurately.

Here’s a brief description of the image: [Insert a brief description of your image here].

Example:

Image Description: A chart showing different Shopify pricing plans including Lite at $9/month, Basic Shopify at $39/month, Shopify at $105/month for growing businesses with professional reports and lower transaction fees, Advanced Shopify at $399/month, and Shopify Plus starting at $2000/month.”

Example Prompt in Use
“Hi, I have an image that I need to optimize for accessibility and SEO. Can you help me with the following:

1. Suggest a descriptive and SEO-friendly file name for the image.

2. Provide a detailed alt tag for the image that describes its content accurately.

Here’s a brief description of the image: A chart showing different Shopify pricing plans including Lite at $9/month, Basic Shopify at $39/month, Shopify at $105/month for growing businesses with professional reports and lower transaction fees, Advanced Shopify at $399/month, and Shopify Plus starting at $2000/month.“

Result to Expect

File Name:** `Shopify-pricing-plan-chart.png`

-Alt Tag:** `alt=” Chart showing different Shopify pricing plans including Lite at $9/month, Basic Shopify at $39/month, Shopify at $105/month for growing businesses with professional reports and lower transaction fees, Advanced Shopify at $399/month, and Shopify Plus starting at $2000/month”`

Using this prompt you can effectively get help with naming your images and creating alt tags to optimize for accessibility and SEO.

Getting your images listed in image search results can significantly enhance your website’s visibility and attract more traffic.

Consider taking these steps:

1. Use Descriptive File Names

Rename your images with descriptive, keyword-rich file names before uploading them. Instead of “IMG ABCD.png,” use something like “Shopify-pricing-plan.png.” This helps search engines understand what the image is about.

2. Optimize Alt Text

Write clear, descriptive alt text for each image. The alt text should accurately describe the image content and include relevant keywords naturally. For example: `alt=” Chart showing different Shopify pricing plans including Lite at $9/month, Basic Shopify at $39/month, Shopify at $105/month for growing businesses with professional reports and lower transaction fees, Advanced Shopify at $399/month, and Shopify Plus starting at $2000/month.”`

3. Choose the Right Format

Use appropriate image formats (WebP, JPEG, PNG) depending on the image type to ensure quality with a smaller file size. Smaller file sizes improve load times, which is helpful for SEO.

4. Compress Images

Use tools like TinyPNG or Compressior.io to compress images without losing quality. Faster loading of images enhances user experience (UX) and boosts SEO rankings.

I use both of these software daily. I double-optimize my images because they are the biggest culprit in slowing down, page speed.

5. Create an Image Sitemap

An image sitemap helps search engines discover and index your images. Add a sitemap to your website that includes all image URLs. This can be done manually or with the help of plugins if you’re using a content management system (CMS) like GoHighLevel.

6. Structured Data

Use structured data (schema.org) to mark up your images. This helps search engines understand the context better. For example, use the `ImageObject` schema to provide detailed information about your photos.

7. Contextual Relevance

Ensure that your images are relevant to the surrounding content. Search engines consider the text around images to understand their context and relevance.

8. Mobile-Friendly

Ensure your images are responsive and mobile-friendly. Since a large portion of web traffic comes from mobile devices, having images that look good and load quickly on all devices is crucial.

9. High-Quality Content

lady writing notes with rubber duckie on desk-

Use clear, visually appealing, and high-quality images. Quality content is more likely to be shared and linked to, increasing visibility.

Example Implementation

“`HTML

Adding an Image Sitemap and Implementing Schema in WordPress

Adding an Image Sitemap

Use a plugin to manage and generate your sitemap automatically. This will ensure all your image URLs are included.

Recommended Plugin:

Yoast SEO or Rank Math are popular plugins that help you create an image sitemap.

Steps to Create an Image Sitemap with Yoast SEO:

1. Install and Activate Yoast SEO:

Go to your WordPress dashboard.
Navigate to `Plugins` > `Add New`.
Search for “Yoast SEO.”
Click `Install Now` and then `Activate`.

2. Enable XML Sitemaps:

From your dashboard, go to `SEO` > `General`.
Click on the `Features` tab.
Ensure `XML Sitemaps` is set to `On`.

3. View Your Sitemap:

Go to `SEO` > `General` and click `Features`.
Click the question mark next to XML sitemaps, then click `See the XML sitemap`.
You will see the sitemap index. Yoast automatically includes images in the post and page sitemaps.

Implementing Schema (Structured Data) in WordPress

Structured data helps search engines understand the content of your images and pages better. You can add schema markup using a plugin.

Recommended Plugin:

Schema Pro or WP SEO Structured Data Schema are good options for adding schema markup.

Steps to Add Schema Markup with Schema Pro:

1. Install and Activate Schema Pro:

Go to your WordPress dashboard.
Navigate to `Plugins` > `Add New`.
Search for “Schema Pro.”
Click `Install Now` and then `Activate`.

2. Configure Schema Markup:

After activation, go to `Schema Pro` in your dashboard.
Click on `Add New`.
Choose the type of schema you want to add (e.g., `ImageObject` for images).
Configure the schema settings based on your content. Schema Pro provides a user-friendly interface to map your content to the schema fields.

3. Add Schema Markup to Posts/Pages:

– While editing a post or page, you’ll see a Schema Pro meta box where you can customize the schema markup for that particular post or page.

Example of Adding ImageObject Schema Manually (for advanced users):

To add schema manually, you can use the code editor.

Steps:

1. Edit the Post/Page:

Go to the post or page where you want to add the schema markup.
Switch to the text editor.

2. Add Schema Markup:

HTML

{

“@context”: “https://schema.org”,

“@type”: “ImageObject”,

“contentUrl”: “https://www.example.com/shopify-pricing-plan.png”,

“name”: “Shopify Pricing Plan Chart”,

“description”: “Chart showing different Shopify pricing plans including Lite at $9/month, Basic Shopify at $39/month, Shopify at $105/month for growing businesses with professional reports and lower transaction fees, Advanced Shopify at $399/month, and Shopify Plus starting at $2000/month.”

}

</script>

“`

3. Save and Publish:

Save your changes and publish the post/page.

Using these plugins and steps, you can ensure your images are properly indexed and understood by search engines, boosting your SEO and visibility.

What are the benefits of Optimizing Images?

Optimizing images can significantly boost your website’s performance and user experience.

Faster Load Times: Reduced image sizes mean quicker page loads, enhancing user satisfaction.
Improved SEO Rankings: Well-optimized images help improve search engine rankings.
Better Accessibility: Descriptive alt text makes your site more accessible to visually impaired users.
Enhanced User Engagement: High-quality, fast-loading images can increase user interaction and time spent on your site.
Increased Traffic: Properly optimized images can attract more visitors through image search results.

Conclusion:

As we wrap up our post on the SEO optimization process, it’s evident that mastering image optimization can significantly influence your overall search engine ranking efforts.

Don’t miss out on hidden SEO and accessibility benefits!

Proper image tagging with descriptive file names and clear alt text helps search engines understand your content, potentially boosting rankings.

It also ensures screen readers can describe the image for visually impaired users.

Image Optimization Recap:

Descriptive file names: Ditch non-descriptive file names.
Clear alt text: Describe the image content, not just keywords
Image benefits: Optimized images improve SEO and more.

Like always, thanks for dropping by.

Which tip did you find the most helpful?
Let me know in the comments below, this helps me to create articles that will help you.

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