MARKETING
SEO in Real Life: Harnessing Visual Search for Optimization Opportunities
The author’s views are entirely his or her own (excluding the unlikely event of hypnosis) and may not always reflect the views of Moz.
The most exciting thing about visual search is that it’s becoming a highly accessible way for users to interpret the real world, in real time, as they see it. Rather than being a passive observer, camera phones are now a primary resource for knowledge and understanding in daily life.
Users are searching with their own, unique photos to discover content. This includes interactions with products, brand experiences, stores, and employees, and means that SEO can and should be taken into consideration for a number of real world situations, including:
Though SEOs have little control over which photos people take, we can optimize our brand presentation to ensure we are easily discoverable by visual search tools. By prioritizing the presence of high impact visual search elements and coordinating online SEO with offline branding, businesses of all sizes can see results.
What is visual search?
Sometimes referred to as search-what-you-see, in the context of SEO, visual search is the act of querying a search engine with a photo rather than with text. To surface results , search engines and digital platforms use AI and visual recognition technology to identify elements in the image and supply the user with relevant information.
Though Google’s visual search tools are getting a lot of attention at the moment, they aren’t the only tech team that’s working on visual search. Pinterest has been at the forefront of this space for many years, and today you can see visual search in action on:
In the last year, Google has spoken extensively about their visual search capabilities, hinging a number of their search improvements on Google Lens and adding more and more functionality all the time. As a result, year on year usage of Google Lens has increased by three fold, with an estimated8 billion Google Lens searches taking place each month.
Though there are many lessons to be learned from the wide range of visual search tools, which each have their own data sets, for the purpose of this article we will be looking at visual search on Google Lens and Search.
Are visual search and image search SEO the same?
No, visual search optimization is not exactly the same as image search optimization. Image search optimization forms part of the visual search optimization process, but they’re not interchangeable.
Image search SEO
With Image Search you should prioritize helping images to surface when users enter text based queries. To do this, your images should be using image SEO best practices like:
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Modern file formats
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Alt text
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Alt tags
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Relevant file names
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Schema markup
All of this helps Google to return an image search result for a text based query, but one of the main challenges with this approach is that it requires the user to know which term to enter.
For instance, with the query dinosaur with horns, an image search will return a few different dinosaur topic filters and lots of different images. To find the best result, I would need to filter and refine the query significantly.
Visual search SEO
With visual search, the image is the query, meaning that I can take a photo of a toy dinosaur with horns, search with Google Lens, then Google refines the query based on what it can see from the image.
When you compare the two search results, the SERP for the visual search is a better match for the initial image query because there are visual cues within the image. So I am only seeing results for a dinosaur with horns, that is quadrupedal, and only has horns on the face, not the frill.
From a user perspective, this is great because I didn’t have to type anything and I got a helpful result. And from Google’s perspective, this is also more efficient because they can assess the photo and decide which element to filter for first in order to get to the best SERP.
The standard image optimizations form part of what Google considers in order to surface relevant results, but if you stop there, you don’t get the full picture.
Which content elements are best interpreted in visual search
Visual search tools identify objects, text, and images, but certain elements are easier to identify than others. When users carry out a visual search, Google taps into multiple data sources to satisfy the query.
The knowledge graph,Vision AI, Google Maps, and other sources combine to surface search results, but in particular, Google’s tools have a few priority elements. When these elements are present in a photo Google can sort, identify, and/or visually match similar content to return results:
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Landmarks are identified visually but are also connected to their physical location on Google Maps, meaning that local businesses or business owners should use imagery to demonstrate their location.
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Logos are interpreted in their entirety, rather than as single letters. So even without any text, Google can understand that that swoop means Nike. This data comes from the logos in knowledge panels, website structured data, Google Business Profile, Google Merchant, and other sources, so they should all align.
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Knowledge Graph Entities are used to tag and categorize images and have a significant impact on what SERP is displayed for a visual search. Google recognizes around 5 billion KGE, so it is worth considering which ones are most relevant to your brand and ensuring that they are visually represented on your site.
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Text is extracted from images via Optical Character Recognition, which has some limitations — not all languages are recognized, nor are backwards letters. So if your users regularly search photos of printed menus or other printed text, you should consider readability of the fonts (or handwriting on specials boards) you use.
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Faces are interpreted for sentiment, but the quantity of faces also comes into account, meaning that businesses that serve large groups of people — like event venues or cultural institutions — would do well to include images that demonstrate this.
