Use original media with a job
Photograph real jobs, staff, locations, and before-and-after results when you have permission. Place each image near text that explains what it shows and why it matters.
SEO guide 13 · The media optimization pipeline
Image and Video SEO for Discovery and Accessibility
Media SEO makes your photos and videos easy to find, quick to load, and useful on the page where they appear.
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Why this matters
How this part of SEO supports visibility and customer decisions.
Original photos and video can show your work, explain a process, and help customers judge quality in ways text can't. Google can show that media in image and video results when it can access the files and understand them.
Oversized, decorative, or undescribed media can instead slow pages and shut out visitors using screen readers. Start with why each image is there, then describe it, size it, and deliver it efficiently.
See the work in context.
Make original media discoverable and useful
Original photos and video can show your work, explain a process, and help customers judge quality in ways text can't. Google can show that media in image and video results when it can access the files and understand them.
- Use original media with a job
- Write useful alt text
- Size files for the screen
Keep every asset purposeful, accessible, and fast
Oversized, decorative, or undescribed media can instead slow pages and shut out visitors using screen readers. Start with why each image is there, then describe it, size it, and deliver it efficiently.
- List the key images and videos on each important page, with their purpose and file size.
- Replace stock images with your own photos where they show real work or proof.
- Compress and resize files, then check that pages don't shift while loading on a phone.
Correct media that slows or excludes
Knowing what to avoid saves time and protects the trust you have built.
- Stuffing alt text with keywords instead of describing the image
- Uploading oversized files and relying on the page to shrink them
- Embedding an important video with no useful page around it
Recommended practices
What good work looks like.
Write useful alt text
Describe informative images briefly and leave decorative images with empty alt text. Hypothetical example: “Technician replacing a water heater's anode rod,” not “plumber plumbing best plumber water heater.” Caption or transcribe meaningful video.
Size files for the screen
Use modern formats, sensible compression, and responsive image sizes. Reserve space so the layout doesn't jump. Don't lazy-load the main image at the top of the page.
Give important videos a real page
Put key videos on a stable page with a descriptive title, supporting text, a thumbnail, and playback that doesn't require a login.
Add accurate media metadata
Use image or video structured data and sitemaps where they apply. Keep file URLs stable and make sure markup describes media visitors can actually see.
What to do next
A practical checklist.
- 01
List the key images and videos on each important page, with their purpose and file size.
- 02
Replace stock images with your own photos where they show real work or proof.
- 03
Compress and resize files, then check that pages don't shift while loading on a phone.
- 04
Add alt text, captions, and transcripts that a person has reviewed.
- 05
Use URL Inspection to confirm Google can fetch important image and video pages.
Avoid these shortcuts
Mistakes that cost visibility or trust.
- Stuffing alt text with keywords instead of describing the image
- Uploading oversized files and relying on the page to shrink them
- Embedding an important video with no useful page around it
- Using stock or AI-generated images as if they show real work
Search visibility, rankings, enhanced results, calls, leads, and revenue depend on demand, competition, the website's starting point, and factors outside any agency's control. Results are not guaranteed.
Questions business owners ask
Direct answers for this part of SEO.
01Does every image need descriptive alt text?+
Every image needs an alt attribute, but decorative ones should usually be empty so screen readers skip them. Informative images need a short description of what they show.
02Should image filenames contain keywords?+
A readable filename like “water-heater-install.jpg” adds a little context and helps you stay organized. It's no substitute for good placement, nearby text, and alt text.
03Do all videos need separate pages?+
No. Give a video its own page when watching it is the main point. Short supporting clips can stay inside a broader page if that serves visitors better.
Primary guidance
Read the current source material.
Apply the right practice to the right problem