When working with web platforms like WordPress, there are three letters that induce anxiety in any business owner: SEO (search engine optimization). It’s one of the most confusing aspects of running a business, and web apps that rate your SEO with no more than a red or green light don’t make it any easier. Read on to find out whether the images on your site are the cause of that annoying red light.

Do images really affect my SEO?

One of the reasons images tend to be overlooked when auditing SEO is because it’s easy to forget just how many images your website has. Maybe you only had a few photos on your homepage when you first built your site. Over time however, you probably added countless visual elements to blog posts, landing pages, and team photos — drastically increasing the influence of your images on your SEO.

Image resolution and load speed

The first thing to check is how your images affect your site’s speed. If you’re using ultra high-resolution photos, those with mobile devices or satellite data connections will have trouble loading your site. Site load times affect your site’s ranking on Google, so make sure to pair your images down to a more reasonable resolution and save them as web-friendly file types.

• Choose the JPEG format for illustrations or big photos since it provides clarity and good colors in a smaller file size.
• Select the PNG format to preserve background transparency.
• Use the SVG format for icons and logos. Combine this with Javascript or CSS to resize SVG images without losing quality.

Keywords and image title

The days of keyword-stuffing are long gone, but that doesn’t mean you can get away with uploading images with filenames like “DSC2558.jpg”. Before doing so, make sure the names of your images are relevant to their content, such as “gym-trainer-helping-lift.jpg” or “call-center-customer-service.jpg”. This makes it easier for search engines to derive information from the images on a page.

“Alt text” and title text

Even though Google is getting better at recognizing image content without any help from text identifiers, describing your images in your website’s back-end is still important for SEO. Every image on your site should have enough text-based information without disrupting the user experience.
To see how this works in WordPress, open your site dashboard and click on Media. This will display all the images, videos, and audio there. Click on any photo and you'll have access to text editing tools. Whatever you include in the Caption field will be shown below the image, so check that it corresponds with your content. If not, skip it. In this case, user experience takes priority over SEO.

The Alternative Text and Description fields will be visible to visitors only if the image doesn’t load or if they select it manually. They may not seem that important, but these should be considered non-negotiable for SEO purposes.

Check that your site is doing all these things before requesting another SEO report. If your score changes, audit your image optimizations regularly. If you’re still seeing red, there are a number of web- and cloud-based platforms that can help improve your content. Give us a call today to find out more!

The post Is SEO affected by website images? appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

When working with web platforms like WordPress, there are three letters that induce anxiety in any business owner: SEO (search engine optimization). It’s one of the most confusing aspects of running a business, and web apps that rate your SEO with no more than a red or green light don’t make it any easier. Read on to find out whether the images on your site are the cause of that annoying red light.

Do images really affect my SEO?

One of the reasons images tend to be overlooked when auditing SEO is because it’s easy to forget just how many images your website has. Maybe you only had a few photos on your homepage when you first built your site. Over time however, you probably added countless visual elements to blog posts, landing pages, and team photos — drastically increasing the influence of your images on your SEO.

Image resolution and load speed

The first thing to check is how your images affect your site’s speed. If you’re using ultra high-resolution photos, those with mobile devices or satellite data connections will have trouble loading your site. Site load times affect your site’s ranking on Google, so make sure to pair your images down to a more reasonable resolution and save them as web-friendly file types.

• Choose the JPEG format for illustrations or big photos since it provides clarity and good colors in a smaller file size.
• Select the PNG format to preserve background transparency.
• Use the SVG format for icons and logos. Combine this with Javascript or CSS to resize SVG images without losing quality.

Keywords and image title

The days of keyword-stuffing are long gone, but that doesn’t mean you can get away with uploading images with filenames like “DSC2558.jpg”. Before doing so, make sure the names of your images are relevant to their content, such as “gym-trainer-helping-lift.jpg” or “call-center-customer-service.jpg”. This makes it easier for search engines to derive information from the images on a page.

“Alt text” and title text

Even though Google is getting better at recognizing image content without any help from text identifiers, describing your images in your website’s back-end is still important for SEO. Every image on your site should have enough text-based information without disrupting the user experience.
To see how this works in WordPress, open your site dashboard and click on Media. This will display all the images, videos, and audio there. Click on any photo and you'll have access to text editing tools. Whatever you include in the Caption field will be shown below the image, so check that it corresponds with your content. If not, skip it. In this case, user experience takes priority over SEO.

The Alternative Text and Description fields will be visible to visitors only if the image doesn’t load or if they select it manually. They may not seem that important, but these should be considered non-negotiable for SEO purposes.

