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TL;DR
A photograph should help someone understand the work or the product. A sharp wardrobe detail, a useful product angle or a labelled dimension drawing can answer a buying question better than another paragraph. Image optimisation starts with that purpose, then checks whether the image is accessible and loads reliably.
This checklist suits a business owner reviewing project galleries or a shop catalogue with a designer. It does not require renaming an entire media library or adding keywords to every picture.
1. Check ownership and what the image claims
Record who supplied the image and the permission covering website use. Check any restrictions before publishing. Where a customer, address, registration plate or private document appears, decide what needs permission, removal or obscuring. Refer uncertain rights questions to someone qualified to assess them.
Do not label a stock image as your completed project. Do not let an illustrative image imply a product includes accessories it does not include. Keep a simple record beside the content brief so a later editor understands what can be reused.
For a project gallery, identify which photographs show the finished work and which show preparation. A caption can explain a relevant constraint without disclosing the customer's private details.
2. Give each image a job
For a fictional fitted-wardrobe project, choose an overall view, an interior storage view and a detail showing the sloping ceiling. Three distinct views help explain the work. Twelve near-identical shots make the useful detail harder to find.
For a fictional desk product, show the front, cable opening and dimension drawing. If two finishes are available, check that selecting each finish shows the correct photograph. An attractive lifestyle shot is useful context, but it should not replace clear product views.
| Image | Customer question | Supporting text |
|---|---|---|
| Wardrobe interior | What storage arrangement is shown? | Identify drawers, shelving and hanging space |
| Desk dimension drawing | Will it fit? | Provide the measurements as readable text too |
| Finish close-up | What am I choosing? | Name the finish accurately and explain sample availability if offered |
3. Write alt text for the image's purpose
Describe the information someone would miss without seeing the image. For the fictional wardrobe interior, “Wardrobe interior with two hanging rails, four drawers and adjustable shelving” is more useful than “best bespoke wardrobes Yorkshire”. Keep the wording relevant to what is visible and to the page.
Decorative images that add no information generally need empty alt text. Functional images need a description of their action or destination. The W3C alt decision tree helps distinguish these cases. Do not remove alt attributes altogether as a substitute for deciding the image's purpose.
Google's image guidance recommends descriptive context and warns against keyword stuffing. Alt text is not a hidden sales paragraph. Put complex measurements, instructions and comparisons in accessible page text rather than trying to fit everything into one description.
4. Prepare files for their actual display size
Keep an original master, then create web versions appropriate to the layout. A small card usually does not need the same delivered file as a full-screen project image. Ask the developer whether responsive image sizes are supplied and whether dimensions reserve space before loading.
Compare compression visually. Check text on diagrams, material texture and product edges. There is no universal file-size target that suits every image; use the smallest version that preserves the detail needed for its job. Check browser support and fallbacks when changing formats.
Use a clear filename for new uploads, such as “oak-desk-cable-opening”, rather than a camera sequence alone. Avoid bulk renaming live files without checking references and redirects. A tidier filename does not justify broken images across old pages.
5. Test mobile crops and loading
Open the page on a narrow screen. Confirm that the crop still shows the feature described in nearby text. A wardrobe photograph cropped to its centre may hide the ceiling detail; a product card may cut off the item's shape. Choose another crop or layout when needed.
Check the initial view and the gallery further down. The main visible image should not depend on a visitor clicking or scrolling before it can load. Deferred loading can help lower-page images, but the implementation needs testing. Open important image URLs directly and check that ordinary visitors and crawlers can retrieve them.
Use this acceptance worksheet
| Check | Record before approval | | --- | --- | | Purpose and accuracy | What does the image prove or explain? | | Permission | Source, restrictions and approving person | | Accessibility | Meaningful description, empty decorative alt or functional label | | Delivery | Correct file, suitable size and no broken request | | Mobile | Important detail survives the crop | | Review owner | Who replaces outdated product or project images? |
Finally, share the page link privately and inspect its preview. Website images and social previews can use different settings; see the Open Graph preview checklist.
If the review reveals template or loading problems, technical SEO support explains the next step. Request a quote with an example page and the image behaviour you want reviewed.
