Can Having More Images in an Article Improve Google Rankings?

Having more images does not automatically mean that your article will get a higher ranking in Google.

However, Google itself does not explicitly set a specific number of images that should be included in an article for it to appear at the top of the search results.

Eits… but that does not mean the images you add to your articles are not important for SEO.

Using relevant images can really help your readers understand the information, strengthen the context of the article, create opportunities to get traffic from Google Images, and make your article much more informative from a visual perspective.

On the other hand, if you use images that are quite large in file size and are not properly optimized, the article page can feel heavy when readers try to open it.

And of course, that can have a major impact on the reading experience.

So, the real issue is not how many images you use, but how relevant those images are, whether they are actually useful, and whether they are properly optimized.

So, Is the Number of Images an Important Ranking Factor in Google?

As of now, there is no strong evidence that Google directly gives higher rankings based on the number of images included in an article.

In other words, Google does not have a fixed rule such as:

• 500 words must use 2 images.
• 1,000 words must use 4 images.
• 2,000 words must use 8 images.
• Or the more images you use, the higher your ranking will be.

There is no formula like that.

There are cases where an article with just one image can outrank another article that uses 20 images, as long as the first article is genuinely more relevant, helpful to readers, credible, and provides a better experience.

And the opposite is also true.

If you create an article with dozens or even hundreds of images, but those images have no clear purpose and do not provide any real benefit to users, then clearly, the sheer number of images will not give your article any SEO advantage.

So, Does That Mean Images Are Not Important?

Clearly, that would be the wrong statement!

Images still matter when it comes to SEO.

However, their SEO benefits do not simply come from having a large number of images.

More images = higher Google rankings

That is not how it works.

First, images can help Google understand the context of an article or webpage.

Second, your images can appear in Google Images and other visual search features.

Third, images can enrich the overall reading experience.

And finally, using the right images can make your article more informative and complete compared to your competitors.

Google itself provides dedicated guidance on image SEO and various ways to help search engines understand the images you use in an article or on a webpage.

So, don’t read this article and then think:

“Oh, so images are not important for SEO.”

That’s not the point.

Eits… Can Too Many Images Become a Problem?

Now, this is where things get interesting.

The number of images itself is not the main problem.

What you need to pay attention to is the load those images place on your webpage.

Let’s take an example.

Suppose you create a news article and add 25 photos.

If every photo has a large file size, say several megabytes each, you can imagine how heavy that page could become when someone opens it.

And that’s not even considering what happens if all those images are loaded at the same time.

The result could look something like this:

large images → larger page size → slower loading → poor reader experience.

Now, that is obviously different from having 25 images that have all been properly compressed and optimized.

For example, you could use more efficient image formats, adjust image dimensions according to the display requirements, use responsive images, and make sure images far down the page do not have to load immediately.

So, two websites that both have 25 images do not necessarily have the same performance.

One could still be fast.

The other could be extremely heavy.

Does Page Speed Affect Google Rankings?

This is where we need to distinguish between the number of images and the impact those images have on page performance.

Google does pay attention to various aspects of page experience, including metrics known as Core Web Vitals.

One of them is Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), a metric related to how quickly the largest content element on a page becomes visible.

If the main image in your article becomes the largest element displayed when the page first loads, and that image is extremely large or not properly optimized, it can affect the page’s performance.

There is also Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

Simply put, you have probably experienced this before.

You open an article, and while the page is still loading, the text suddenly shifts because an image appears.

That kind of experience is obviously not ideal for readers.

So, instead of asking:

“Am I using too many images?”

Ask yourself:

“Are the images I’m using making the page slower or interfering with the reader’s experience?”

That is much more important.

So, How Many Images Should an Article Have?

The answer is simple:

There is no exact number.

Don’t look for formulas such as:

1,000 words = 5 images.

Or:

2,000 words = 10 images.

Every article has different image requirements.

A tutorial may need a lot of screenshots because readers need to see each step.

A news article about an incident may also require several photos to explain what happened at the scene.

A travel article might need more images because readers want to see the destination being discussed.

Meanwhile, an article explaining a simple concept may only need one or two illustrations.

So, instead of counting the number of images, ask yourself:

“Does this image actually help the reader?”

If the answer is yes, use it.

If it does not provide any additional information and is only being used as decoration, then perhaps it does not need to be included.

Relevant Images Matter More Than More Images

Let’s take a news article as an example.

Suppose you are writing a story about a fire at a tourist destination.

