---
title: "Image File Name Statistics: 21.1% Describe Nothing"
url: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/image-file-name-statistics
description: "21.1% of 26.7M image requests on top-1M pages have file names that describe nothing. Most are hashes or numbers from pipelines; camera defaults are just 0.84%."
lang: en
---
Data Study ยท On-Page SEO
# Image File Names on Top 1M Sites: 1 in 5 Describe Nothing
21.1% of 26.7M image requests over 5 KB on top-1M pages have file names that say nothing about the picture: 10.5% are hashes or UUIDs, 9.5% are only numbers, 0.84% are camera defaults like IMG_ or DSC_ and 0.21% are screenshot names.
- 26.7M image requests
- HTTP Archive, Sept 2026
Matt Suffoletto: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/author/matt-suffoletto
Founder, PageSpeed Matters Published Oct. 19, 2026 4 min read
## Key Findings
1. **21.1%** of 26,725,868 image requests over 5 KB on top-1M pages have file names that describe nothing about the picture. Copy stat
2. Hashes or UUIDs make up **10.49%** of image requests and number-only names **9.52%**, together 95% of the meaningless names, which points to automated pipelines rather than manual uploads. Copy stat
3. Names a person would have to leave in place by hand, camera defaults like IMG_ or DSC_ (0.84%) plus screenshot names (0.21%), cover **1.05%** of image requests. Copy stat
4. 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. Copy stat
5. Shopify pages have the highest overall share of names that describe nothing, **31.7%** of 2,144,390 image requests, driven by hashed file names (24.8%), while WordPress pages have **13.3%** of 3,552,344. Copy stat
Image requests with camera default file names, by platform
Shopify 2.44%
WordPress 2.13%
Website builders 0.93%
Other or custom 0.48%
JavaScript frameworks 0.23%
Source: PageSpeed Matters. HTTP Archive Sept 2026 mobile crawl, 26,725,868 image requests over 5 KB on top-1M pages.
Counts are requests, not unique images.
In this study
## 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.
Source: Image File Names on Top 1M Sites: 1 in 5 Describe Nothing - PageSpeed Matters
## 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 (https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/services/on-page-seo).
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How we measured
## Methodology & Source
Data source
HTTP Archive September 2026 mobile crawl of the top 1M sites by Chrome traffic
Collection date
September 2026
Sample
26.7M image requests
Release
HTTP Archive, Sept 2026
File name patterns matched on 26,725,868 image requests over 5 KB: hashes or UUIDs, number-only names, camera defaults (IMG_, DSC_) and screenshot names. Most of these names come from CDNs and image pipelines that rename files automatically, so this is not a measure of careless uploads. Counts are requests, not unique images, and third-party and CDN images are included under the page's platform.
Using this data?
## Cite this study
Link back to the study when you cite it.
APA
Matt Suffoletto. (2026). Image File Names on Top 1M Sites: 1 in 5 Describe Nothing. PageSpeed Matters. https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/image-file-name-statistics
Plain link
Image File Names on Top 1M Sites: 1 in 5 Describe Nothing - PageSpeed Matters - https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/image-file-name-statistics
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- Website Maintenance Broken Image Statistics 2026: 13.6% of Top 1M Pages: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/broken-image-statistics
- Page Weight WebP Reached 16.6% of All Web Images. JPEG and PNG Still Hold 53%: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/image-formats-of-the-web
- On-Page SEO VideoObject Schema 2026: Missing on 95.8% of Video Pages: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/videoobject-schema
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