Visual Search – Everything You Need To Know
28th August 2020
Visual Search, although a less discussed form of search, has been steadily growing over the last few years. Using artificial intelligence to allow people to search through real-world imagery over traditional text. Visual search includes searches such as anything using the Google Lens for example. When a user takes a photo using the Google Lens the software will identify to object and provide relevant information.
Differences between Visual Search and Image Search
Although both search options are based around imagery there is a key difference. To conduct an image search you still need to type your search terms. Which therefore means you need to know what you are searching for. Whereas with a visual search a user uses an image to conduct the search. It is getting increasingly popular to search by pointing a camera app at something.
What are the benefits of Visual Search?
Ecommerce businesses have a lot to gain from this AI software. Most of Generation Z discover brands through social applications. A further 69% of those like to purchase products directly off the back of these platforms. Pinterest has created ‘Pinterest Lens’. A visual search feature that allows users to search, discover and shop even more products from a single image.
Google Lens
Google Lens is one of the most popular applications with the most uses. It works with scanned text, allowing you to translate, look up words or simply copy and paste. Alternatively, you can scan objects such as a top on a mannequin to see similar items. Or possibly one of the best uses is identification. Ever looked at a dog and wondered the breed? Google Lens helps you simply identify the objects when you don’t know what to search.
How does this impact SEO?
Images are a vital part of SEO. Something that is usually seen as an afterthought for most. As image specific searches become more and more popular it’s important to take care of image SEO. Make sure you thoroughly optimise your images by ensuring they are a high quality, correctly titled and alt-tagged and relevantly sized.
