The Ultimate Guide to Image Optimization and Image Submission for Better SEO

In today's digital landscape, images play a crucial role in enhancing user experience, engagement, and search engine optimization (SEO). However, simply uploading images to a website isn’t enough—proper image optimization and image submission are essential to ensure fast loading times, better rankings, and improved visibility. Leveraging image submission sites can further amplify your reach and drive traffic.

This comprehensive guide will cover everything you need to know about optimizing images for the web, submitting them to search engines, and utilizing image submission sites for maximum impact.

Why Image Optimization Matters

Before diving into the technical aspects, let’s understand why image optimization is critical:

• Faster Page Load Speed – Large, unoptimized images slow down websites, increasing bounce rates. Google prioritizes fast-loading sites in rankings.
• Improved SEO – Optimized images with proper alt text and file names help search engines understand and index them better.
• Better User Experience – High-quality, properly sized images enhance readability and engagement.
• Reduced Bandwidth Usage – Compressed images consume less server resources, saving hosting costs.

How to Optimize Images for the Web

1. Choose the Right Image Format

Selecting the correct file format is the first step in optimization:

JPEG – Best for photographs and complex images with many colors.

PNG – Ideal for images requiring transparency or high quality (logos, icons).

WebP – A modern format offering superior compression (30% smaller than JPEG/PNG). Supported by most browsers.

SVG – Perfect for vector graphics (logos, icons) as they scale without losing quality.

2. Compress Images Without Losing Quality

Large image files slow down websites. Use these tools to reduce file size while maintaining quality:

TinyPNG / TinyJPG – Free online tools for PNG and JPEG compression.

Squoosh (by Google) – A powerful tool for advanced compression.

ImageOptim / ShortPixel – Plugins and software for bulk optimization.

3. Resize Images Before Uploading

Uploading oversized images wastes bandwidth. Resize them to fit the display dimensions:

For full-width banners: 1920px width (compressed).

For blog post images: 1200px width (for better SEO).

For thumbnails: 300–500px width.

Use tools like Photoshop, Canva, or GIMP to adjust dimensions.

4. Use Descriptive File Names

Instead of IMG_1234.jpg, rename files with relevant keywords:

blue-running-shoes.jpg (SEO-friendly)

DSC00234.jpg (not helpful for SEO)

5. Add Alt Text for Accessibility & SEO

Alt text (alternative text) helps search engines understand images and improves accessibility for visually impaired users.

Good alt text: "Woman hiking in the mountains with a backpack"

Bad alt text: "Image123" or left empty.

6. Leverage Lazy Loading

Lazy loading delays loading off-screen images until a user scrolls to them, improving page speed. Implement it via:

HTML (loading="lazy" attribute)

Plugins (like WP Rocket for WordPress)

7. Use Responsive Images with srcset

Different devices need different image sizes. The srcset attribute allows browsers to choose the best version:

html

<img

src="image-small.jpg"

srcset="image-large.jpg 1200w, image-medium.jpg 800w, image-small.jpg 400w"

alt="Responsive image example">

8. Optimize Image Structured Data

Adding schema markup helps search engines display images in rich snippets:

json

{

"@context": "https://schema.org",

"@type": "ImageObject",

"contentUrl": "https://example.com/image.jpg",

"description": "A scenic mountain view",

"license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",

"acquireLicensePage": "https://example.com/license"

}

Image Submission to Search Engines

Once images are optimized, the next step is ensuring search engines index them properly.

1. Submit Images via Google Search Console

Go to Google Search Console > URL Inspection.

Enter the page URL containing images.

Click Request Indexing to speed up crawling.

2. Use an Image Sitemap

An image sitemap helps search engines discover images faster. Add image tags to your existing sitemap:

xml

<url>

<loc>https://example.com/blog-post</loc>

<image:image>

<image:loc>https://example.com/image.jpg</image:loc>

<image:title>Best Running Shoes</image:title>

<image:caption>High-performance running shoes for athletes</image:caption>

</image:image>

</url>

3. Leverage Google Images Best Practices

Avoid text-heavy images (Google can’t read text inside images).

Use high-quality, original images (stock photos rank lower).

Place images near relevant text (context matters for rankings).

4. Submit to Bing Webmaster Tools

For broader visibility, submit your images to Bing:

Go to Bing Webmaster Tools > Submit URLs.

Upload an image sitemap or individual image URLs.

5. Share on Social Media & Pinterest

Social signals indirectly help SEO. Pinterest, in particular, is a powerful image-sharing platform that can drive traffic.

Common Image Optimization Mistakes to Avoid

• Ignoring Compression – Uploading full-resolution images slows down sites.
• Skipping Alt Text – Missing SEO opportunities and hurting accessibility.
• Using Generic File Names – photo1.jpg doesn’t help rankings.
• Not Using a CDN – A Content Delivery Network (CDN) speeds up image delivery globally.
• Overloading Pages with Too Many Images – Balance visuals with performance.

Conclusion

Optimizing and submitting images correctly is a game-changer for SEO and user experience. By following best practices—choosing the right format, compressing files, adding alt text, and submitting images to search engines—you can boost rankings, improve load times, and enhance engagement.

Start implementing these strategies today to make your website faster, more accessible, and search-engine friendly.