Check that your site is doing all these things before requesting another SEO report. If your score changes, audit your image optimizations regularly. If you’re still seeing red, there are a number of web- and cloud-based platforms that can help improve your content. Give us a call today to find out more!

The post Is SEO affected by website images? appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

If you have bought an Android phone on contract from a wireless provider, you’ve likely noticed apps that come preinstalled on your device. These apps are called bloatware, which many users don’t want. The problem is, they’re difficult — if not impossible — to uninstall. Luckily, there is something you can do about them.

What is bloatware?

Bloatware is software that is preinstalled on the device by mobile carriers. These are “value-added” apps, which require you to pay extra to use them. An example of such apps is a music streaming service run by the carrier.

These apps are preinstalled because many carriers have contracts with manufacturers to install them. In other words, you don’t get a choice as to whether or not it is installed on your device.

Is bloatware bad?

Mobile bloatware often gets a bad rap even though they’re not necessarily bad or malicious. Some users even use some of the device’s preinstalled apps. That said, many take issue with the fact that they weren’t given a choice as to whether they want these apps installed on their devices.

Can I get rid of bloatware?

Unfortunately, no. Some bloatware can be uninstalled, but some can’t be deleted. But don’t fret. There are two options you can consider:

1. Disable bloatware on your device

If your phone runs on Android 4.X and newer, you can disable bloatware by following these steps.

1. Open your device’s Settings panel by sliding down from the top of the screen and selecting the person icon with five squares, followed by Settings.
2. Tap on Apps and swipe right to highlight All at the top.
3. Scroll to the app you would like to disable and tap on it.
4. Press Disable.
5. Tap Ok in the warning that opens.
6. Once you do this, the app will be removed from the home screen and will no longer run in the background.

2. Purchase devices without bloatware

If you are buying a device or are looking to upgrade your current phone, make sure to purchase a device without bloatware. Most phones purchased separately from a carrier won’t have carrier-specific apps. Consider buying at big-box stores or retailers instead of mobile carriers.

If you are unsure as to whether the device you plan to buy has bloatware, ask the salesperson or read online reviews. When you purchase a device from a mobile carrier, there’s usually a stipulation agreement indicating that you permit them to install certain apps. Signing this contract means giving your consent.

One of the downsides to this is that you have to pay full price for the device. For some, this is acceptable, while others are fine with the odd bit of bloatware if they get to pay less for their device.

Looking to learn more about Android devices? Contact us today — our IT experts can help!

The post Android bloatware: What you need to know appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

If you have bought an Android phone on contract from a wireless provider, you’ve likely noticed apps that come preinstalled on your device. These apps are called bloatware, which many users don’t want. The problem is, they’re difficult — if not impossible — to uninstall. Luckily, there is something you can do about them.

What is bloatware?

Bloatware is software that is preinstalled on the device by mobile carriers. These are “value-added” apps, which require you to pay extra to use them. An example of such apps is a music streaming service run by the carrier.

These apps are preinstalled because many carriers have contracts with manufacturers to install them. In other words, you don’t get a choice as to whether or not it is installed on your device.

Is bloatware bad?

Mobile bloatware often gets a bad rap even though they’re not necessarily bad or malicious. Some users even use some of the device’s preinstalled apps. That said, many take issue with the fact that they weren’t given a choice as to whether they want these apps installed on their devices.

Can I get rid of bloatware?

Unfortunately, no. Some bloatware can be uninstalled, but some can’t be deleted. But don’t fret. There are two options you can consider:

1. Disable bloatware on your device

If your phone runs on Android 4.X and newer, you can disable bloatware by following these steps.

1. Open your device’s Settings panel by sliding down from the top of the screen and selecting the person icon with five squares, followed by Settings.
2. Tap on Apps and swipe right to highlight All at the top.
3. Scroll to the app you would like to disable and tap on it.
4. Press Disable.
5. Tap Ok in the warning that opens.
6. Once you do this, the app will be removed from the home screen and will no longer run in the background.

2. Purchase devices without bloatware

If you are buying a device or are looking to upgrade your current phone, make sure to purchase a device without bloatware. Most phones purchased separately from a carrier won’t have carrier-specific apps. Consider buying at big-box stores or retailers instead of mobile carriers.

If you are unsure as to whether the device you plan to buy has bloatware, ask the salesperson or read online reviews. When you purchase a device from a mobile carrier, there’s usually a stipulation agreement indicating that you permit them to install certain apps. Signing this contract means giving your consent.

One of the downsides to this is that you have to pay full price for the device. For some, this is acceptable, while others are fine with the odd bit of bloatware if they get to pay less for their device.

Looking to learn more about Android devices? Contact us today — our IT experts can help!

The post Android bloatware: What you need to know appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..