Which images should you work on first?

Choose a page that matters to your business, then review each photo against a customer question. For a shop, that might be a product page. For a freelancer, it might be a page showing completed work.

Give each photo a job

Ask what the visitor should learn from the image. Does it show the product's shape, a useful detail, or how it looks in use? Write that purpose beside the image in your working document.

Illustrative example: imagine a small shop selling handmade mugs. Give the main photo the job of showing the whole mug, then use another to show the handle. Ask whether a third photo adds information before including it.

Place the photo near the relevant explanation. Google uses surrounding page content to help understand images, so the relationship matters. See its image context guidance.

For a made-to-order product, review the picture alongside the options the buyer can select. Mark any illustration or mockup clearly in your own publishing checklist. The print-on-demand starter guide offers a related business planning path.

Create a simple inventory

• Record the page and the image's purpose.
• Keep the original file available for comparison.
• Note the current filename and description.
• Assign an owner for the replacement and final review.

Keep this first inventory small enough to finish. A completed review of one useful page gives you a process to repeat across the rest of the site.

What should filenames and alt text say?

Use a short filename and a description of what matters in the photo. Alt text is the written description of an image; it helps people who cannot see it and gives Google context. Filenames provide only a light clue about the subject. Google explains both roles.

Describe the actual image

Look at the picture while writing. Include a useful distinguishing detail, then stop. Do not add claims about durability, origin, or performance simply because they appear in your sales copy.

The table below uses invented examples for a hypothetical homeware shop. Adapt the wording to the real item and the particular view being shown.

Do not turn the description into a string of search terms. Google advises against keyword stuffing in alt text. Its examples show the difference between useful detail and excessive keywords.

Review the description separately from the sales copy

Ask someone else to match the description to the photograph. If they cannot tell which view you mean, replace a generic phrase with a visible detail. If the text describes something absent from the picture, remove it.

For new uploads, agree on a filename pattern before the next batch arrives. Use the product name and view where useful. Avoid making a full archive rename your first task when the immediate goal is to fix one sales page.

How small should the image file be?

Choose dimensions for the intended display, then compare file weight and visible quality. Dimensions are the width and height in pixels; file weight is the amount of data downloaded. Both belong in your review. web.dev's image performance lesson explains these considerations.

Match the file to its use

A small product card and a detailed product view deserve separate decisions. Screen density also affects the appropriate dimensions, so matching the displayed width alone is not always enough. The sizing guidance covers this distinction.

Ask your website developer to check responsive images, meaning image delivery that adapts to the display. The HTML settings called srcset and sizes help the browser choose from different versions. web.dev explains how they work.

You do not need to write those settings yourself. Give the developer a page to inspect and ask which file is delivered on a phone and on a larger screen. Request an explanation tied to those examples.

Compare WebP with JPEG

Compression reduces the data in an image file. WebP often compresses better than JPEG, but compare the actual outputs before choosing. That is the practical implication of web.dev's format comparison.

1. Keep the original photograph.
2. Prepare JPEG and WebP versions for the same use.
3. Record their file weights.
4. Compare them at the size visitors will see.
5. Inspect important edges, labels, textures and colour transitions.
6. Choose the lighter version that passes your quality review.

Avoid setting an arbitrary universal file limit. Instead, write down what must remain clear in each image. For the hypothetical mug shop, that might be the handle shape and glaze detail; for another business, choose its own important features.

How can you check whether Google can find the images?

Ask your developer to confirm that important photos use a standard img element with a src address. Google can discover those images but does not index CSS background images. CSS controls page presentation. Google documents this distinction.

Check one real product page

Send the page and identify the exact photo to inspect. Ask for confirmation that it uses the correct image element. Where multiple versions are offered, keep the fallback src address that Google recommends.

Indexing means adding content to a search engine's database. Discovery alone does not guarantee inclusion. Google's starter guide explicitly avoids that promise.

Review the image sitemap

An image sitemap lists image addresses for discovery. It can tell Google about images it might otherwise miss. Google's sitemap advice describes that purpose.

First ask whether your existing sitemap includes images. Pick an important product photo and have the responsible person check its address. Use the XML sitemap guide for the broader setup.

Keep the answer concrete: which page was checked, which photo was checked, what needs changing, and who will do it? A statement that everything is optimized is less useful than a short record you can review.

What should your team finish this week?

Finish one page and document the decisions. Separate content approval from the technical check so each person knows what they are responsible for.

Use a clear acceptance checklist

• The business owner approves the product and visual details.
• The editor checks filenames and descriptions against the photos.
• The person preparing files records the chosen sizes and formats.
• The developer checks image delivery and discovery.
• The final reviewer opens the page on a phone and a larger screen.

For a speed check, Google recommends PageSpeed Insights in its image optimization guidance. Save a before-and-after check of the same page. Record other changes made during the work so you do not credit every difference to the images.

Allow time before judging search results. Google says changes can take time to appear and may not produce a noticeable effect. See the starter guide's expectations.

If you need help assigning the technical work, review the services page with your completed checklist. For additional planning material, browse free resources. Choose your next reading task from the English article collection after this page is finished.