Search engines use the information that you enter about images when matching a search query to your page content. In this section, we will see how to optimize image information in Magento so that search engines accurately match searchers with your product page.
We will use the following example page:
Our goal is to optimize the meta information and name of this image, so that it enhances our search value.
Before you log into Magento, rename the image that you want to use on the page. Use a name that describes the product in the picture.
A good name for the image above would be jamaican-blue-mountain-coffee-whole-bean.jpg
. A bad name for the image above would be jamaican_flag_with_coffee_beans.jpg
.
1. Log in to your site's backend or Administrative Panel.
2. Select Catalog | Manage Products.
3. Select the product whose image information you want to edit.
4. Select the Image tab.
5. Select the Browse Files... button. A dialog box appears where you will select the image to upload.
6. Navigate to the directory containing the image to upload, and select the image.
If there is an old image, as in the previous screenshot, you will want to remove it.
1. In the row for the old image, enable the Remove checkbox.
2. In the row for the new image, click on the radio buttons for the image sizes (Base Image, Small Image, and Thumbnail).
3. In the row for the new image, enter a Label for the image. Remember to use keywords that enhance the search result for the page.
4. Click on the Save button.
Let's take a look at the HTML code for this page. When we view the source code, we see the HTML code that puts the image of the coffee on the page. The image also has meta information, which should describe the picture. Look for the "alt" and "title" text:
<img src="http://localhost.com/brew-me-a-cup.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/thumbnail/56x/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/j/a/jamaican-blue-mountain-coffee-whole-bean.jpg" alt="Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Whole Bean" title="Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Whole Bean" />
Notice that the image's name indicates it is the one we uploaded in the previous instructions. The name contains keywords that accurately describe the content of the picture and the page.
Also notice the alt and title text for the image. Magento used the text we entered into the Label field for those tags. Search engines will see those key words, even if your visitors don't.
Yahoo! offers tips for improving the search engine ranking of your web pages. You can see the article at http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/search/ranking/ranking-02.html. Notice the sixth bullet point: "Use ALT text for graphics..."
Google also offers tips for writing good alt text on their page titled Images at http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=114016.