Visual Search Element |
Corresponding Online Activity |
Priority Verticals |
Landmarks |
Website Images
Google Maps
Google Business Profile |
Tourism
Restaurants
Cultural Institutions
Local Businesses |
Logo |
Website Images
Website Structured Data
Google Merchant
Google Business Profile
Wikipedia
Knowledge Panel |
All |
Knowledge Graph Entities |
Website Images
Image Structured Data
Google Business Profile |
Ecommerce
Events
Cultural Institutions |
Text |
Website copy
Google Business Profile |
All |
Faces |
Website images
Google Business Profile |
Events
Tourism
Cultural Institutions |
How to optimize real world spaces for visual search
Just as standard SEO should be focused on meeting and anticipating customer needs, visual search SEO requires awareness of how customers interact with products and services in real world spaces. This means SEOs should apply the same attention to UCG that one would use for keyword research. To that end, I would argue we should also think about consciously applying optimizations to the potential content of these images.
Optimize sponsorship with unobstructed placements
This might seem like a no brainer, but in busy sponsorship spaces it can sometimes be a challenge. As an example, let’s take this photo from a visit to the Staples Center a few years ago.
Like any sports arena, this is filled to the brim with sponsorship endorsements on the court, the basket, and around the venue.
But when I run a visual search assessment for logos, the only one that can clearly be identified is the Kia logo in the jumbotron.
This isn’t because their logo is so distinct or unique, since there is another Kia logo under the basketball hoop, rather this is because the jumbotron placement is clean in terms of composition, with lots of negative space around the logo and fewer identifiable entities in the immediate vicinity.
Within the wider arena, many of the other sponsorship placements are being read as text, including Kia’s logo below the hoop. This has some value for these brands, but since text recognition doesn’t always complete the word, the results can be inconsistent.
So what does any of this have to do with SEO?
Well, Google Image Search now includes results that are using visual recognition, independent of text cues. Meaning that for a Google Image Search for the query kia staples center, two of the top five results do not have the word kia in the copy, alt text, or alt tags of the web pages they are sourced from. So, visual search is impacting rankings here, and with Google Imagesaccounting for roughly 20% of online searches, this can have a significant impact on search visibility.
What steps should you take to SEO your sponsorships?
Whether it’s major league or the local bowling league, in order to get the most benefit from visual search, if you are sponsoring something which is likely to be photographed extensively, you should:
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Ensure that your real life sponsorship placement is in an unobscured location
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Use the same logo in real life that is in your schema, GBP, and knowledge panel
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Get a placement with good lighting and high contrast brand colors
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Don’t rely on “light up” logos or flags that have inconsistent visibility on camera phones
You should also ensure that you’re aligning your real life presence with your digital activity. Include images of the sponsorship display on your website so that you can surface for relevant queries. If you dedicate a blog to the sponsorship activity that includes relevant images, image search optimizations, and copy, you increase your chances of outranking other content and bringing those clicks to your site.
Optimizing merch & uniforms for search
When creating merchandising and uniforms, visual discoverability for search should be a priority because users can search photos of promotional merch and images with team members in a number of ways and for an indefinite period of time.
Add text and/or logos
For instance, from my own camera roll, I have a few photos that can be categorized via theGoogle Photo machine-learning-powered image search with the query nasa. Two of these photos include the word “NASA” and the others include the logo.
Oddly enough, though, the photo of my Women of NASA LEGO set does not surface for this query. It shows for lego but not for nasa. Looking closely at the item itself, I can see that neither the NASA logo nor the text have been included in the design of the set.
Adding relevant text and/or logos to this set would have optimized this merchandise for both brands.
Stick to relevant brand colors
And since Google’s visual search AI is also able to discern brand colors, you should also prioritize merchandise that is in keeping with your brand colors. T-shirts and merch that deviate from your core color scheme will be less likely to make Visual Matches when users search via Google Lens.
In the example above, event merchandise that was created outside of the core brand colors of red, black, and white were much less recognizable than stationary typical colors.
Focus on in-person brand experiences
Creating experiences with customers in store and at events can be a great way to build brand relationships. It’s possible to leverage these activities for search if you take an SEO-centric approach.
Reduce competition
Let’s consider this image from a promotional experience in Las Vegas for Lyft. As a user, I enjoyed this immensely, so much so that I took a photo.
Though the Viva Lyft Vegas event was created by the rideshare company, in terms of visual search, Pabst are genuinely taking the blue ribbon, as they are the main entity identified in this query. But why?
First, Pabst has claimed their knowledge panel while Lyft has not, meaning that Lyft is less recognizable as a visual entity because it is less defined as an entity.
