Optimizing Images in SEO Efforts

[WildSeeker]

Greetings!

I am curious about how others are optimizing images (more specifically, the code placing the images on a site) as part of their SEO efforts. Since Google and Yahoo are now presenting image galleries with search results (under separate tabs of course), does it make sense to focus on this area for optimization?

Any insight, as always, is greatly appreciated.

[greeneagle]

I have started naming all pics precisely with and underscore between words (no numbers) as well as using accurate alt tags. We'll see if it helps.
Ken

[Mel]

I believe that Google does not recognize the underscore (_) as a word seperator though it does recognize the dash (-) so I use dashes to seperate my words. I have seen the title attribute used for graphics with some success.

[greeneagle]

Mel,
Are you sure about the (-) vs underscore (_) issue with GOOGLE? I haven't seen this anywhere before. If so I sure need to make adjustments.

Ken

[WildSeeker]

I too have been under the impression that the underscore (_) was fairly universal for the purpose of word separation in naming files - i.e., images.

[greeneagle]

Gentlemen,
I started a new topic in this forum to help sort this out.
Ken

[Mel]

Yes Ken I am certain, but it is easy enough to verify. just do a search in google (easier if you use the
google tool bar with highlighting turned on) for say drill_bits and then for drill-bits. You will notice that for drill_bits google returns only 2780 pages and all the bolded search terms (and/or highlighted terms) are only exzct matches for drill_bits.

Next the search for drill-bits which returns 363,000 pages and the terms drill, drill bits and drill bits are all highlighted and/or bolded and even some stemmed variations.

[greeneagle]

But "Drill Bits" returns 806,000, so what gives?
Ken

[Mel]

Originally Posted by greeneagle

But "Drill Bits" returns 806,000, so what gives?
Ken

hmmm... for that search I get 359,000 results,which makes sense since both searches require all the words but the quoted search requires the words in that sequence, so bits drill will not return results in the quoted search, but it will in the dashed search.


the search drill bits without quotes returns 863,000 results but either the drill or bits is highlighted so there should be many more results. BTW look at the # 5 result from Amazon in that search where there is a result which includes the term pre-drill bits, but only that only drill is bolded or highlighted.

[greeneagle]

I retried the search from the GOOGLE TOOLBAR and from their site www.google.com on "drill bits" and get the same 806,000, don't understand the discrepancy!

Let's continue here:
http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=11838
Ken