When you download pictures from your camera, do you organize them or rename them? Too many people save them in their Pictures folder and leave them as 1234_IMG.jpg, sadly. Are you one of them? What about when you save images from your most favorite images site like Deposit Photos, Unsplash or the like? How do you save them? Do you rename them all? Likely not, and in this instance, I don’t either.. more on that.
So what’s the point Kristen
The point that I am trying to make is that naming your pictures do several things, regardless of where or when you decide to name them:
- Naming them allows you to organize them in a manner which makes it easier to find the next time, by name versus number and date
- When you look in your Media Library on your WordPress site or similar, it will be easier to determine which picture goes with which post/page, because you have described the purpose
- When you sort your pictures into folders you’ll know where you got them (good for creative licenses) and it’ll make it easier for you to find them when time to create images.
Greater purpose of naming & tagging pictures – Alt tags
After naming your pictures, hopefully you are using keyword rich descriptions about the pictures but even better, you should be using alternative text (alt tags) when putting them on your website. Alt tags help the search engines and those who use TTY devices to know what the picture is about. If you have been following me for long, you’d recall that search engines can’t read pictures so it uses the title or the alt tag to determine what the picture is about… and hey, what better way to provide descriptions to search engines than to use your keywords. SCORE!
Tips on how I organize my pictures
These might help with a few tips on how best to organize and manipulate your images by seeing how I deal with
mine.
- When downloading images from my camera, I either save them by describing the picture or put them in a specific named file for images to use for graphics
- When downloading images from my picture sites or free downloads from places like Unsplash, I save them in a specific folder showing where I downloaded them from along with any creative licenses associated with that site.
- When using the images, dolling them up, adding my url, I then save them with a descriptive title that is associated with the blog or page I am uploading them on.
- After naming them and as I am loading them on my website, I add an alt tag that is appropriate to the image and the blog using my keywords for that blog – huge value for seo
- Remember, natural is better than spammy keyword stuffing any day.
- This is great because if you pin your images on Pinterest, the description is already set up for you there too. Score.
Naming your pictures helps you organize them and keep them straight and being sure you add your alternative tags provides value to those who can’t read/see and to search engines which provide extra value to you and your website.
Hopefully this has been slightly helpful but if you have any questions about alt tags and SEO for your website or blog, contact me and we can dive a little deeper.
~Kristen
Such a great resource. As I learn visually, if you chose to upgrade this blog post I’d love it if you gave 1 example & took it through the steps how you organize your photos. I know I don’t have a great system & want to upgrade it.
It actually depends on the photos Roz.. usually I store them where I get them from and just name then a brief description. then, when I add to them for my blogs, I then save them as appropriate for the blog… and then when uploading the blog, I add the alt tag. Try setting up folders based on where you get them or name them with initials of where you get them at the end of the description, it all depends on how many places you get them from.
Kristen – I could learn so much from you! I have done none of this, and you wouldn’t believe the horrible mess my photos are in – & my inability to find any single one in less than 5 minutes.(I’m not making this up). I’m just getting into this media-usage thing, however, and I am making progress, so there’s that. Thanks for the nudge to learn more!
So glad you are learning from me Joan… feel free to check out any of my blogs, bookmark them, whatever… glad to help.
I’m already naming my pics at download, and when I put on my posts. But you’ve taken this a step further! The alt tag is new to me, so I’ll definitely be doing that.
Thank you, Kristen! You always provide such useful info!
So glad to help Susan and glad you are well on your way.
Great tips! I do name the picture especially on the blogs. It really helps! Alt tags are so important too. Thanks for mentioning it. Many small business owners don’t know this.
You are right Sabrina, many don’t get it, still.. but I’m trying to get them there. 😉
Kristen your advice is always so helpful. I’m pretty good about putting my pics in different folders but I haven’t been renaming them and have wasted so much time trying to find some of them.
THAT is precisely the problem and glad you are seeing it and working on fixing it. Thanks Tamuria.
Great trick to use alt tags so Pinterest description is already there. Saves Tim e and helps seo. Score!
Yep Christy, you got it.. and I recently pinned yours so it was right on
Although I don’t take or collect digital photos, whenever I do handle them I name and organize them.
No digital photos, at all? Wow Rachel.
Thanks Kristen! I realize I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me! LOL I honestly never even knew what an Alt Tag was before!!
YAY and you are getting it. Luckily, Lisa, yours is taken care of… by yours truly!
It’s always good to know that you are doing some things right! Photos are under control – I’ve been doing folders, and marking the CC sources. And, I recently started the alt tags with keywords. Now, if someone has a solution for my bookmarked page, I’d appreciate hearing about it. Thanks Kristen.
