gif images and search engine optimization

[johnn]

Hello,

I'm newbie to SE. I would like to know:

- Are gif images good or bad for SE optimization?

- Is gif images animation good or bad for SE optimization?

- Are gif images used as buttons (links) good or bad for SE optimization?

Thank you very much in advance,
John

[maccas]

"Are gif images good or bad for SE optimization?", if used as a substitute for text then yes. A search engine couldn't tell the difference if the gif is animated or not, may have a negative effect on your users if it is slow downloading,lots of flashing etc. Text links are better than gifs as far as search engines that put weight on href tags are concerned ie Google.. better to have <a href=...>keyword keyword</a> than just a gif as search engines can't read whats on the gif.

[nickc001]

If you do use images make sure you include the alt attribute in the image tag.

i.e. <img src="myimage.gif" alt="My keyphrase" border="0">

Some search engines treat the alt tag like text.

[nosanity]

Also, you should know to name your images as keywords as well. I have found this works quite well. Just a thought.

-noSanity