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How to make images fast, accessible and discoverable in Google Images and Lens
Images make pages engaging, but they are also often the heaviest part of a web page. Well-optimised images load faster, help users with visual impairments and can bring traffic from Google Images and visual search tools such as Google Lens. Poorly handled images slow pages and waste an opportunity.
The alt attribute describes an image for screen reader users and for search engines when the image cannot be seen.
Good alt text:
| Poor | Better |
|---|---|
alt="image1" | alt="Red cotton kurta with mirror-work embroidery on the neckline" |
alt="kurta kurta buy kurta online cheap kurta" | alt="Woman wearing a red cotton kurta at a Navratri garba event" |
Purely decorative images should use an empty alt attribute (alt="") so screen readers skip them.
Rename IMG_4832.jpg to something like red-cotton-kurta-mirror-work.jpg. File names give search engines a small additional signal.
| Format | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AVIF | Photos | Often the smallest files; widely supported in modern browsers |
| WebP | Photos and graphics | Excellent support and compression |
| JPEG | Photos (fallback) | Universal compatibility |
| PNG | Graphics needing transparency | Larger for photos |
| SVG | Logos, icons, illustrations | Scalable vector format |
Use the <picture> element to serve AVIF or WebP with a JPEG fallback.
Use srcset and sizes so phones download smaller files than desktops:
<img src="kurta-800.webp"
srcset="kurta-400.webp 400w, kurta-800.webp 800w, kurta-1200.webp 1200w"
sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"
width="800" height="1000"
alt="Red cotton kurta with mirror-work embroidery">Always set width and height (or CSS aspect-ratio) to prevent layout shifts, which affect Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).
loading="lazy" for images below the fold.fetchpriority="high" to the LCP image so the browser downloads it early.<img> elements; images loaded only via CSS backgrounds are less likely to be indexed.Google Lens and similar tools match real-world photos to web images. Clear, well-lit product photos from multiple angles, on pages with accurate product details, give the best chance of appearing in visual matches.
srcset, sizes, width and height setfetchpriority="high"Yes. It helps search engines understand images and is essential for accessibility.
AVIF often gives smaller files for photos; WebP encodes faster and is very widely supported. Many sites serve both.
No. Lazy-load below-the-fold images only; loading the main image lazily can hurt LCP.
Image SEO sits at the intersection of accessibility, performance and discoverability. Describe images honestly, deliver them efficiently and make them easy to crawl, and they will work for both users and search engines.