SEO for webcomics
Since images aren't searchable (yet), we need to go the extra mile to get our work noticed
A few years ago, a lot of cartoonists moved away from their own websites and started putting all their energy into social media. It seemed like the smart move — after all, that’s where the people were. But now, after watching their posts get buried by algorithms and their audience growth hit a wall, more and more creators are heading back to something they can actually control: their own site.
The good news? Running your own site gives you complete freedom. The bad news? If you want people to find it — especially through Google — you’ve got to think about SEO. And that’s tricky when your content is mostly made of images. Don’t worry, though — there are some solid, doable ways to get search engines to notice your comic without turning it into a blog
There are several strong strategies a webcartoonist can use to significantly improve SEO...
Do you know someone struggling with their webcomics website?
Use Text-Based Transcripts for Comics
Add a full-text transcript below each comic. A typical webcomics website includes a blog under the comic, and that’s a great place for this content. The transcript...
Makes your content searchable by Google
Improves accessibility for screen readers
Helps reinforce your keywords naturally
Tip: Don’t just describe the panels — write out the dialogue and include brief scene-setting narration.
If you write the script for your comic in a digital format, this can be as simple as a cut-and-paste from that document. However, if you don’t, this may mean a substantial amount of extra work. Some people have argued that this is an ethical use of AI technology, and there are custom versions of ChatGPT, like Alt Text Generator, that have been built for this purpose. Your decision on the ethics of AI sotware should guide your use of this tool.
Optimize Image Metadata
Make the most of what Google can read from images:
Use descriptive filenames (e.g., evil-inc-ep145-shark-meeting.png)
Add relevant ALT text that describes what’s happening or being said
Use title attributes sparingly for hover text
This post is exclusively for my subscribers, but you can check it out — along with the entire Webcomics Handbook archive — for free
