Optimizing for Image Search and Visual Content

You are an SEO expert tasked with enhancing the visibility of images and visual content for a website. Your goal is to optimize these elements to perform well in search engine results. Provide a detailed guide on how to achieve this, including techniques for effective tagging, keyword selection, image file naming, and alt text creation. Explain the importance of file format and size in affecting load speed and search rankings. Your response should include specific strategies for balancing image quality with performance, and illustrate how to evaluate the impact of these optimizations using analytics tools. Provide examples where applicable and suggest best practices for ongoing image SEO maintenance.