Thanks Joyce and glad you are killing it. What do you mean about your bookmarked page? Happy to help explain, but not sure what you mean.
I always learn such interesting things from you, Kristen. I’ve been using alt tags because of you, and now I have a whole new area to work on. Gee, thanks!!
Awwww Carol, glad to help and sorry to create more work for you. lol
Oh my God! This reminds me of a website I was working on where the pictures were named nothing so simple as 1234_img.jpg. How I would have loved that! Hers were along the lines of 3091-6u716-0736010-567105915-aag4-g-253. What a freaking nightmare to even find! I do as you suggest by describing the pictures and then putting them in the appropriate folder. All except my pix uploaded from my phone to Dropbox — those just go in however the phone sends them, at which point I go back and rename.
YES, what a nightmare indeed, glad you have your stuff squared away too Jackie. lol
YES! It drives me crazy to not have my photos named. I like to be able to find what I need easily. It’s so much easier and less time-consuming for me to be able to grab a photo that is already named and tagged. I may need to adjust it for a blog post, but that okay. Hey “Turkey Leg eating at Disneyland” is better than 1234_IMG.jpg.
YESSSS Jennifer, thanks for changing the turkey leg eating at Disneyland, don’t want to forget that. lol
WOW I had no idea about this! Thank you for this valuable tip! Going to go through my photos now and name them!!!
Glad to help Nicki. 🙂
I do have a quasi system of labelling and storing photos. Especially those I download from Pixabay. I name them once I use them and then have a few subfolders for “writing” and “health and wellness” photos. When I get to use them in my WP blogs I do name them appropriately for the post and use alt tags. For some reason Yoast SEO isn’t recognizing my alt tags and keeps suggesting I add them. Any suggestions why even when I put in the focus keyword, it still shows this: “The images on this page do not have alt attributes containing your focus keyword.” Minor point. 😉 I do need a more comprehensive system for naming my camera photos and like your suggestions on doing it right away, as opposed to waiting, like I do, until I use them. I do use “events” which are folders in iPhoto, so I guess that is a further way of storing them. Thanks Krsiten, always great food for thought to make life a little easier in the online world.!
I am sure you are doing fine Bev… remember my post about YOAST, if you focus on the ‘focus keyword’ then you have to put those words in the meta data.. but as long as you are using the keywords that benefit you and your biz… you are great. 😉
What is an alt tag and how do I create them? Also, you mentioned using your website address in the name – do you use the entire URL? #Greatdaytolearnsomethingnew. 🙂
Hey there Brenda, the alt tag post was linked within that blog and the examples of my url are in the two pictures in that blog, hopefully that will help. Yes, the whole URL
Definitely thought provoking content! I have several systems for storing images, but need to refine into one! Thanks for the post.
Awesome, glad to help Robin
Yes, I do this at random but getting better too. I was hoping to have some support for going thru the rest of the website and that is coming along slowly…..great stuff and appreciate you keeping me on task or at least on WHY to keep on task!
Glad to help try to keep you on task. If you need help with the website Teresa, let me know.
Hi Kristen 🙂
Great tips! This is exactly what I do with my own pictures……just makes more sense to name them and put a tag on them so they are easily found 🙂 I am so organized so as I was reading I kept nodding my head in agreement as to why it is so important to organize your pictures 🙂
Awesome post!!
Thanks Joan, we are soooo alike. I am super organized too. 🙂
Wow, I never realised how essential this would be, I have always neglected this so will certainly change that. Thanks so much for sharing
I am glad that I have helped steer you to be more organized for your biz Melanie. Thank you.
Such great advice. A few months ago I started using Dropbox more efficiently. When I take photos on my phone now I automatically upload them to the appropriate file folder in Dropbox. Usually don’t rename them until I use them but just getting them into the right folder saves so much time
Thank you Alene and glad that you found Dropbox being helpful… yea, I download many free pictures and don’t always name them either, but put them in folders to find stuff.
Always so helpful in the practical tips you give, this is another great post, Kristen. I find that being organized is the only way to get anything done in my busy day, so I make that a priority. You have so much to share about SEO that everyone can use and see results from quickly. Thanks for always sharing your best information!
Awww, thanks Meggie, I totally appreciate it.. I do my best.
Great suggestions Kristen! I see so many people use names like img0125.jpg for their websites. Not only is it different to organise and identify the images, it’s also not good SEO practice.
YESSS, so crazy right Mui!?
I just learned about alt tags this week. How funny that I’d see your blog right after learning about them. They definitely help with SEO. I actually went back and added alt tags to most of my blogs. As time permits I’ll add them to the rest.
That is ironic Jessica…but glad you are learning and working on your site!