Make sure the image name represent proper keyword
Make sure the banner size/resolution is more than the image in the article
Make sure the image comply with the color of the website and environment
Make sure the image has geotag in EXIF data (mostly Virginia)
Make sure that the image is very much optimized for size and clear visibility on all media
Add other Structured Data (Image Schema)
Make sure Lazy Load is working
Make sure the image is AMP friendly.
Use Caption with Keywords
Make sure the image is responsive
Optimize the image title for the target keyword
Use the banner close to the top of the article
Make sure the the open graph image is properly working that points the banner as the most important image for the blog post
Make sure the new image is in the image sitemap
Re-audit image load time and replace with more optimized version
Test the link in various social media and make sure the banner is the prominent image
Post the image in various social media and don’t forget Google My Business (that’s the major reason you used geotags in the first place.