Your Images Are Hiding from Google

Photos on websites helps increase your online visibility…if you do it correctly. You wouldn’t name your dog “Animal_9823,” right? Then why are you uploading website photos named IMG_00456.jpg and expecting them to win the SEO Olympics?

Here’s the cold, pixelated truth: Google doesn’t “see” your photos—it reads them. And if you’re not telling Google what your image is with names and alt text, you might as well be uploading invisible content.

So let’s get into why that’s a problem—and how to fix it, with a lot of humor, a little strategy, and zero patience for digital chaos.

The Mysterious Case of IMG_Whogivesadamn.jpg

Imagine walking into a store and asking for a “thing.” The clerk just blinks. That’s what you’re doing to search engines every time you upload an image named “screenshot_final2editEDIT.jpg.”

Instead of saying:”This is a vegan leather laptop bag in forest green” You’re saying: “Mystery box, probably a sandwich?”

Name your image:

vegan-leather-laptop-bag-forest-green.jpg
Not:
Screen_Shot_2023-07-14-at-11.58.33-AM.png

Pro tip: You can actually name your files using keywords. It’s like giving your images a LinkedIn profile instead of hiding them in your mom’s basement.

Alt Tags: Like Glasses for Google

Alt text = alternate text. It tells people what’s in your photo if they can’t see it, and tells Google what’s in the image because it can’t see it at all.

It’s also required for accessibility (hello screen readers), but it’s an unsung SEO hero too.

Bad alt text:

  • alt=”image”
  • alt=”product123″
  • alt=”photo of stuff”

Good alt text:

  • alt=”Hand-carved walnut charcuterie board with honeycomb edge”
  • alt=”Toddler in astronaut costume holding a balloon shaped like Saturn”

That second one? That sells. That’s SEO. That’s art.

A Gallery of Lazy Photo Names We’ve All Used

We’re all guilty of these:

  • final-FINAL-use-this-for-real.jpg
  • imagecopy (1)(2)(new-new).png
  • clientheaderbutbettermaybev2realest.png
  • dsc1000087.jpg
  • lolidontknowanymore.jpeg

These names are fine if you’re building a personal archive of regret. But if you want visibility, you’ve got to start naming things like they matter.

Why SEO Loves Named Photos (Even More Than It Loves Keywords)

Google Image Search gets billions of searches per day. If your product image has a good file name and alt tag, it can show up right next to big brands in search.

That llama-shaped mug? Call it llama-mug-handmade-ceramic.jpg and boom—you’re competing with Etsy.
That blurry iPhone shot of your homemade pesto? Rename it vegan-basil-pesto-recipe-home-kitchen.jpg and you just became a food blogger. And guess what? That’s free traffic.

Bonus Round: Naming Conventions That’ll Save Your Soul

Here’s a quick naming structure that even your chaos-loving intern can follow:
[Product/Keyword]-[Color/Size/Material]-[Action/Context].jpg

Examples:

  • candle-soy-lavender-8oz-glass.jpg
  • backpack-eco-leather-black-unisex-hiking.jpg
  • cat-wearing-tuxedo-hat-funny-meme.jpg

That last one? Probably going viral.

What About Visual Content Like Memes or Reels?

You can still use smart file names and add alt text or descriptions wherever possible (especially on your site or blog). Even if it’s just a meme, you can still help it show up in Google’s image results with the right metadata.

Meme example:

File name: grandma-accidentally-inventing-ai.jpg
Alt text: “Elderly woman proudly holding a laptop showing broken code while saying she fixed the internet”

Boom. Indexed. Shared. Immortal.

Conclusion: Photos and SEO

If you’re not naming your photos and adding alt text, you’re missing out on traffic, accessibility points, and branding wins. It’s like having a store with no signs and wondering why no one’s walking in.

So next time you go to upload “final-2-FORREAL-edited.jpg,” take a deep breath, rename it, write a decent alt tag, and know that you’ve done something beautiful—for your SEO and for humanity.

Citation

Google. (2023). Image Publishing Guidelines.