What is visual search and How Businesses can optimize for it

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What is visual search and How Businesses can optimize for it

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The eye is a wondrous feat of biological engineering. The top-of-the-line iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max have an impressive 48-megapixel camera. But if your eye were a camera, it would have a 576 megapixels resolution!

The eye gives such an astounding view of the world that the brain processes images 60,000X faster than text. So, content with relevant images receives 94% more views than text-only content.

For this reason, 80% of marketers use visual content in their marketing strategy. For this reason, businesses that resist the rise of voice and visual search for e-commerce will go the way of the dinosaurs.

What is visual search for business?

Visual search is AI technology that leverages real-world imagery rather than text during the search process. This AI-driven initiative makes the phone camera a vital part of the Google Search process. Google’s leading visual search protocol is Google Lens.

Google Lens is a search engine developed for real-world search, identifying images and objects via a phone camera. For example, you could use Google visual search to identify an animal or plant.

In business, shoppers can use the Google visual search engine to find similar items to a product image they may have on their phone memory. Say, for instance, you want to order a bag that has similar characteristics to your friend’s bag. All you need to do is take a picture of the bag and ask Google to search for this image visually.

You could also type “bags with this pattern” for more relevant answers. Google will supply a wide range of products that would be difficult to search using text input alone. This feature could also help shoppers purchase items they want but may not have their specific product names in mind.

If your shop, for instance, sells ceramic DIY items, a shopper could take a picture of their broken vase and search for it using Google Lens. They could then type a query like “how to fix.” The visual search engine will connect that shopper to your DIY ceramic repair video content. Other brands that have powerful visual search engines include Pinterest visual search and Amazon visual search.

How to optimize your business online marketing campaigns for visual searches

So how can visual search for e-commerce experts optimize their marketing campaigns to rank high on visual search engines?

Use alt text on images.

As per Gartner data, businesses that partner with visual search companies and redesign their sites for visual search will enjoy a 30% increase in their e-commerce revenue. So, if your website’s images do not have adequate alt tags or alternative text tags, it is time to replace them. An alt tag provides an accurate description of your pictures. Search engines use this text to comprehend image context.

Use keyword research

Effective keyword research will enhance your SEO. Long-tail keywords, for instance, provide specific details and attract high-quality leads.

Related Read – SEO Report – Try It Free

Use accurate filenames

Avoid generic file names like image0098 and use accurate and descriptive filenames. Also, use filenames that are unique to an image. So, in place of ‘chair,’ use a descriptive name like ‘upholstered blue barrel sofa chair for living room.’

Use the right image file types and sizes.

A high-resolution image is beautiful as a large-format print product. It, however, slows down your page’s load times. So, size your images for smartphone, PC, and tablet display.

Create an image sitemap.

Image sitemaps are crucial for google visual search bots. They crawl them and index your image content.

Conclusion

Unlike Google image search, which relies on typed search queries, a visual search begins with a shopper pointing their camera lens at a specific real-world item. This process leans on AI image recognition technology, which is constantly improving via machine learning technology. Be an early adopter and use visual image search to increase your digital marketing ROI.    

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