How You Can Use Google Images to Drive Sales to Your eCommerce Store

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If you’re unfamiliar with Google Images, it’s a specialized search engine that allows you to search for images and photos from the internet. When you enter a keyword or phrase into the search bar, Google will return a list of visual results that match your query.

Recently, Google has made a drastic alteration to its search results through an agreement with Getty Images. This shift has had a significant effect on the display of images in search engine outcomes – replacing the View Image button with another Visit Site option. The reason for this modification resides in an official grumble from Getty Images that insinuated that the View Image switch encouraged image theft.

This creates an opportunity for eCommerce businesses and their product listings. With users now sent to the rightful owners of the images they click on, it provides a great way to improve traffic on your website. As more people are directed to visit the site, your sales can increase as potential customers have better access to product visuals. However, few website owners are taking advantage of this feature yet.

In this guide, we’ve curated a list of tips to help you optimize your product images for Google Images and drive more sales to your eCommerce store.

Basic Image SEO Optimization Tips

It’s necessary to fully optimize your images if you want them to be competitive in image search results. This optimization allows Google to associate your images with relevant queries, just like the way that traditional web page ranking works. In short, make sure that every single one of your photos is optimized for its best chance at appearing at the top of the list.

If you want your images to rank high in Google’s search results, then it is vital that the web page they are located on has been optimized for SEO. Additionally, when determining which pages will display images related to a certain query, Google takes into account both how authoritative and specific each particular page is. Therefore, product pages hosting relevant photos should be ranked higher than category pages since their content is more closely associated with any given query.

When optimizing your images, be sure to:

• • Make sure to give your product images descriptive titles

When you name your image file, make it descriptive and pertinent to both the photo and its web page. For example, if you had a picture of a waving American flag, label it something like “white-blouse.jpg” instead of leaving the default filename such as “IMG-01234.jpg”; this helps Google understand what is being displayed for it to show up during relevant search results.

• • Add descriptive alt text

When boosting image rankings, inserting a descriptive phrase into the alt text field is critical. Not only does it help with SEO and visibility, but if an image fails to load, users can interpret what was intended based on its corresponding alt text. This can also greatly improve the user experience for those who are visually impaired, as screen readers rely heavily on this information for them to gain a full understanding of what appears within a webpage.

• • Add product image captions

Enhancing your more influential images with captions enhances the user experience for viewers scrolling through content, particularly those skimming the material. By including captions, you are not only allowing visitors to relate the image more quickly in relation to your content, but it also adds an array of search engine-optimizable keywords. Captions give readers a chance to understand and engage with images while still being able to benefit from various keyword variations connected directly with that particular picture.

• • Structured data

Structured data, or schema markup for the tech-savvy out there, must be added to your website whenever possible. This is especially critical for eCommerce sites; it outlines specific details and aspects of your page so Google can quickly extract them into search results. Adding product schema on each of your products’ pages reveals precious information that searchers constantly seek—such as a product’s name, description, price tag, and availability—allowing them to make informed decisions more efficiently than ever before.

• • Image and file size

Optimizing both the dimensions of your images and their file size has a huge impact on page loading speed, which is paramount for user experience and search engine optimization. A speedy-loading page can help to boost your website’s ranking in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).

• • Be sure images are responsive

It’s essential that your website, along with its images, are adaptive and resized properly depending on the display size as mobile devices become more popular year after year. Responsiveness has also been made into an important ranking factor by Google to make a better user experience for people who prefer using their phones or tablets.

• • Create an image sitemap

An image sitemap is an add-on to your typical XML sitemap, designed with the main goal of helping Google find images on your website in a snap. As websites are becoming increasingly reliant upon javascript, this tool has become all the more essential now – so much that it can make or break how quickly Google locates and indexes these visuals.

• • Analyze the content around the image

When content is closely related to a visual, it gives Google the necessary context to classify your image into precise and relevant search results. Make sure that your words complement your visuals for optimal rankings on the SERP.

• • Ensuring that images load quickly by correctly formatting them

Large images are a major contributor to an agonizingly slow loading time and can even cause a complete failure of the website on slower or overly trafficked connections. Are you aware that images are accountable for more than half of a web page’s data volume on average? Therefore, it is essential to compress your image sizes. Not only that but also be sure to use photos with the appropriate dimensions instead of relying upon browsers to resize them. Doing so will help reduce loading times and enhance user experience significantly.

Additional Tip: Use Unique and Professional Looking Product Images

Stand out in the overwhelming pool of visuals by utilizing professional and creative images that will capture your audience’s eye. Refrain from using stock photography! These photos do not represent your brand, as they can be easily purchased with a few clicks even by competitors.

When people search, they usually connect the images to whatever website appears first. If that page is not what interests them or it is irrelevant to their original query, chances are they won’t click on that image again. That means if you use those generic photos which everyone has access too, you will be invisible in comparison with your competitors who have exclusive and unique visuals.

Here are a few tips on product images to use on your website:

1. 1. Use multiple types of product shots – To make your product stand out, consider taking photographs in a studio setting, with a plain white backdrop or close-up to showcase the details. Natural shots and images of someone who matches your target demographic using the item are also highly beneficial for making an impact on potential customers.
   2. Avoid using images from manufacturers – It’s common for manufacturer images to be associated with the company’s website, plus they are frequently employed by other companies selling those same products; thus, they can appear quite unremarkable.

Enhance the user experience by promoting user-generated content on social media. By encouraging customers to post about your products on social media, you open up a wealth of content opportunities and expand the reach of your brand. Not only will customer photos help generate greater recognition for your product within Google Image search results, but also through their followers who become aware of your brand. This can significantly increase credibility and boost engagement with potential clients.

Reach out to your customers on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook – ask them to share their experiences with hashtags related to your brand. Additionally, content is king for Google; try adding live feeds of user-generated images, as this will create a fresh source of engaging material.

If you want to make your business succeed within the digital realm, it is key that you stay updated on current trends and seize new opportunities when they arise. The online world continuously shifts at a rapid pace; website owners must be able to adapt quickly to evolving technology to construct effective strategies. If you neglect this, then other competitors will have already surpassed you before long.

Pixel by Hand Product Photo Editing Services

Image optimization goes beyond coding and technical SEO—it involves user experience as well. With professional services like product photo editing, you can ensure that your website stands out with perfect visuals.

The process of photo editing involves changing the exposure, color balance and highlights to ensure your images look perfect on any device. Professional image editors will also adjust the white balance and sharpness of an image to help it stand out and appeal to viewers. Furthermore, they can correct flaws in product shots due to poor lighting or camera angles that would otherwise take away from the overall appearance of your website.

Pixel by Hand’s product photo editing services is tailored to meet the needs of diverse businesses and organizations. Their team of highly skilled editors can help you create stunning visuals that will capture the attention of potential customers. They use advanced techniques such as color correction and grading, masking, cropping, background removal and replacement, retouching, creating clipping paths, ghost mannequins, and manipulating images to ensure each shot is perfect.

Using professional product photo editing services is an excellent way to make sure your images stand out and attract potential customers. It also saves you time and money in the long run since it eliminates the need for costly equipment or hiring a photographer. Chat with us below and get started with your FREE Trial.