There is a subtle, yet smart approach to employing photos in an SEO-friendly manner (beyond ALT tags) when reviewing page structure and layout that increases your search rank while allowing you to integrate the appropriate marketing message (s). Confused? Consider the following scenario:

Assume you run a travel website and want to rank a certain page for the term “Las Vegas hotel.” Let’s say you also want to include a compelling marketing message like “Book now and save 20%!” Although the aforementioned tagline lacks detailed language, it has persuasive qualities. As a result, you might wish to use an image for the tagline and a header tag for the essential term (i.e. Las Vegas hotel). This emphasizes the intended term while yet allowing for marketing without jeopardizing keyword consistency.

To put it another way, photos are a wonderful area to put marketing messages that don’t have the right keywords and phrases. Using this method will ensure that descriptive material is indexed while marketing jargon is avoided. Both sides of the strategic equation will be satisfied by a combination of keyword-rich content and attractive message.