Second, though it does not have a Google Maps entry, the Las Vegas PBR sign has had landmark-esque treatment since it was installed, with features in The Neon Museum and a UNLV Neon Survey. All of this to say that, in this context, Lyft is being upstaged.
So to create a more SEO-friendly promotional space, they could have laid the groundwork by claiming their knowledge panel and reduced visual search competitors from the viewable space to make sure all eyes were on them.
Encourage optimized use-generated content
Sticking to Las Vegas, here is a typical touristy photo of me with friends outside the Excalibur Hotel:
And when I say that it’s typical, that’s not conjecture. A quick visual search reveals many other social media posts and websites with similar images.
This is what I refer to as that picture. You know the kinds of high occurrence UGC photos: under the castle at the entrance to Disneyland or even thepink wall at Paul Smith’s on Melrose Ave. These are the photos that everyone takes.
Can you SEO these photos for visual search? Yes, I believe you can in two ways:
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Encourage people to take photos in certain places that you know, or have designed to include relevant entities, text, logos, and/or landmarks in the viewline. You can do this by declaring an area a scenic viewpoint or creating a photo friendly, dare I say “Instagrammable”, area in your store or venue.
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Ensure frequently photographed mobile brand representations (e.g. mascots and/or vehicles) are easily recognizable via visual search. Where applicable, you should also claim their knowledge panels.
Once you’ve taken these steps, create dedicated content on your website with images that can serve as a “visual match” to this high frequency UGC. Include relevant copy and image search optimizations to demonstrate authority and make the most of this visibility.
How does this change SEO?
The notion of bringing visual search considerations to real world spaces may seem initially daunting, but this is also an opportunity for businesses of all sizes to consolidate brand identities in an effective way. Those working in SEO should coordinate efforts with PR, branding, and sponsorship teams to capture visual search traffic for brand wins.
MARKETING
Generative Engine Optimization Framework Introduced in New Research
There are several AI chatbot-like features available in the current search engines, including Bing Copilot, Google, Bard, and Gemini. They help to optimize the content visibility in the search results with the help of an AI-powered Search engine known as a Generative engine or AI Search.
A traditional search engine like Bing, Google, or Yahoo ranks and displays information in the SERPs based on the search terms a user inputs. 🔎
The generative engine, on the other hand, generates comprehensive, accurate, and relevant results and information with the help of Generative AI or Large Language Models (LLMs) such as chatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. They understand and integrate information from various sources for the user’s queries.
In this blog, We will discuss the GEO that is introduced in the new research, its framework, and how it can change traditional Search engine optimization (SEO) practices and optimize content for visibility.
The Key Components of the GEO Framework and How They Transform Traditional SEO Practices
GEO is described in the research paper as: “A novel paradigm to aid content creators in improving the visibility of their content in Generative Engine responses through a black-box optimization framework for optimizing and defining visibility metrics. We facilitate systematic evaluation in this new paradigm by introducing GEO-bench, a benchmark of diverse user queries across multiple domains, coupled with sources required to answer these queries.”
Traditional SEO depends upon the keyword volume, difficulty, and optimization for the specific search terms, which focus less on an interpretation relationship between the concepts of keywords or user queries. SEO practices prioritize text-based source content over other sources of content format where regular updating of fresh content is not a primary focus. Also, metrics like impression and click rates affect ranking system results in traditional methods.
GEO encourages detailed information over just the keyword, addressing the related main queries by creating depth content and potential subtopics with the understanding of concept and relationship, encouraging the other formats, such as visual, audio, and images, not just text-based. Moreover, it emphasizes the latest updated content information with continuous accuracy and relevance to provide the most accurate and up-to-date details.
The Impact of Introducing GEO on Website Ranking and Content Relevancy
A generative engine relies on traditional SEO practices like user intent and algorithms for ranking to a degree, such as keyword stuffing. Although it focuses on keywords, it tries to find connections and meanings beyond the keywords in order to create high-quality content.
GEO doesn’t directly indicate the web visibility or page ranking in the Search Engine Result Page. However, it can optimize the overall website visibility and indirectly drive user traffic to your websites through generated responsive data and information.
GEO-optimized content provides the AI Search or a Large Language Model (LLM) with reliable and completely detailed information, enabling them to generate the most accurate and relevant information for responses to user questions or inputs.
These AI-powered engines can deliver a vibrant user experience using optimized content for user engagement and interactive experiences. Furthermore, It also builds trust with a user as it relies on renowned and credible sources, which enhances the effectiveness and reliability of the generated response data and provides synthesizing information.