You have five photos:

1. The condition of the fire site.
2. Smoke rising from the area.
3. Firefighters putting out the fire.
4. The area after the fire was brought under control.
5. Traffic conditions around the location.

Each of these images serves a purpose.

Readers can get a much clearer picture of what actually happened.

Now compare that with an article that includes 15 stock photos of fire, firefighters, or tourist scenery that are not actually related to the incident.

Which one is more useful?

Obviously, the first one.

So, don’t chase the number of images.

Chase relevance.

Especially for news websites, photos are not just decorations.

Photos can actually become part of the journalistic information itself.

How Do You Optimize Images for SEO?

Now, if you really want to use a large number of images, make sure those images do not become a burden on your website.

There are several things you can do.

Use Relevant Images

This is the most basic one.

Don’t add images just because you feel that your article looks too empty.

Use images that are genuinely related to the topic being discussed.

The more relevant an image is to the context of the article, the more meaningful its presence on the page becomes.

Use Clear File Names

Don’t leave image file names like:

IMG_20260914.jpg

or:

DSC_00982.jpg

If the image shows a fire in Mount Bromo, for example, you could use a more descriptive file name such as:

bromo-lembah-watangan-fire.jpg

There is no need to stuff keywords into the file name.

The important thing is that the file name accurately describes what is shown in the image.

Don’t Ignore Alt Text

Don’t create alt text carelessly either.

If the image shows firefighters putting out a fire, you could use alt text such as:

Firefighters put out a fire in the Lembah Watangan area of Mount Bromo

Not:

bromo fire bromo fire latest news bromo fire

Don’t use keyword stuffing just to chase SEO.

Alt text should naturally describe what is shown in the image.

Compress Your Images

This is one of the things that is often overlooked.

Photos taken with modern cameras or smartphones can have very large file sizes.

But for an article on a website, you probably don’t need a file that large.

Compress your images before uploading them.

The goal is simple:

keep the image looking good without allowing its file size to slow down the page.

Use Efficient Image Formats

You can also use modern image formats such as WebP or AVIF, as long as the implementation fits your website’s needs.

The goal is, of course, to maintain good visual quality while keeping the file size more efficient.

Use Responsive Images

Desktop users and smartphone users do not always need the same image dimensions.

That is why you should use responsive image techniques so the browser can choose an image size that is more appropriate for the user’s device.

This has become increasingly important because many news website readers access articles through smartphones.

Use Lazy Loading Properly

If your article contains many images, don’t make every image load immediately when the page is first opened.

Images that are far down the page can use lazy loading, so they are only loaded when they get closer to the area the reader is about to view.

However, be careful.

Don’t blindly apply lazy loading to the main image that should be displayed immediately when the page loads.

Don’t Forget About Google Images

Now, this is also important.

When talking about images and SEO, don’t only think about your webpage’s ranking in Google Search.

There is another source of traffic you can take advantage of: Google Images.

Images used in your articles can potentially be discovered through image searches.

That’s why image optimization isn’t just about making your website faster.

You also need to provide Google with enough context to understand what the image is about.

Some of the things you can pay attention to include:

• file names;
• alt text;
• captions;
• text surrounding the image;
• image quality;
• image URLs;
• page structure;
• and structured data when relevant.

So, if you run a news website, don’t think of photos as merely an addition to an article.

Photos can also become another entry point for traffic to your website.

Can Images Help Google Understand the Content of an Article?

Yes.

However, don’t think that Google only looks at the image separately.

Google tries to understand a webpage as a whole.

For example, suppose you publish an article titled:

“Fire Breaks Out in Mount Bromo Area in the Afternoon”

Then you include a photo from the scene.

That photo has:

• a relevant file name;
• appropriate alt text;
• a caption;
• paragraphs explaining the location;
• information about when the incident happened;
• and appropriate article structured data.

All of these elements provide more context.

So, image SEO is not simply about asking:

“Did I add alt text?”

It is about how the image becomes part of a webpage that has clear context as a whole.

So, What About Google AI Overviews?

Now, this is becoming increasingly interesting in today’s Google Search landscape.

Google is no longer just showing the classic list of ten blue links.

Users can also encounter generative search features such as AI Overviews and AI Mode for various types of queries.

So, can adding lots of images make your article appear in an AI Overview?

There is no guarantee like that.

Don’t fall into the mindset:

“If I add 20 images, my article will have a better chance of appearing in AI Overview.”

There is no formula like that.

What matters much more is whether your article actually provides the information users are looking for.

The content should be clear.

