Image requests over 5 KB with file names that describe nothing, by platform
| Platform | Describe nothing | Hash or UUID | Numbers only | Camera default | Screenshot | Image requests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | 31.7% | 24.8% | 4.0% | 2.44% | 0.41% | 2,144,390 |
| Other or custom | 21.5% | 10.1% | 10.8% | 0.48% | 0.12% | 19,542,272 |
| JavaScript frameworks | 19.5% | 11.8% | 7.3% | 0.23% | 0.16% | 1,392,481 |
| WordPress | 13.3% | 3.8% | 6.8% | 2.13% | 0.60% | 3,552,344 |
| Website builders | 11.7% | 4.6% | 5.6% | 0.93% | 0.51% | 94,046 |
| All | 21.1% | 10.5% | 9.5% | 0.84% | 0.21% | 26,725,868 |
Source: PageSpeed Matters, Sept 2026. Third-party and CDN images count under the platform of the page that loaded them.
Summary
Google's image guidance suggests short, descriptive file names, so we checked how many images on popular sites have names that describe anything at all. 21.1% of 26.7M image requests over 5 KB on top-1M pages have file names that say nothing about the picture.
Most of those names were not typed by a person. CDNs and image pipelines rename files automatically, usually to a hash or a number, so this is not a measure of careless uploads. The share of names a person would have to leave in place by hand, such as IMG_ or screenshot names, is about 1%.
What we measured
We used the HTTP Archive September 2026 mobile crawl of the top 1M sites by Chrome traffic, and took every image request over 5 KB: 26,725,868 in all. We matched each file name against explicit patterns: hashes or UUIDs, number-only names, camera defaults such as IMG_ or DSC_, and screenshot names.
Counts are requests, not unique images, so an image used on many pages counts many times. Third-party and CDN images are included under the platform of the page that loaded them.
Most meaningless names are machine-made
Hashes or UUIDs make up 10.49% of all image requests and number-only names 9.52%. Together that is 95% of the meaningless names, which points to automated pipelines rather than manual uploads.
Names a person would have to leave in place by hand are rare. Camera defaults like IMG_ or DSC_ (0.84%) plus screenshot names (0.21%) cover 1.05% of image requests.
21.1%
Share of 26,725,868 image requests over 5 KB on top-1M pages with file names that describe nothing about the picture.
Shopify and WordPress show the most camera names
Camera default names are most common on Shopify (2.44% of 2,144,390 image requests) and WordPress (2.13% of 3,552,344), against 0.48% on other or custom sites and 0.23% on JavaScript framework sites. That likely reflects store owners and editors on these platforms uploading photos straight from a phone or camera.
Shopify pages also have the highest overall share of names that describe nothing, 31.7%, driven by hashed file names (24.8%) that the platform's image handling likely produces. WordPress pages have 13.3%. Website builder pages (Wix, Squarespace, Webflow and similar) have the lowest share, at 11.7% of 94,046 image requests.
What this means for your site
Hashed names from your CDN are usually outside your control and not worth fighting. Focus on the names you do control:
- Rename photos before upload, using a few words that describe the picture.
- Clear out IMG_, DSC_ and screenshot names in your media library, starting with product and hero images.
- Write descriptive alt text, which matters more to readers using screen readers than any file name.
Sources
- HTTP Archive, September 2026 mobile crawl, top 1M sites by Chrome traffic
- Google Search Central, Google Images SEO best practices: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/google-images
Embed this research
Paste this on your site to embed the chart. It links back to the source automatically.
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<script>window.addEventListener("message",function(e){if(e&&e.data&&e.data.psmEmbed==="image-file-name-statistics"&&e.data.height){var f=document.getElementById("psm-image-file-name-statistics");if(f){f.style.height=e.data.height+"px";}}});</script>
<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/image-file-name-statistics">Image File Names on Top 1M Sites: 1 in 5 Describe Nothing - PageSpeed Matters</a></p>
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of images have meaningless file names?
21.1% of 26.7M image requests over 5 KB on top-1M pages have file names that describe nothing: 10.5% are hashes or UUIDs, 9.5% are only numbers, 0.84% are camera defaults and 0.21% are screenshot names.
How common are IMG_ and DSC_ file names?
Camera default names cover 0.84% of image requests overall, rising to 2.44% on Shopify and 2.13% on WordPress.
Should I rename images my CDN has hashed?
Usually not. Hashes and number-only names make up 95% of the meaningless names and mostly come from automated pipelines. Focus on renaming the photos you upload yourself.
Descriptive names and alt text for the images you upload are a small habit that makes every new page easier to understand. Need help with this? See our on-page SEO services.