Comparison with Existing SEO Models: Why GEO Stands Out in Enhancing Search Engine Performance
GEO utilizes auto-generative algorithms for content generation based on predetermined objectives and standards where generated content can cover a broader range of keywords and related topics in various formats like image and visual.
A generative search engine uses modern optimization techniques that involve cognitive SEO, NLP (natural language processing), and structured data markup to maintain and improve content leverage, relevancy, and search engine visibility. In addition, it introduces new methods for determining citations’ importance and website visibility, as well as improving user-centric content by using impression metrics.
Traditional SEO models rely upon and use specific keywords to optimize and rank manually in search results. It uses traditional optimization techniques like link building, meta tags, and URLs.
In traditional search optimization, content creation and optimization can be slow and have low content scalability compared to AI-powered, requiring manual effort for generation and optimization. Constant monitoring and adaptation to platform algorithms are needed to produce the latest and updated information for dynamic user behavior.
Both are equally responsible for improving the brand or website’s online visibility; traditional SEO models require the manual touch for content creation and optimization. GEO tends to use generative responses automatically for content generation as per user queries, making it more effective for user-centric content creation, optimization, and stability in related topics or keywords.
9 Test research findings to improve the website content in GEO
The researchers from Princeton University, Georgia Tech, Allen Institute for AI, and IIT Delhi tested nine various GEO approaches to improve site content for generative engines. Techniques that have been tried and tested over 10,000 search queries, nine optimization strategies were tested on something that “closely resembles the design of BingChat”:
- Authoritative: The content was altered to be more compelling while conveying definitive claims.
- Keyword Stuffing: More keywords were added to match the query.
- Statistics Addition: Instead of a qualitative conversation, quantitative statistics were included.
- Sources: Relevant citations have been added. Like quotes statistics
- Quotation Addition: Quotations from reliable sources have been included.
- Easy-to-understand: Simplified the language.
- Fluency Optimisation: Improved fluency.
- Unique Words: Used in the text whenever possible.
- Technical terms: Technical terms have been incorporated into the content.
The data set for search queries was obtained from Google, Microsoft Bing, and Perplexity. Sources include AI Discover, GPT-4, and others.
So, focus on creating detailed and comprehensive blogs or articles by defining the relation and highlighting the context for deeper meaning. Utilize the various formats for content creation to enrich information and diversify the learning perspective.
Also, update your content with the latest information and trends to maintain regular effectiveness and relevancy in the generative engines.
Conclusion:
In the end, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) provides a more automated, scalable, and adaptive method of content creation and optimization than traditional Search Engine Optimization (SEO) approaches, which need manual and constant work for the optimization and ranking. Compared to traditional search engines, generative engines give instant and detailed personalized information to users’ queries for improved engagement.
Conventional SEO uses metrics like impression, session duration, and click-through rate (CTR), whereas GEO proposes new metrics to measure the relevance and visibility of citations within generative engine responses, making users eliminate the need to visit individual websites for information as it generates the responses on users queries from the reliable, relevant, and various sources.
AI-powered search optimization is still developing and becoming popular since most users and business owners are using generative AI as their source of information and improved visibility with universally applicable diverse content formats.
MARKETING
How To Develop a Great Creative Brief and Get On-Target Content
Every editor knows what it feels like to sit exasperated in front of the computer, screaming internally, “It would have been easier if I’d done it myself.”
If your role involves commissioning and approving content, you know that sinking feeling: Ten seconds into reviewing a piece, it’s obvious the creator hasn’t understood (or never bothered to listen to) a damn thing you told them. As you go deeper, your fingertips switch gears from polite tapping to a digital Riverdance as your annoyance spews onto the keyboard. We’ve all been there. It’s why we drink. Or do yoga. Or practice voodoo.
In truth, even your best writer, designer, or audiovisual content creator can turn in a bad job. Maybe they had an off day. Perhaps they rushed to meet a deadline. Or maybe they just didn’t understand the brief.
The first two excuses go to the content creator’s professionalism. You’re allowed to get grumpy about that. But if your content creator didn’t understand the brief, then you, as the editor, are at least partly to blame.
Taking the time to create a thorough but concise brief is the single greatest investment you can make in your work efficiency and sanity. The contrast in emotions when a perfectly constructed piece of content lands in your inbox could not be starker. It’s like the sun has burst through the clouds, someone has released a dozen white doves, and that orchestra that follows you around has started playing the lovely bit from Madame Butterfly — all at once.
