In today’s digital age, publishing content on the web is more important than ever. With the vast array of information available online, it’s crucial that your media stands out and represents your brand effectively. But before you hit “publish” on your latest article or video, it’s essential to ensure it’s web-worthy.
In this blog, we’ll be discussing six key steps to consider when creating media for the web. From optimizing for search engines to ensuring accessibility, we’ll guide you through the essential checklist for designing media that truly shines online. So, let’s get started!
Write Alt Text, Title, and a Caption to Your Media
When you’re publishing media such as images, videos, or audio files on your website or blog post, it is important to provide descriptive text that can help people understand the content of the media. This includes writing an alt text (alternative text), title, and caption for each piece of media before you publish it.
Alt text
Alt text (also known as alternative text or alt tags) is a short description of an image that appears in place of the image if it fails to load. Alt text should provide context to the image and be relevant to the content of the page.
Example:
Alt text: “A fluffy golden retriever puppy sitting in a field of daisies”
Title
The title is the name of the media file, it is used to identify the media file and should be descriptive and concise.
Example:
Title: “Golden_Retriever_Puppy_in_Field_of_Daisies.jpg”
Caption
The caption is a brief description that appears below or above the media file. The caption provides more context to the media and helps in a better understanding of the content.
Example:
Caption: “This cute golden retriever puppy is enjoying a sunny day in the field surrounded by beautiful daisies.”
Rename Your File on Your PC
It is a good practice to rename the media files on your PC before uploading them to your online article. This helps in organizing the files and makes it easier to identify the files in the future.
It is recommended to use descriptive names that accurately reflect the content of the file. For example, instead of using names like “IMG_2345.jpg” you can use names like “Sunset_at_the_Beach.jpg“. This makes it easier to identify the file in the future and improves the overall organization of your files.
Resize Your Images
Always resize your images to make sure your blog has web-worthy media. By resizing the image to fit the post width, it ensures that all images in a post are consistent in size, which can improve the overall look and feel of the post.
One way to do so is by using Squoosh, a free, web-based image compression tool developed by Google that can be used to resize images. It supports various file formats, including JPEG, PNG, WebP, and GIF.
is to follow these steps:
1. Visit the Squoosh website.
2. Click the “Open Image” button to upload your image.
3. In the “Resize” section, select “Pixels” as the size unit and enter the desired width and height in pixels.
4. You can also adjust the quality of the image using the quality slider.
5. Click the “Apply” button to apply the changes.
6. Once you are satisfied with the result, click the “Download” button to save the resized image to your device.
Keep in mind that resizing images can result in a loss of quality, especially if you reduce the image size significantly. It’s always a good idea to keep a copy of the original image so that you can revert to it if needed.
Save as Jpg/JPEG and prepare for WebP
To create web-worthy media, it’s a good idea to save images in JPG or JPEG format while publishing on WordPress or any other platform. JPG/JPEG format is a commonly used image format that is well-suited for photographs and other images with a large number of colors. The format is highly compressible, which means that the file size can be significantly reduced without a noticeable decrease in image quality.
Saving images in JPG/JPEG format can help to reduce the size of the images and make your website load faster, which can improve the user experience. Additionally, use a plugin like Shortpixel that will auto convert your photo to WebP format. This format is widely supported by web browsers and other image-viewing software, which makes it easy to view and share your images online.
Following these four simple tips will ensure that your digital media looks great no matter where it’s viewed from while also protecting yourself legally along the way – win-win situation!
