Best SEO Checklist
ONE FOCUSED ACTION

Use descriptive, hyphenated file names for all images.

Ecommerce SEO · Image SEO · Product-page SEO · Voice-search SEO

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    Why this matters

    Descriptive file names help search engines understand image content and improve indexing signals.

    A STARTING-POINT EXAMPLE

    Hypothetical standard operating procedure

    Adapt this example to your site, access, tools, and change process. It is our suggested procedure, informed by the sources below.

    1. Audit current image file names for descriptiveness.
    2. Rename files before uploading, using lowercase and hyphens.
    3. Avoid spaces, underscores, or generic naming conventions.
    4. Organize images into topical folders reflecting site structure.
    5. Maintain consistent file name use to avoid losing indexing signals.

    Watch for

    Generic or default file names like IMG_1234.jpg provide no useful information to search engines.

    Definition of done

    All images have file names with 3-7 hyphenated words clearly describing the content.

    Sources & attribution

    1. The Complete Checklist for Image SEO ↗
    2. Image SEO Best Practices ↗
    3. Product Page SEO Checklist: 12 Steps to Rank & Convert ↗
    4. Product Page SEO Best Practices ↗
    5. On-Page SEO Checklist for Small Businesses ↗
    6. WordPress SEO Checklist for Publishers: On-Page and Technical Basics ↗
    7. Ecommerce SEO Best Practices by Ahrefs ↗

    Original checklist wording and example SOP by Best SEO Checklist, using source-grounded AI assistance. Editorial contact: Ted Kubaitis, @tedkubaitis on Teams. Check current source guidance before implementation.