Here’s what a good brief does:
- It clearly and concisely sets out your expectations (so be specific).
- It focuses the content creator’s mind on the areas of most importance.
- It encourages the content creator to do a thorough job rather than an “it’ll-do” job.
- It results in more accurate and more effective content (content that hits the mark).
- It saves hours of unnecessary labor and stress in the editing process.
- It can make all the difference between profit and loss.
Arming content creators with a thorough brief gives them the best possible chance of at least creating something fit for purpose — even if it’s not quite how you would have done it. Give them too little information, and there’s almost no hope they’ll deliver what you need.
On the flip side, overloading your content creators with more information than they need can be counterproductive. I know a writer who was given a 65-page sales deck to read as background for a 500-word blog post. Do that, and you risk several things happening:
- It’s not worth the content creator’s time reading it, so they don’t.
- Even if they do read it, you risk them missing out on the key points.
- They’ll charge you a fortune because they’re losing money doing that amount of preparation.
- They’re never going to work with you again.
There’s a balance to strike.
There’s a balance to be struck.
Knowing how to give useful and concise briefs is something I’ve learned the hard way over 20 years as a journalist and editor. What follows is some of what I’ve found works well. Some of this might read like I’m teaching grandma to suck eggs, but I’m surprised how many of these points often get forgotten.
Who is the client?
Provide your content creator with a half- or one-page summary of the business:
- Who it is
- What it does
- Whom it services
- What its story is
- Details about any relevant products and services
Include the elevator pitch and other key messaging so your content creator understands how the company positions itself and what kind of language to weave into the piece.
Who is the audience?
Include a paragraph or two about the intended audience. If a company has more than one audience (for example, a recruitment company might have job candidates and recruiters), then be specific. Even a sentence will do, but don’t leave your content creator guessing. They need to know who the content is for.
What needs to be known?
This is the bit where you tell your content creator what you want them to create. Be sure to include three things:
- The purpose of the piece
- The angle to lead with
- The message the audience should leave with
I find it helps to provide links to relevant background information if you have it available, particularly if the information inspired or contributed to the content idea, rather than rely on content creators to find their own. It can be frustrating when their research doesn’t match or is inferior to your own.
How does the brand communicate?
Include any information the content creators need to ensure that they’re communicating in an authentic voice of the brand.
- Tone of voice: The easiest way to provide guidance on tone of voice is to provide one or two examples that demonstrate it well. It’s much easier for your content creators to mimic a specific example they’ve seen, read, or heard than it is to interpret vague terms like “formal,” “casual,” or “informative but friendly.”
- Style guide: Giving your content creator a style guide can save you a lot of tinkering. This is essential for visuals but also important for written content if you don’t want to spend a lot of time changing “%” to “percent” or uncapitalizing job titles. Summarize the key points or most common errors.
- Examples: Examples aren’t just good for tone of voice; they’re also handy for layout and design to demonstrate how you expect a piece of content to be submitted. This is especially handy if your template includes social media posts, meta descriptions, and so on.
All the elements in a documented brief
Here are nine basic things every single brief requires:
- Title: What are we calling this thing? (A working title is fine so that everyone knows how to refer to this project.)
- Client: Who is it for, and what do they do?
- Deadline: When is the final content due?
- The brief itself: What is the angle, the message, and the editorial purpose of the content? Include here who the audience is.
- Specifications: What is the word count, format, aspect ratio, or run time?
- Submission: How and where should the content be filed? To whom?
- Contact information: Who is the commissioning editor, the client (if appropriate), and the talent?
- Resources: What blogging template, style guide, key messaging, access to image libraries, and other elements are required to create and deliver the content?
- Fee: What is the agreed price/rate? Not everyone includes this in the brief, but it should be included if appropriate.
Depending on your business or the kind of content involved, you might have other important information to include here, too. Put it all in a template and make it the front page of your brief.
Prepare your briefs early
It’s entirely possible you’re reading this, screaming internally, “By the time I’ve done all that, I could have written the damn thing myself.”
But much of this information doesn’t change. Well in advance, you can document the background about a company, its audience, and how it speaks doesn’t change. You can pull all those resources into a one- or two-page document, add some high-quality previous examples, throw in the templates they’ll need, and bam! You’ve created a short, useful briefing package you can provide to any new content creator whenever it is needed. You can do this well ahead of time.
I expect these tips will save you a lot of internal screaming in the future. Not to mention drink, yoga, and voodoo.
This is an update of a January 2019 CCO article.
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Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
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