Have a web site that’s heavy on photos? Want to optimize those images for better search engine visibility? I’ll risk the duplicate content police and copy what I just wrote at the Small Business Ideas Forum: Six steps for image search engine optimization.

Very Important Factors

1.) Use keywords in the file name of the image, such as red-widget.jpg.

2.) Make sure the image has a caption, preferably in bold, immediately above or below the image, with the keyword(s) you’re targeting.

3.) Also use the keyword(s) immediately before or after the image in the main body text on your page.

Less Important Factors (but possibly helpful)

4.) Alt text and Title element used on the image. (I’m actually testing this a bit at the moment.)

5.) Anchor text of any links pointing at the image.

6.) Trust factors (i.e., site trustworthiness, age, etc.)

Image queries, by the way, account for about 10% of all web searches (according to former Yahoo Search Mgr. Jon Glick).