Visual SEO: Optimising Images for Better Search Engine Visibility

Visual SEO: Optimising Images for Better Search Engine Visibility

With the growing popularity of visual search, it's more important than ever to optimise your search strategy to ensure you reach the right people.

Many businesses fail to realise that image search and visual search are two separate methodologies—image search starts with the searcher typing a text-based query, whereas visual search begins with a photo.

Optimising your visuals correctly is critical to boosting conversions and rankings.

What is Visual Search?

Visual search lets you take a photo and upload it to a search engine, generating results that match your object as closely as possible.

The search engine will generate information if you've uploaded a picture of a landmark or a destination, for example, or places you can purchase the product, such as an image of a pair of shoes.

It's no wonder that visual search has grown exponentially—we process visuals much faster than text, which is why images play a crucial role in conversion optimisation.

Various brands have already included visual search engines and image-searching features in their platforms, from Google Lens and Pinterest Lens to Google Circle to Scan and Snapchat Scan.

These tools will likely grow in usage, and more brands will join them, so optimising this form of search now will help you get ahead of the competition.

How to Optimise for Visual SEO

If your business relies heavily on visual content, such as selling products or depending on images to sell services, here's how to optimise those images for visual search to drive more traffic to your site.

Check Image Sizes and File Types

Uploading high-resolution images to a website can slow it down considerably, frustrating users and negatively impacting your search rankings.

So, check that the sizes are appropriate for the device they're being searched on and that the file has been compressed to reduce the file size without compromising the quality of the photo.

File formats are also vital—JPEGs are best for photos with a wide range of colours, while PNG is best for images with transparent backgrounds like logos.

WebP image is a modern format that delivers excellent compression qualities and is supported by most modern browsers.

Include a Wide Range of Images

Make sure you offer numerous shots for products—relying on just one photo could result in you missing out on valuable leads.

It shows customers more of the product itself from various angles and gives your brand more opportunities to wind up in the search results for that particular product.

Carry Out Keyword Research

As any business knows, SEO is essential for online visibility, but the same can be said of images.

Keywords help you deliver a better description of your image, which will ensure it winds up with the right results.

Not only does it help customers find your products faster, but it also helps visually impaired people understand what the image is of.

Focus on long-tail keywords when researching terms (phrases that contain three words or more), as these are more detailed and will result in more qualified leads.

The more detail and information you can include, the better, so look for keywords that will provide your target audience with the most helpful description.

Add Alt Text

We must include an alt tag or alternative text when we upload images. This is where we can describe the photo and its content, which benefits audiences using screen readers. It also helps search engines gather context about the image to rank the photo correctly.

Be as specific and concise as possible in describing the image and how it relates to the rest of the content on the page.

Don't make assumptions about ethnicity, gender or anything else happening outside the image—it's essential to be clear and descriptive to build a comprehensive picture.

Tools like Microsoft 365's accessibility checker can be used to ensure the alt text is appropriate.

Include a Descriptive Caption

You may think your chosen image is self-explanatory and skip writing a caption, but this is a common mistake.

Captions help your audience understand visuals more effectively, which can spell the difference between them choosing your photo over a competitor.

Use this space to describe what the photo is an image of, details about the product, object or action, and any information that will provide more context.

Remember that users could see this image independently, without the rest of the web page it's been uploaded to, so an informative caption helps them process it more quickly.

A well-written caption helps your image rank higher, resulting in more business leads.

Test Your Visuals for Recognisability

Google Cloud's Vision AI tool is a great way to check whether search engines can recognise your visuals. Drag the image file into the upload box and upload to see if the photo is recognised.

It will then analyse the image and provide tabs with different details, such as objects, along with a confidence score for each object, labels for its characteristics, any detected text, and the dominant colours and aspect ratios.

If Vision AI hasn't identified the image correctly, you can assess the cause of the issue and adjust the image accordingly. Then, upload it again and see if the scores have improved.

Doing these checks early on will enable you to make changes and enhance the rankability of your images.

SEO is complex and constantly evolving, so businesses must stay ahead of these emerging trends.

Establishing a strong visual SEO strategy may take some time and experimentation, but the payoff for your business can be significant.

Optimising your images for visual search gives you a unique opportunity to encourage interested customers to learn about your brand and products, improve customer engagement, and boost conversions.

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