Visual search is gaining huge momentum in digital marketing right now, especially given how rapid improvements to artificial intelligence (AI) are driving this popular search trend.
Here’s what you need to know about visual search marketing, and how to include this exciting and revenue-boosting practice in your digital marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies.
What Is Visual Search Marketing?
Visual search marketing is the practice of optimizing images of your products and services so that those who use this highly convenient search feature can find them and make a purchase.
If you’re not yet familiar with visual search, this feature allows you to search for information on the web using a photo or image, instead of text.
For example, if you go for a walk and encounter an unfamiliar species of bird, you can snap a photo of the bird and upload it to a visual search engine to learn more about the bird—such as its name and habitat. Or, if you find a vintage jacket at the thrift store that appears to be missing its designer label, you can use visual search to learn more about its brand and the year it was released.
Visual search can be incredibly useful if you want to learn the name of a place or thing, or want to see objects that are similar to the one you uploaded.
From a marketing standpoint, visual search makes it easier and more convenient for users to find and buy your products. When someone uploads a photo of one of your products to visual search, the search engine will display a list of the websites that sell your product. Your site may also come up in search if your business sells a product similar to the one being searched for.
How AI Changed Visual Search in 2024
Visual search has been available for many years, but it started rising more rapidly in popularity in 2017 with the launch of Google Lens. Visual search engines use AI technology to understand and analyze the contents in your photo or image, and return results of objects or places that are similar in appearance.
Now, in 2024, the new generative AI capabilities in Google and other search engines have vastly improved the visual search experience, as images can now be understood and interpreted far more quickly than before. In fact, according to a study conducted by Syte, visual search can return results far more quickly than text-based searches, by about 10 seconds.
New Visual Search Features to Know
Visual search engines are popping up everywhere, including on shopping platforms like Amazon. Here’s how to use these features on your devices.
Google Lens
Google Lens is currently the top visual search feature, available on desktop and in mobile apps, including Google App, Google Photos, and Pixel Camera.
When taking a photo using any of these apps, Google will isolate an object in the photo and display relevant search results. Google Lens also gives you the option to use photos from your gallery to search for relevant images.
Google Circle to Search
This feature allows you to select a specific object in a photo in which several objects may be present, and search for that particular object. You can tap or “circle” the object you want to learn more about and see relevant results.
Bing Visual Search
This visual search feature from Microsoft works similarly to Google Lens, with the option to select additional filters. Bing visual search allows you to drill down to see pages with the exact same image, pages with related content, and pages with related products.
Amazon Lens
Amazon Lens helps you find products that are exactly the same or similar to the product in the image you upload. This feature also allows you to scan barcodes of products you may want to buy on Amazon.
To use Amazon Lens, pull up your Amazon app and tap the camera in the corner of the search bar. After you take a photo, Amazon will display a list of products that are relevant to the product in your photo.
Pinterest Lens
Pinterest Lens allows you to find other content on its platform related to the image you upload to its visual search feature. This feature helps users network with one another and find other users who share the same interests based on the photos they upload.
How to Optimize Your Images for Visual Search Marketing
High-quality images are key to excelling at visual search marketing. Google Lens and other visual search engines will rank your photos higher in search if they look professional, clear, and visually appealing.
Here are tips that can help you optimize your images and photos for visual search:
- Make sure the object in your photo is in focus and not blurry. Blurry objects are not as easily recognizable by visual search engines.
- Use the right lighting. Taking photos in a bright, well-lit environment helps ensure that your object can be easily recognized by search.
- Make sure the main subject of your photo is properly centered. Some visual search engines may not be able to recognize an object if it is off-center.
- Use the right file format. JPG photos take up far less space than other formats and won’t slow your webpage loading time.
- Produce images using the right dimensions. Using too-large dimensions can result in too-large files that slow down your website.
- Make sure images are optimized for both desktop and mobile devices.
- Add titles, descriptions, and alt-text to your images. This can help them rank higher in visual search engines.
- Include captions. Captions can help users and search engines alike better understand and analyze your content.
If you need help optimizing your images for visual search, reach out to a professional digital marketing agency that specializes in search engine marketing and SEO (hint, hint, Katava Marketing!!). If you start now, chances are you can scoot ahead of your competitors given how visual search continues to become more advanced and more popular by the day.
At Katava Marketing, your vision is our mission! Our full-service marketing agency offers search engine marketing, SEO, video and photo services, and everything else your business needs to increase its revenue. We can work with you to create visually compelling images that take your visual search marketing campaign to the next level. Contact us at 973-998-8008 to get started today!
