Images are often the most important part of a Wix website. Photographers, venues, restaurants, designers, builders and shops all sell with pictures. Images also affect SEO in three ways: they influence page speed, they help Google understand the page, and they can bring visitors through Google Images and visual search. Done well, image optimisation is quick. Done badly, it is one of the main reasons Wix sites are slow and thin.
This article is part of our complete guide: Wix and Squarespace SEO: The Complete Guide (2026).
1. Choose and prepare images before uploading
Use real photos where you can
Photos of your own work, premises, team and products build more trust than stock images, and they are unique, which Google values. Stock images are fine for backgrounds, but your key pages should show real work.
Resize to the size you need
A photo straight from a modern phone or camera can be 4,000 to 6,000 pixels wide and several megabytes. Most full-width images on a website never display wider than about 2,000 pixels, and content images are often under 1,200 pixels. Resize before uploading. Wix will create smaller versions for different screens, but starting from a sensible size reduces load and storage.
Compress
Use a compression tool to reduce file size without visible loss. JPEG is best for photographs; PNG for graphics with transparency or sharp edges; SVG for simple logos and icons. Wix converts images to modern formats like WebP when serving them, but compression before upload still helps.
2. Name files descriptively
File names like IMG_4837.jpg tell Google nothing. Rename files before uploading with a short description using hyphens: oak-kitchen-worktop-installation-bolton.jpg or bride-groom-first-dance-manchester-wedding.jpg. It takes seconds and gives search engines an extra clue about the image.
3. Write good alt text
Alt text is a short written description of an image. Screen readers read it aloud to people with visual impairments, and search engines use it to understand the image. In Wix, select the image, open its settings and fill in the field that describes what is in the image.
How to write it
- Describe what the image shows, in plain language.
- Be specific: “Golden retriever playing with a ball in the daycare garden” beats “dog”.
- Include relevant keywords only when they naturally describe the image.
- Keep it reasonably short, usually one sentence.
- Do not start with “Image of” or “Picture of”.
When to leave it empty
Purely decorative images, such as background textures and dividers, do not need descriptive alt text. Mark them as decorative where the option exists, so screen readers skip them.
What to avoid
Do not stuff alt text with keywords (“plumber Leeds plumber Leeds emergency plumber”). It harms accessibility and can look manipulative. Our guide to alt text for SEO and accessibility covers more examples.
4. Do not put important text inside images
Many Wix templates use banners with headings, offers or prices designed as images. Google cannot reliably read that text, it cannot be translated, and it is often unreadable on phones. Use real text elements on top of images instead. If you have existing graphics with text, add the same information as real text on the page.
5. Use galleries wisely
Pro galleries look great but can load many images at once. Limit the number of images shown initially, use “load more” for big portfolios, and split large galleries across several themed pages. Each themed page can then target its own search, such as “barn wedding photography” or “loft conversion examples”, which helps rankings as well as speed.
6. Mind the hero image
The large image at the top of your page usually decides how quickly the page appears to load. Make it as light as possible, avoid sliders, and avoid applying heavy effects. Our Wix speed guide explains the effect on Core Web Vitals.
7. Add context around images
Google understands images partly through the text around them. Captions, nearby headings and descriptive paragraphs help. A portfolio page with images and no words gives Google very little to work with; a short description of each project, the location, the client’s goal and the result gives a lot.
8. Set social sharing images
In each page’s social share settings, choose an image that represents the page well. This is what appears when someone shares your link on Facebook, LinkedIn or messaging apps. A good image improves clicks from shares.
9. Product images for Wix Stores
Use several images per product: front, back, detail, scale and in use. Name each file and write alt text that includes the product name and the specific view. Keep backgrounds consistent and images square or in a consistent ratio, so your store looks professional.
10. Check image performance
In Search Console’s Performance report, change the search type to “Image” to see which images bring visitors. Use PageSpeed Insights to find oversized images on key pages.
Image copyright and trust
Only use images you own or have a licence for. Using photos found on Google Images can lead to costly copyright claims, and copying images from competitors makes your site look less original. If you use stock photography, keep the licence records. When you show client work, get permission and credit where appropriate. Original images are also more likely to appear in Google Images, because Google tends to show the original source of a picture rather than copies.
Image SEO checklist for Wix
- Use real, original images on key pages.
- Resize and compress before uploading.
- Rename files descriptively with hyphens.
- Write specific alt text; mark decorative images.
- No important text inside images.
- Lightweight hero image, no sliders.
- Galleries split into themed pages with descriptions.
- Social share image set for each page.
Why this matters for visual businesses
For photographers, designers and venues, images are the product. Optimising them well means faster pages, better accessibility and a second source of visitors. On projects such as Heather Elizabeth Photography and Zimasa Vodka, careful image preparation kept visually rich pages fast and descriptive. If you are a photographer, read our guide to SEO for photographers.
Fixing an existing site with hundreds of images
You do not need to redo everything at once. Start with the pages that matter most: homepage, main services, best-selling products and top portfolio pages. Replace oversized images, add alt text and rename new uploads properly from now on. Use the Wix Media Manager to find the largest files. Within an afternoon you can usually improve the pages that bring most of your traffic.
Related guides and services
- Wix SEO checklist: every Wix setting that affects rankings, in order.
- Wix speed optimisation: how to make a Wix site faster and pass Core Web Vitals.
- Wix blog SEO: how to write and optimise Wix blog posts that rank.
- On-page SEO audit checklist: a page-by-page checklist for titles, headings, content and links.
- Wix & Squarespace SEO service: hands-on SEO for sites built on Wix and Squarespace.
Get expert help
We can audit and optimise the images across your Wix site, write accessible alt text and restructure galleries into pages that rank. Start with our Wix & Squarespace SEO service, browse real client results in our case studies, or contact us for a free, no-pressure review of your website.
Frequently asked questions
Does Wix compress images automatically?
Wix optimises and serves images in modern formats, but uploading sensibly sized, compressed images still improves speed.
Does alt text help Wix SEO?
Yes. It helps Google understand images and is essential for accessibility.
Can I rename an image after uploading to Wix?
You can rename it in the Media Manager, but renaming before upload is the most reliable approach.
Should every image have alt text?
Every meaningful image should. Purely decorative images can be marked as decorative.
