How to Optimize Your Images for Google Image Search

Google Image Search is a traffic source people often overlook. Well-optimized images can appear in image results, in Google Discover, and are used by LLMs to enrich their visual answers. Sandro, cofounder of the Gemeos Webflow agency, shares the best practices to follow.

1. Name your files descriptively

Before uploading an image into Webflow, rename the file. The file name is a direct SEO signal for Google Image Search.

• Bad: IMG_4821.jpg, photo1.png, unnamed.webp
• Good: agence-webflow-dubai-gemeos.webp, refonte-site-saas-avant-apres.jpg

Use hyphens as separators, not underscores or spaces. Include your main keyword and a contextual descriptor.

2. Always fill in the alt tags

In Webflow, click an image in the Designer. The "Alt Text" field appears in the right panel. Write a precise, natural description of the image, and include a relevant keyword without over-optimizing.

• Bad alt: "image", "photo", "illustration"
• Good alt: "SaaS app analytics dashboard built in Webflow"

3. Choose the right format and compress

Webflow supports WebP natively. Prioritize this format: it offers better compression than JPEG and PNG at the same visual quality. For images with transparency, use WebP instead of PNG. Aim for under 150 KB for content images, and under 500 KB for full-width hero images.

4. Add ImageObject structured data

For important images, such as product photos, article images, and case study visuals, add Schema.org ImageObject markup in the page's custom code.

5. Make sure your images are indexable

Make sure your robots.txt file doesn't block access to image folders. In Webflow, check that important CSS background images are also available as HTML elements (Google doesn't index CSS background-image files very well).

Conclusion

Optimizing images for Google Image Search takes very little time if you build it into your upload workflow. Make it a standard habit for every new image.

• Use case 1: a design agency whose portfolio visuals can rank for searches like "website [industry]"
• Use case 2: a technical blog with screenshots that can rank for tool-specific queries
• Use case 3: an e-commerce store whose product photos feed Google Shopping and Image Search