Naming Images for SEO: 6 Best Practices
Ever uploaded a photo to your website and left it as IMG_1234.jpg?
No judgment here—we’ve all done it. But here’s the thing: naming images for SEO matter way more than most people realize.
As an SEO expert, I’ve helped dozens of creatives, coaches, and small business owners solve common problems like these and boost their site visibility.
Trust me—I know SEO can make your head spin, too. That’s why I created my SEO course. It simplifies every step, breaking down SEO into clear, easy-to-digest lessons (without any techy jargon!) with all my favorite tips, tricks, and shortcuts so you can finally say ta-ta to overwhelm and focus on what matters most: running the business you love.
Before we go into naming tips, I highly recommend checking out my guide on how to resize and optimize images for Squarespace. It’s the perfect companion to everything you’ll learn here.
Does Image File Name Affect SEO?
Short answer? Yes, absolutely.
Google doesn’t have eyes. It can’t see your images like we do. Instead, it reads your file names to get what the image is about.
If your images are named correctly, they can actually help your website rank higher and show up in Google Image Search—which, believe me, is a goldmine for traffic.
If it’s not… well, then, you’re making Google’s job harder, and your site might miss out on valuable rankings.
Check out my guide on how to format your blog posts so readers (and Google!) will love them.
Now let’s dive into best practices for naming images for SEO…
Now that we know why image file names matter, let’s talk about how to name them the right way.
1. Be Descriptive & Use Keywords
Your image file name should actually describe the image while also being SEO-friendly.
You can use this format when you have a keyword you want to rank the page for: [primary keyword] - [describe the image].
Otherwise, you can just describe the image in simple terms.
Wrong: photo1.jpg → Google has no clue what this is.
Correct: minimalist-logo-design.jpg
Wrong: IMG_6482.jpg → Google has no clue what this is.
Correct: Tampa-wedding-photographer - bride-holding-bouquet.jpg
Google instantly knows what is in these images. These are clear and keyword-rich.
Just don’t go overboard with keyword stuffing, like:
seo-image-seo-best-practices-seo-rank-on-google.jpg → Google will find this spammy!
2. Use Hyphens, Not Underscores
Google reads hyphens (-) as spaces, but typically ignores underscores (_)
Wrong: seo_image_best_practices.jpg → Google sees this as one long word like seoimagebestpractices.
Correct: seo-image-best-practices.jpg → Google understands the words separately.
It’s worth mentioning that Squarespace will add dashes to your file names if you only upload them with spaces. And Showit will keep any spaces between words.
3. Keep It Short & Avoid Stop Words
Ever come across an image file name that’s basically an entire sentence? Yep, me too. The truth is, Google doesn’t need all those extra words. It’s just looking for the essentials.
Here’s what I mean:
Too long: how-to-name-an-image-for-the-best-seo-results-for-your-blog-posts-and-pages.jpg
Better: image-naming-seo-guide.jpg
Google also tends to skip over what we call “stop words,” which are common words like a, an, the, for, and best. So you can safely leave those out (unless it’s part of the primary keyword you want to rank for)!
Another quick example:
Wrong: tampa-wedding-photographer-tampa-bay-photography-tampa-bay-wedding-photos-wedding-ceremony.jpg
Correct: tampa-wedding-photographer-ceremony.jpg
4. File Formats & Compression for SEO
Naming your images correctly is only half the battle. The other half? Choosing the right file formats and making sure your images load quickly!
Here’s a quick cheat sheet for the best image file formats for SEO:
JPEG – Perfect for photos (smaller file size, good quality).
PNG – Great for graphics with transparent backgrounds, though the files are a bit larger.
WebP – The best of both worlds: high-quality images in smaller file sizes
But why bother compressing images anyway?
Well, slow-loading images are SEO assassins. Google loves fast-loading websites, so optimizing and compressing your images is a must if you want your site to rank higher and keep visitors happy
Here are two easy (and free!) tools I personally swear by for image compression:
JPEG mini – Will auto update images on your desktop so you don’t have to upload/download them (paid, but oh so worth it)
TinyPNG – Works wonders on PNG and JPEG images (free)
I love to use these tools together!
5. Alt Text vs. Image File Name: What’s the Difference?
This is where people get confused—alt text and file names are NOT the same thing.
Here’s the easiest way to think about it:
Image File Name → This one’s for Google’s crawlers. This helps Google understand the image content when it’s indexing your site.
For example: showit-coaching-website-design.jpg
Alt Text → This is all about accessibility and UX. It’s the description read aloud by screen readers, and it also appears if the image doesn’t load. Make it helpful and descriptive, not just stuffed with keywords.
For example: “Minimalist Showit website design for a business coach”
When you pair clear file names and thoughtful alt text, you’re making Google happy and making your website welcoming and accessible for everyone!
6. Common Image-Naming Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them!)
Even when you’re doing your best following the best practices for naming images for SEO, there are a few sneaky mistakes that can accidentally slip through. And trust me, they can really hurt your SEO.
Here are three of the most common ones I see (and how you can easily fix them!):
#1: Keyword stuffing
I totally get it—keywords feel like magic SEO dust. But too many keywords stuffed into your file name just confuse Google (and your visitors, honestly).
Here’s the example again from earlier: tampa-wedding-photographer-tampa-bay-photography-tampa-bay-wedding-photos-wedding-ceremony.jpg
#2: Using generic file names
We’ve all uploaded images named things like IMG_1234.jpg or screenshot2024.jpg. But Google can’t read minds, and it has no clue what these images are about.
Bad: photo1.jpg
Better: showit-website-template-example.jpg
#3: Forgetting to include your brand
This one’s often overlooked. Including your brand name in key images helps build trust, authority, and even protects your work from getting swiped.
For example: lauren-taylar-branding-mockup.jpg
Final Thoughts: Naming Pictures for SEO (the Easy Way!)
Honestly, naming your images correctly is one of the simplest SEO boosts you can give your site. It only takes a few extra seconds, but the payoff is amazing:
Higher rankings on Google
More traffic from Google Images (a super underrated source!)
Faster website speeds and a smoother experience for your visitors
So next time you’re about to upload an image, pause for a moment and ask yourself: “Is this image name actually helping my SEO?”
And if you’re ready to go even deeper, there’s one more thing you’ll want to bookmark: my complete guide on optizising your Squarespace website for SEO. It’s your ultimate roadmap to making Google (and your audience!) fall in love with your website.
Ready to step up your SEO game even more?
Optimizing your image names is an awesome start, but there’s a whole world of SEO waiting for you!
If you want to seriously boost your visibility on Google (without getting overwhelmed), here’s how I can help:
Check out my SEO services, where I’ll personally guide you through optimizing your site step-by-step, so you can attract the dreamiest clients straight from Google.
Now, tell me—have you been naming your images correctly? Or did you have an “oops” moment reading this post? Leave a comment below!
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