Search Marketing FAQ

WebP is the safer 2026 default: universal browser support, well-tooled, 30-50% smaller than JPEG at the same quality. AVIF wins on file size (another 20% smaller than WebP) and image quality but costs you encoding time and remains spotty in older Safari builds. Pick WebP unless every byte matters.

in Image SEO

For photographs being uploaded to platforms that do not yet support WebP or AVIF (some social networks, older CDNs, legacy ecommerce themes), or when working with sources that require JPEG. For images on your own modern site, WebP is almost always a better choice than JPEG: smaller file, same perceived quality.

in Image SEO

For images that need transparency, hard-edged graphics like logos and icons, screenshots with text, and any image where lossless quality matters more than file size. Convert PNG photos to WebP for major file-size wins. For modern responsive sites, SVG handles most icon and logo cases at zero file weight.

in Image SEO

Yes, indirectly. Image weight is the single largest contributor to most pages' total payload. Heavier images mean slower LCP, which is a Core Web Vitals ranking signal and a conversion killer. Sharp, sharp-cli, ImageMagick, or a CDN with auto-optimization can shave 60-80% off file size without visible quality loss.

in Image SEO

Lazy loading defers off-screen image loading until the user scrolls near them, saving bandwidth and improving initial page load. Google supports loading="lazy" natively and indexes lazy-loaded images. The risk is lazy-loading above-the-fold images (especially the LCP image), which delays LCP and hurts Core Web Vitals. Never lazy-load above the fold.

in Image SEO

No. The image that paints first (usually the LCP element) should be eagerly loaded with high fetch priority. Set fetchpriority="high" on the LCP image's `<img>` tag and use rel="preload" in the head. Lazy-loading above-the-fold delays LCP and tanks Core Web Vitals scores for both ranking and user experience.

in Image SEO

srcset lets the browser pick the right image size for the user's viewport instead of sending a desktop-sized hero to a phone. sizes tells the browser how big the image will render. Together they reduce bytes downloaded on mobile by 50-80%, improving LCP, mobile usability, and Core Web Vitals - all ranking signals.

in Image SEO

Specifying width and height (or aspect-ratio in CSS) lets the browser reserve space for the image before it loads, preventing layout shifts as the image arrives. Layout shifts hurt Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), a Core Web Vitals ranking factor. Two attributes prevent a measurable SEO penalty for almost zero developer effort.

in Image SEO

Every important image on your site that you want indexed in Google Images: product photos, hero images, illustrations central to content, infographics. Skip decorative images, icons, logos, and template-level images that repeat across the site. Each URL entry can list up to 1,000 image references. Keep image sitemap distinct from the main XML sitemap.

in Image SEO

Descriptive, hyphen-separated, lowercase, and brief. Use "black-leather-laptop-bag-13-inch.jpg" instead of "IMG_3847.jpg". Filenames are a weak ranking signal but they help Google understand image content and earn alt-text accuracy. Avoid stuffing keywords; describe what is in the photo. Skip spaces, special characters, and CMS-generated UUIDs.

in Image SEO

Yes, more than alt text in some cases. Captions render visibly under or beside the image so they influence on-page content quality, user engagement, and how Google understands the image-context relationship. They also help when images are the focal point (recipes, products, news photography). Captions never replace alt text - they coexist.

in Image SEO

Yes when possible. Original photography, screenshots, custom diagrams, and product shots beat stock imagery for E-E-A-T (Experience and Expertise signals) and Google Images CTR. Generic stock images appear across thousands of sites and signal that you have not invested in original content. Use stock as a last resort, original as a default.

in Image SEO

Three steps. Run Screaming Frog on the site, export the Images report, and find images with missing alt text and outsized file weight. Add alt text to the top 50 pages by traffic. Convert hero images to WebP at properly sized dimensions. Audit for above-the-fold lazy loading and remove it where present.

in Image SEO

Core updates re-weight Google's ranking signals broadly across the index, affecting most queries and verticals. Spam updates target specific spammy techniques (link spam, scaled content abuse, expired-domain abuse, site reputation abuse) and only affect sites engaging in those techniques. Core updates are slow rebalancing; spam updates are surgical enforcement.

in Algorithm Updates

Three to four core updates per year, typically every 2-3 months. The cadence has been steady since 2018. Each rollout lasts 1-2 weeks. Google announces each one publicly. Between core updates, Google ships continuous adjustments (helpful-content signals are now part of core, not a separate system), so visibility moves daily.

in Algorithm Updates

Google's core update rollout cadence in 2025-2026 has continued at roughly three per year. The most recent confirmed core update (as of the latest indexed corpus) rolled out in March 2026. Search Engine Land and Marie Haynes both maintain running update logs; bookmark either for real-time tracking of newly-confirmed rollouts.

in Algorithm Updates

Core updates do not have a single "change" - Google broadly reweights signals across the index. Common patterns in recent core updates: stronger weight on first-hand experience, demotion of unhelpful AI-content patterns, recognition of original research, and adjustment to author authority signals. Watch winners and losers via Search Engine Land's rollout coverage.

in Algorithm Updates

December 2025 followed Google's December core-update tradition with broad signal reweighting that hit thin-content publishers, AI-content aggregators, and over-optimized affiliate sites. Sites with strong E-E-A-T, original reporting, and consistent helpful-content history benefited. As with every core update, recovery requires content quality improvements, not technical fixes alone.

in Algorithm Updates

Five families: scaled content abuse (mass AI-generated thin content), link spam (paid/manipulative links), site reputation abuse (parasite SEO on news domains), expired-domain abuse (buying domains to reuse the authority), and pure-spam keyword/cloaking violations. Each spam update can target one or more. Recovery requires removing the specific violation, not generic SEO.

in Algorithm Updates

Site reputation abuse policy demotes pages hosting third-party content unrelated to the host's primary purpose (a news site running affiliate-coupon pages in subfolders, for example). The policy can wipe the offending pages from search entirely. Google enforced it via manual actions and algorithmic demotions throughout 2024 and 2025. Recovery means removing the parasite content.

in Algorithm Updates

Check the Manual Actions report in Google Search Console. If Google has issued a manual action, the report lists the violation type, affected sections, and a Submit Reconsideration Request button. Manual actions arrive without warning and can wipe visibility for affected pages or the entire site. If the report is empty, any drop is algorithmic.

in Algorithm Updates

A manual action is a human decision by Google's spam team that you can see in Search Console and appeal via reconsideration request. An algorithmic drop is automatic - the algorithm reweighted signals against your site (Helpful Content, link spam, core update). Manual actions have a clear remediation path; algorithmic recovery requires improving underlying signals.

in Algorithm Updates

Core updates re-weight what Google considers high-quality content. Drops mean Google now considers competing pages more helpful, more authoritative, more original, or better-aligned with the query intent than yours. Common causes: thin or rehashed content, weak E-E-A-T signals, slow Core Web Vitals, or a competitor publishing better content during the rollout.

in Algorithm Updates

Yes, with substantive content quality improvements. Google has stated repeatedly that core-update demotions are reversible if you address the underlying quality issues: genuine helpfulness, demonstrated expertise, original research, better intent matching. Recovery typically arrives with the next core update (2-3 months later), not immediately. Quick technical tweaks alone rarely move the needle.

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