Media Files 101

It is very common to come across a web site that contains beautiful image and eye catching graphics. These types of sites tend to be created more for the end user or viewer. Web designers and search engine optimization professionals should be aware that search engines can’t read anything but plain old text.

A web page can provide viewers with tons of pictures and audio files to download, but as far as search engines are concerned, they really don’t add any value to the overall web site. An essential part of any search engine optimization plan is to work to make these types of files count with respect to search visibility.

Below are a few ways to make a web pages image, audio, videos, and other media help with successfully optimizing a web site. Each tip can assist in increasing PageRank as well as search engine listings.

Make Files Accessible

Be sure that all files or directories in which your media files are stored on your server are open and easy to get to by search engine crawlers. None of the files should be blocked by a robots.txt file.

Suggestion: Do not place a “click to enlarge image” link inside a JavaScript link. Search engines cannot retrieve the larger file.

Name All Media Files

Each file should have a clear, descriptive name or title. Do not use the default name, such as img28474.jpg. Each name should be as expressive as possible and should match what the file represents.

Suggestion: If you have an image of an water bottle, call it a “Purified Dasani Water Bottle” or “16.9 fl oz of Purified Water”, not just simply “water bottle.” Search engines can mistake the water bottle for something totally different from what you are referring to.

Add Meta Data

Once you have added names to each file, it is now time to include more descriptive text to the “alt” attribute in the file’s tag. Meta data should be short and straight to the point, similar to creating a file name.

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