This is easily the "techiest" thing you'll do in this course.

And it really isn't THAT bad.

But I'll walk you through it.

First let's go grab that folder you have from module one... the one with 20-30 pictures of relating to your business.

You'll need these pictures to be in the .jpg format.

If your pictures AREN'T in .jpg format, don't panic... there's an app for that.

;-)

We can quickly convert them into usable form using a resource in this post.

Read on...

Making Google Juice for Your Images

For my example we'll use Heritage Health, the chiropractic office in Centennial, CO.

I've gotten about two dozen images in this folder, along with a notepad with my keywords and the NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information. Google loves consistency, so we want to check the NAP for accuracy and then copy and paste it everywhere.

Heritage Health is a chiropractic office in Centennial, Colorado that specializes in auto accident injury treatment.

Inside this folder we have a number of images from the local business we're going to get ranked.

This is one of the owners.

Look at the "name" of the photo: IMG_903344432. YIKES!

When you "right click" the photo, it opens up the properties and allows you to rename the picture something more search-friendly.

I know this screenshot of my computer is a little busy, but look at the grey box. After right-clicking this box comes up.

Select "Rename":

The gobbledegook is highlighted and you can make changes.

Now, "IMG_903344432" becomes "Michael Stofan Physical Therapist Heritage Health Centennial CO".

This is much more descriptive of what this picture is, as far as Big G (Google) is concerned!

Important Info about Using Stock Photos

Pictures taken BY the client, or by you, are usually best.

But sometimes you may buy a picture to portray the problem or the solution that your business provides.

Here's an example of a stock photo, that might already have "properties" in it.

I like to use Ribbet.com to alter a picture. If the picture wasn't not already a .jpg, you can rename it at save it as a .jpg in this platform. Costs ya $5 a month to use Ribbet.com.

If the photo lives somewhere on the internet, you'll want to make some alterations... perhaps just crop it a little, put a frame around it, add a text overlay.

This is so that the pic isn't totally identical to the other little digital ambasssadors around;

we don't want Heritage Health to become confused with other chiropractic clinics that are also using the image.

Now, our photo is a .jpg... and she's also renamed something useful for both humans and spiderbots to understand.

Alter the "Properties" to Document the Image's Relevance for Google

Now for the part that makes the big bucks.

Beside renaming the photo a keyword, you can also get into the picture's "Properties" and document more about what this pic stands for.

Right click again, and this time go to the bottom where the .jpg's "Properties" are stored.

If you took the picture, a lot of these fields will be blank. But if you're using a stock photo, chances are there's a lot of info attached to the photo that you want to clear out.

EITHER way you'll be using all of these fields to give Big G what it craves... detail, detail, detail about what this picture is supposed to be about.

Behold the "Properties" box:

Each picture has a Title, a Subject, a Rating, Tags, Comments, and Authors. This is where the money lives.

There may already be info in the picture's background that doesn't serve our purpose of getting found in the local area. So we'll be making some adjustments.

There's also information about the date the photo was taken, when it was acquired, how many pixels... none of that matters much to your search hacking efforts. But DO make sure you have written permish to use the pic if it has a copyright!

The copyright is blank in this photo so no worries. It's paid for as a stock photo, so I can do with it what I want. You may want to insert a copyright after altering it depending on your business type; consult legal about that.

I personally usually don't bother copyrighting my images for my kinds of businesses.

"Metadata" (Background Info) Put Into Images to Get them Found

Okay, before messing around with the pictures, you'll also want to open your notepad with your list of keywords and your NAP info:

There were so many keywords I had to scroll down to show you this. Look at the bottom for the NAP info:

It's VERY important that your NAP info is consistent EVERYWHERE that it lives.

In this example, it's

7555 E Arapahoe Rd.... NOT

7555 East Arapahoe Rd, or

7555 E Arapahoe Road.

In this example it also isn't Suite 2, Number 2, No. 2, Suite Two..... it's simply #2.

Make sure this NAP is consistent in every picture and in every citation (we'll get to that) you post on the internet.

Not sure what variation of your address to use?

The best procedure to use in this case would be to determine what Google thinks your address is.

Search for your own business on Big G and see how the address is listed, EXACTLY... verify where the pin drop is, then make your NAP identical to that.

Do the search even if you haven't claimed your Google My Business listing; you may already have a Maps listing and not know it.

Detailed Instructions for Documenting the Images

After opening "Properties", click on the tab, "Details".

First for the Title. Normally I title it the same as the picture's name.

In this case, it's a keyword plus the geographical area: Back Pain Relief Centennial CO.

Next, the Subject. Write this section more for a human than for a Google spiderbot.

What WAS in here, came in with the stock photo's description:

Woman with neck / back pain. Business woman rubbing her painful back close up. Pain relief concept

We're going to replace that info like so:

At Heritage Health in Centennial, we get you relief for your back pain

Lookee there:

Next, the picture's rating.

DUH, five stars!

Because, why not?

Now open your handy dandy notepad replete with piles of keywords. The keywords go in the "tags" section.

"Tags" help the user find the picture. If you took this picture yourself this field will likely be blank, unless you use a program to catalog your photos.

See the "massage; rheumatism; ache;..." info? That's how I found the picture on DepositPhotos.com.

Time to replace that info with something from my keyword list that matches the picture.

I'm thinkin'...

Back Pain Centennial CO;

Back Pain Treatment Centennial CO;

Back Pain Therapy 80112;

Back Pain Relief 80112!

Finally, the authorship of the picture. You might be mad at me for replacing the photographer's name but hey.

STOCK photos are MADE to be licensed by someone else.

There is no copyright and you have after all purchased the photo and made alterations.

I put my client's name as the author in this stock photo, as well as putting him in the properties as the author in his own pics.

All done!

After adding what Google craves, these pics are going to become your little digital ambassadors.

IN the next section we'll show you what to do with them.

Okay, Hackers! Time to make hay.

Supercharge your pics with Googleness... geo-tagged keywords... and get ready for the big time.

This is one of the most labor-intensive things we'll do in this whole course. The good news is, you only need to do it ONCE to reap rewards for a long time: free exposure, leads and customers await your small business once you get this handled.

So after doing this assignment you are well on your way! Post your fave business images in the group!