Google is the top search engine on the web.
With the continuing growth in popularity of this search engine, it is more crucial than ever to optimize your search strategy to ensure that your business reaches as many leads as possible. One aspect you’ll want to focus on is visual search.
What is a visual search?
Have you ever seen something and wanted to look it up, but couldn’t figure out how to describe it? You end up searching a long description of the place or object, only to drum up weak results.
Visual search allows you to take a photo and upload it to a search engine like Google or Bing. Then, the search engines will generate results that closely match your object.
5 ways to optimize for visual search
Visual search helps leads find your products. There are seven ways you can help your business optimize for a visual search to drive more leads.
1. OFFER NUMEROUS IMAGES
When you optimize your business’ site for visual search, offer numerous images for your products. You don’t want to just rely on one image. It could cause leads to miss out on your product and choose a competitor’s product instead.
Multiple images ensure that your leads find your products regardless of the angle they view your product. If they take a picture of the product from the back, they should be able to find a back-facing photo on your website.
By taking multiple photos of your products, you’ll ensure that your audience finds your website first. This will help you earn more valuable leads for your business.
2. CHOOSE HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOS
If you want to attract leads through visual search, you need to invest in great photos. High-quality photos ensure that Google can process your photo to match a person’s search query.
Resist using blurry or low-resolution pictures on your site, as they aren’t appealing to your audience and make your site seem unprofessional. Not to mention, your audience will have a hard time getting a closer look at your product.
High-resolution photos ensure that your audience sees your product clearly. It will keep your audience more engaged and interested in your product.
3. DO KEYWORD RESEARCH
Not only is keyword research important to search engine optimization (SEO), but it also impacts visual search. Keywords help you provide a better description of your product image. It helps your image appear in the right results.
Keyword research will help you find the right keywords for your campaign. There are numerous keyword research tools you can use to help you find the right keywords for your campaign.
When you select keywords, you generally want to focus on long-tail keywords. These are keywords that contain three or more words. Long-tail keywords are more specific and detailed, so they attract more qualified leads.
4. OPTIMIZE IMAGE TITLES AND DESCRIPTIONS
Once you have your long-tail keywords selected, you’ll want to integrate them into your image title and description.
Keywords in your description help signal the subject of the image. Your audience will be able to find your products faster, and it’s helpful for people who are visually impaired. They can use screen readers to read your image’s description and understand what’s in your image.
When you create your title, make it descriptive. A generic file name like “img203.png” won’t help Google or your audience. It is best to create a descriptive heading and detailed description to help your audience and Google understand your image better.
5. ADD ALTERNATIVE TEXT
When you upload your images to the web, include alternative text, or an alt tag, with your image. An alt tag is a great place to input information about your photo, and every image you upload should have one.
Like your descriptions, this is also important to include for members of your audience that may be visually impaired. They can use screen readers to read the alt tag and understand your image better. It’s a great way to provide an accurate description of your image for your potential customers.
Alt text also helps search engines understand the context of your image. They will rank your photo appropriately because they will know the context of the image. It’s a great way to help more valuable lead find your image.