How to name image files

Quick guide to naming images for SEO and accessibility.

Judd Lyon
Judd Lyon Updated Jan 15, 2025
Video walkthrough coming soon

The Formula

Use lowercase, hyphens, and descriptive names:

blue-widget-front-view.jpg
product-detail-closeup.png
team-photo-2024.jpg

What to Avoid

  • Generic names like IMG_1234.jpg or photo.png
  • Spaces — use hyphens instead
  • Underscores — hyphens are better for SEO
  • ALL CAPS — keep it lowercase
  • Special characters — stick to letters, numbers, hyphens

Why It Matters

  1. SEO — Search engines read file names to understand images
  2. Accessibility — Screen readers may announce file names
  3. Organization — Easier to find files later
  4. URLs — Clean file names = clean URLs
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