The information should be trustworthy.

The sources should be credible and verifiable.

And most importantly, your article should provide additional value, rather than simply repeating what other websites have already published.

Eits… That Doesn’t Mean Images Are Useless for AI Search

In fact, for certain topics, images can be an important part of the information.

For example:

• tutorials;
• technical guides;
• recipes;
• travel;
• news events;
• products;
• infographics;
• visual data;
• and other types of content that genuinely require visual explanations.

If an image helps users understand the information, don’t remove it just to improve page speed.

Instead, optimize the image properly.

Can Websites with Few Images Still Rank Highly?

Of course.

Google does not require an article to have a certain number of images in order to rank highly.

For some types of articles, images may not even be the most important part of the information.

What matters most is whether the page satisfies the user’s needs.

So don’t look at a competitor using 15 images and immediately think:

“Wow, I need to use 20 images to beat them.”

SEO is not a competition over who can use the most images.

The same applies to word count.

Don’t think:

“My competitor’s article is 2,000 words, so mine needs to be 2,500 words.”

Image count and word count are not simple formulas for winning the SERPs.

What Is the Best Image Strategy for News Websites?

If you manage a news website, I would not recommend limiting photos simply because you are afraid that having too many images will hurt your rankings.

Why?

Because photos can be part of the information itself.

For example, if you are reporting on a traffic accident:

The first photo shows the vehicles involved.

The second photo shows the condition of the road.

The third photo shows the evacuation process.

The fourth photo shows the traffic congestion.

If all of those photos genuinely come from the event and provide additional information, there is no reason to remove them simply to reduce the number of images.

What you need to do is optimize them.

Make sure:

• the photos are relevant;
• captions are informative;
• alt text is descriptive;
• file sizes are efficient;
• resolution is appropriate;
• file names are clear;
• the main image is not excessively heavy;
• and image loading does not interfere with page performance.

That way, you can get two benefits at the same time:

visual information for readers + an opportunity to gain traffic from image search.

So, Are Lots of Images Good or Bad for SEO?

Now we can answer the question we started with.

Having lots of images is not automatically good for SEO.

But having lots of images is also not automatically bad for SEO.

What matters is the context and implementation.

If those 20 images are genuinely needed by readers, relevant to the article, high quality, and technically optimized, there is no reason to be afraid of using 20 images.

On the other hand, if those 20 images are only being used as filler, have large file sizes, are irrelevant, and make the page heavy, then their use should certainly be reconsidered.

So, don’t ask:

“How many images does Google like?”

A better question would be:

“How many images do readers actually need to understand this article better?”

In my opinion, that is a much healthier way to think about SEO.

Image SEO Checklist Before Publishing an Article

Before hitting the publish button, try checking the following.

Relevance

• Is the image genuinely related to the article?
• Does the image provide additional information?
• Is the image being used only as decoration?

SEO

• Is the file name descriptive?
• Is the alt text natural?
• Is a caption used when appropriate?
• Can Google access and crawl the image?
• Does the image context match the article?

Performance

• Has the image been compressed?
• Is the image size appropriate?
• Is the image format efficient?
• Are responsive images being used?
• Is lazy loading implemented correctly?
• Can the main image load quickly?

Google Search & AI Search

• Does the article provide original information?
• Is the main answer easy to find?
• Are the sources clear?
• Does the article provide enough context?
• Does the image genuinely help the reader?

If you have already taken care of all those points, you don’t need to worry too much about asking:

“Am I using too many images?”

As long as the images serve a purpose and don’t make your website unnecessarily heavy, use them.

Conclusion

So, can having lots of images in an article improve Google rankings?

The answer is: not directly.

Google does not give a ranking bonus simply because an article contains more images.

There is no rule saying that 500 words require two images or that 2,000 words require eight images.

However, don’t interpret that as:

“So images aren’t important.”

Images still have plenty of value.

They can help readers understand information, strengthen the context of an article, improve the user experience, create opportunities for traffic from Google Images, and, in certain contexts, make content significantly more informative.

Problems arise when images are too heavy, irrelevant, or poorly optimized, causing pages to load slowly and creating a poor reading experience.

So, the best strategy is not:

“Add as many images as possible.”

And it is not:

“Use fewer images so you can rank higher on Google.”

Instead:

“Use as many images as readers actually need, then optimize those images so they remain relevant, informative, lightweight, and easy for search engines to understand.”

Because at the end of the day, SEO is not a competition over who has the most images.

What matters more is who can provide the most useful information to readers.

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