What is the importance of image file names and H1, H2 and H3 tags

[maximumrank]

Hello,

My client thinks they will get better rankings if we change the product image names to reflect the keywords for that page, is this true? I believe I just have to add "alt tags" but not sure now.

Also, they think its very important to have H1, H2 and H3 tags on each page. I thought this wasn't a big factor anymore. Is it?

Thanks

[mrdavidingram]

Hi John,

These issues do matter, but it's all down to your perception of 'big'. Changing the titles and the alt tags aren't going to send a site soaring to number one, but they will help as part of a focused SEO effort.

For the img tags; I wouldn't recommend simply adding the keywords into the alt tags. This looks spammy, and is no real help to anyone. Remember there are people out there who genuinely rely on these tags to enjoy a website. Make the alt tags contain genuine descriptions of the images, this will give a fuller and richer picture to the search engines, and it will help your visitors too. Win win.

In terms of how, just add alt="" to your tags. E.g:

Using the appropriate H1/H2 tags is a strong factor in terms of on-page relevence, but again these should be genuine editorial titles rather than keyword features solely for the search engines.

So yes, I would definitely say address these issues and tweak the site appropriately, but I would also recommend managing your clients expectations that these changes won't be the secret to success.

Thanks,

David