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Google Image Search
This is how the backward search of images works
In this Google Image Search tutorial we will show you how reverse image search works. For example, you have a picture of a person and you want to know who that is. Then you can use this image to search for matches to that person in Google Search. Likewise, you can determine if a particular image is royalty-free to use in your online store. We’ll go through the Google Image Search process on both desktop and smartphone. If you don’t want to miss this, watch the video until the end.
Do you know the Google Image Search?
Have you ever had the situation where you saw a picture but didn’t know what was on it? So for example. a painting. You know that it is a famous work of art, but by whom it was painted or what it is called, you do not know. To find out, you should know Google Image Search. Because just as you have certainly already searched for images in the Google Image Kingdom using a search term, it is also possible with images. At first glance, this sounds like a nice gimmick, but what do you think, for example? as an online retailer, find out if you are allowed to use a certain image for your online store? If you can’t find it, Google Image Search will help you. How you do that exactly and how the Google Images display and ranking is actually composed, that will be part of this episode. So it’s best to watch until the end and try it out in parallel with the tutorial. First of all about us – we are eBakery a holistic eCommerce agency, which supports you very gladly with all your challenges in the online trade and marketing. So if you are still missing an expert on your side, click on the link and make an appointment with us.
What is the "Google Images" area?
But now first to the “Google Images section” itself. How long has this existed?
To be exact since July 12, 2001, because before that it was only possible to search for text sources. By the way, the reverse image search, which we will deal with in this episode, has only been around since 2011. But how do the images get into the Google image search now? Can you upload them there?
Unfortunately, we have to answer this question directly with “No”. Unlike sites like Pixabay, Unsplash, or Pixels, Google Images is not an image sharing site, but a search engine. So one of the differences is, for example. in that on the said pages, the image is found and can then be downloaded. Theoretically, you can do the same with Google, but there is always a specific website associated with it.
How the textual Google Image Search works
For example, let’s give just enter any keyword, like “eBay SEO Agency” and click on the first image, then we see a button with the inscription “Visit”. If we click on it, we will be redirected to the eBakery homepage. However, not to the home page, but the subpage where the image is also embedded, as we can see here. That is, the first requirement is a website where we upload the image, if we want to rank in Google Image Search. But in most cases we still search for images by entering text, i.e. our keyword, which we enter as a search term in Google. So there must be a link between the keyword and the image, which is created by several points.
What is important in image SEO?
Ex. the filename of the image. If the keyword you want to rank for is in the file name, Google will register it. Exactly the same applies to the alt text. This is usually used for accessibility, so that blind people can also perceive the website. Nevertheless, the keyword should be included in this alt text. This also applies to the surrounding text, for example. Headlines, article text, but also the caption plays an important role. Regardless of the text, but also technical things like the file size, the image size, so the aspect ratio and the file format play a role. So these are all things that are involved in what is called image SEO, which is the optimization of images and website, for improved search engine discoverability. But the basic prerequisite is, of course, indexing first. If this is new to you, feel free to check out our Google SEO Playlist. Especially the Google Search Console episode you should have a look at.
Practical example on the desktop
Now that we know what the images section on Google is and how it is composed, we also have a deeper understanding of how we can make reverse image search work for us. First of all, this takes place either in the normal Google search, i.e. www.google.de, or in the image area, both are possible. Important for you is this icon. This stands for “search based on images”. We now take up our example from the beginning and have the following painting. If you already know which one it is, stop the video and write the answer in the comments. But do not cheat. If that’s not the case, then you can find out by clicking on the icon, uploading your image and looking at the result. We know that the painting is called “The Scream”. But by whom was it painted?
How to find out if you need a license for a specific image
If we go to “More images”, we will be shown an image search as we already know it. We click on the first result and see that Wikipedia is linked to this image. So click on “Visit” and we learn that this was painted by the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch. That’s a nice feature, but how does that help me as an online retailer, one or the other will now think. We will now go through another example for this. You have the following image and now you want to be clear about the license situation. Then let’s upload this one as well. On the one hand we see where this picture was taken, so we get to know the real place where the picture was taken, but on the other hand we get several sources on which the exact picture can be found. Among others, an online magazine that has deposited a link as copyright. And we see the image comes from Pixabay. So we can use it with confidence.
Google Image Search on Smartphone
But does the whole thing also work on the smartphone and if so, how?
It definitely works, but not from within the browser. You need the Google App. You can download it for free from the App Store. When you open it, you will recognize the familiar icon from before. Click on it and select the image you want to search for. We have taken a German personality as a reference and as you can see Google has no problems to find out who it is. Again, you will get the sources where the image can be found.
Google Image Search - Summary
Let us therefore conclude by summarizing once again. Google Images is an image search engine that ranks and displays the images of specific websites matching a specific search term. This means that no images can be uploaded here. The only thing you can do is to submit an indexation request in Google Search Console for the subpage where the image is located. The Google crawler will then look at them and evaluate them. In order to have your images displayed as high as possible, a holistic SEO strategy is necessary, depending on the competition. This is exactly our specialty. So if this is exactly your goal, feel free to check out our page linked above right and schedule an appointment with our Google SEO experts. But we also learned in this episode that searching by text is not the only thing Google can do. You can search for source references and information about your existing image. We have given two examples of this in this video, but the range of possibilities is much wider. You can search for plants to see if they are edible or not, you can find out what car it is when you see it on the street, you can find out by photo if a person is famous or not. So it’s a fascet-rich expansion.
Google SEO Agency
However, if there are any questions about this, leave them for us in the comments. We will do our best to answer you there. However, should you wish to be advised otherwise, then we are available to you as an eCommerce, but explicitly also as a Google SEO agency.
Do you have questions or need an individual offer? Do not hesitate to contact us.
Haben Sie Fragen oder brauchen ein individuelles Angebot? Zögern Sie nicht, uns zu kontaktieren.
