Search Engine Optimization for Image-Rich Websites

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) involves several factors. The best way to optimize your site for search engines is to include lots of content which users would find when searching keywords that are relevant to your site. One problem with artists portfolio websites, in particular, is that there is usually not much textual content on the site since they are designed primarily for images. One thing that I do for my clients which helps is to add "alt" tags to images, which might include the name of your artwork, plus your name. For example, an artwork's "alt" tag might be defined as "Buddha Being, by Robin Urton".

Another thing I do for each of my websites is to add meta tag content into the html code. This is code that is "behind the scenes", where your viewers won't be reading it, but which the search engines can index. The most important meta tags include the "description" tag (which is a line of text that shows up when a viewer finds your site on a search engine). If this tag is missing, whatever content is on your page will show up in lieu of an actual description for your site. For example, if you don't have any other text information on your page, your navigation links might show up as the description when your viewer finds your site's name from a google search.

Of even greater relevance to search engines is the optimization of the text on your site. Decide on some search terms you want to optimize for. Make these terms as specific as possible. If you try to optimize for 'landscape painting,' you will be competing with millions of other sites. You will not rank highly enough for traffic to find your site. Remember that most people do not go beyond the first 20 results. However, if you optimize your site for more specific terms like Tuscan landscape painting or California impressionist landscape painting, you should be able to compete effectively with other websites.

Here is what you do. Make a list of what you consider the most important terms describing your type of artwork or services that you are offering. Take the most important term and use that as a header on your homepage. For example, Tuscan landscape paintings. Then enter a couple of paragraphs on the homepage describing your work. Sprinkle that copy with your keyword preferences. But don't overdo it! If you repeat more than 5 times out of 50, you could be penalized by the search engines for 'spamming,' and might then be removed from all rankings for six months or more.

Words that appear on your homepage are weighted as more important than words appearing on interior pages. Search engines 'read' your site top to bottom and left to right and will begin with the homepage and then follow each interior page link in order. Incidentally, Keywords should be relevant to the copy that surrounds them – do not use the keyword phrase Tuscan Landscape Painting on a page about your education (unless you trained in Tuscany with a master landscape painter).

 

Disclaimer: This information is provided to help you to help me optimize your websites for search engines before giving me the "copy" for your site. I do not proclaim to be an SEO expert. Even the most proficient search engine optimizer will not be able to do much to get your search engine rankings up if you cannot provide relevant keywords within the text of your site. Though I add metatags and alt tags to your site, it's the content on the pages that's most important to search engines.