Guest post by Ann Smarty.
Both Google and Bing search engine result pages (SERPs) are becoming more visual. There are image snapshots, video thumbnails, and image search results showing up all around search results.
Consequently, creating high-quality images is quickly turning into one of the marketing priorities for a conversion-driven image SEO strategy.
For a few years now, Google has shown image thumbnails in mobile search results.
In addition, there are image search results blended within general organic search results – both on mobile and desktop devices.
Beyond that, there is often an image inside Google’s featured snippet, which appears on top of Google’s organic search results in the most prominent place.
To top it off, Bing’s search results have always been even more visual, showing carousels, video thumbnails and more.
How Do Increasingly Visual SERPs Impact Buying Decisions?
Image thumbnails scattered around Google’s search results are changing the SEO game. Images are well known for their ability to grab attention and clicks across the board.
Eye-tracking studies of Bing’s and Google’s SERPs show a strong influence of visual results on click-through, as shown in the heat maps below.
An older eye-tracking study also confirms the impact of images on click-through.
Moz did that eye-tracking study back in 2011 when Google was just starting to show video thumbnails in search results when there were fewer of those than we see today.
The study concluded that each of the subjects’ eye movements focused even more on the first video thumbnail than they did at the first organic result.
Have you been investing in a long-term SEO strategy to finally achieve that #1 or #2 position for your target query?
Well, it’s likely that you’re now losing clicks to a visual featured snippet appearing on top of your sought-after SERPs. Or your lower-ranking competitor may be attracting more clicks than you do thanks to a more clickable search snippet.
Apart from an obvious impact on click-through, images are able to set and transform expectations so that people arrive at your landing page knowing what your content holds for them. And you’d better deliver.
So unless you create a consistent visual presence in Google SERPs, you may be losing that opportunity to a competitor.
How to Create a Conversion-Driven Image SEO Strategy
1. Point Google to the Correct Image
There’s no one confirmed method to ensure Google will pick a correct – if any – image to display inside your search snippet in search. However, if you use all of the following ways, your odds are pretty high.
- Use fundamental image optimization tactics:
- Use meaningful file names;
- Add keyword-driven alt text;
- Make sure images add to the context (rather than being there only for decorative purposes);
- Use compression plugins to make sure your images load fast; and
- Use schema to point to the most important image (for example, in Organization schema, that’s your logo).
- For articles and blog posts, make sure to specify a featured image, which will be a strong signal showing Google which of the on-page images is the primary one.
2. Match Image Content to Search Intent
Remember how I mentioned above that images inside Google’s SERPs are likely to influence both organic click-through and on-page engagement by forming a certain expectation?
This is exactly why matching your on-page image to search intent is so important.
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Before creating your page’s primary image, make sure to search for your target query on a mobile device to see which images are currently showing up in search and what kind of a signal they may be sending to a user.
The close context surrounding an image sends a strong signal to Google as to what the image is about and whether it’s likely to be useful to Google’s users. So building semantically optimized copy will help Google pick and feature the right image.
3. Use Consistent Branding
Use consistent branding (and colors) throughout all your visual assets to create brand recognizability.
Use consistently branded images across your whole site (blog posts, your About Us page, your press page, etc.) as well as around your off-site brand-owned channels.
4. Label Images for Commercial Intent
Include an image in your product structured markup for those images to be labeled with “product.” This could drive additional clicks to your webpage.
Google has been showing rich data in image searches for a few years now. Specifically, they would label certain images as “products” whenever those images are inside the product schema.
This is especially important for those search queries that trigger image results. This is where images can often steal most of the clicks as visual shopping is very powerful.
Some of those images will have the “Product” label making it clear you can buy the product.
This is where images can actually influence buying decisions, and it better be your images rather than those of your competitors.
When developing a product page copy, make sure there are powerful product pictures available and that the page uses structured markup.
Schema App is the only solution that helps you generate all kinds of structured markup. If you’re looking for alternatives, there’s also a way to add schema using Tag Manager.
When the page is up, always run Google’s Search Console or this schema validator to ensure the code is verified.
5. Reuse Your Featured Image in On-Site CTAs
So you got Google to feature a correct image inside your search snippet.
Good job!
Now make the most of that success by personalizing your users’ experience using the same image inside opt-in forms and/or CTAs.
By reusing images that appear in organic SERPs in on-site CTAs and forms, users may feel more willing to engage after seeing a familiar asset that drove them to the site from search results in the first place.
If the campaign performs well, consider using the same image further inside your sales funnel to ensure your site users feel confident as they follow the path to a conversion.
6. Reuse Your Image on Social Media
Finally, to create a consistent cross-channel presence, reuse your primary images across your social media channels.
This can be effectively achieved by using a collaborative sharing dashboard like Agorapulse to handle multi-level social media sharing on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
It’s also a good idea to reuse the same image in Facebook remarketing campaigns to reach site visitors who clicked the specific search result but left without converting. You can also use these images in your email newsletter.
Naturally, with so many channels you can’t reuse the same image as it is because different platforms have different requirements in terms of image dimensions. Tools like Canva allow you to easily resize your image to be able to reuse it across many channels.
7. Diversify Your Brand-Driven Images
Your brand-driven search is your fundamental digital business card. It should create a positive first impression and encourage a searcher to buy from you. Google will show lots of images for your brand-driven searches, so keep an eye on those images and make sure you provide Google with enough images to show in SERPs:
This can be done by:
- Publicizing your images across multiple channels
- Giving lots of interviews and sharing your images to add to each one
- Setting up a detailed “Press” page
Conversion-Driven Image SEO Takeaways
- As Google SERPs are becoming more visual, images can directly impact your online visibility by influencing organic click-through and consequent on-page engagement – and hence conversions.
- To point Google to the best-fitting image, use fundamental image SEO principles as well as structured markup.
- Match your on-page image to search intent to set the correct expectations.
- Use schema.org to label product photos as “products.”
- Reuse images appearing in Google SERPs in on-site CTAs and across your social media channels.
Good luck!