Actual SEO Media, Inc. Has the Answer On Whether or Not Stock Photography is Tanking SEO Scores
Actual SEO Media, Inc. talks about the pros and cons of stock photography and the effects it has on SEO.
HOUSTON, TEXAS, UNITED STATES, December 9, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Adding images to articles is vital. It is an additional piece of content that Google could use to help rank a company. But are certain images, such as stock images, causing more harm than good? Actual SEO Media, Inc. offers a bit of insight on this topic and the pros and cons of using both stock and original images.
Images: What Are They For Anyway?
Images help break up the monotony of endless text. It gives the audience something interesting to look at and sometimes provides more information. They can often give a reader some insight into who a company is and what they are about.
When creating content such as long-form articles, blogs, or press releases, images should pertain to the information. For companies creating articles about their products or services, oftentimes, they will want to use images from their own businesses. These businesses could include:
-Restaurants
-Hair Salons
-Nail Salons
-Gyms
-Pet Care Services
-Coffee Shops
-Clothing/accessory stores
There are some businesses that don’t have their own images that they can use. Places such as healthcare centers, insurance companies, and lawyers often don’t have useful photos of their own. Therefore, they will turn to stock photos for assistance.
3 Reasons People Say Stock Photos Suck
1. Stock images lack interest- Stock photos are not the most interesting to look at. They are typically non-descript, often depicting two people platonically staring at each other, smiling. One of them might be in scrubs, and the other is not, which can give the indication that this photo can be a dentist’s office, hospital, nursing home, home care services, health insurance, etc. Sometimes these photos are of random objects and don’t give a good indication of what the business is about or what they have to offer. They are purely for “decorative” elements just to break up large text blocks.
2. They are fake- Some audiences, for some reason, love pointing out what is “fake.” Just visit a few Youtube videos of people showing extraordinary feats and look at the comment sections. There is usually at least one person that says, “Nah, this is fake.” Likewise, photos of two strangers smiling at one another can be disingenuous. Audiences can spot these types of images and could come to the same conclusion about the brand.
3. Lack of Uniqueness- Stock images are basically the B-roll footage of a webpage. For those who are unfamiliar with this term, B-roll footage is literally stock footage in a film or show. An example would be shots of a city or a crowd of people. They are meant to be used as filler during a transition from one major scene to another. Now, imagine if several major box office films used the same B-roll footage. There would be a bit of a disconnect between viewers and the film. Some might even point out that a particular transition scene was the same exact shot used in a movie they saw last week. Now apply this same concept to businesses, and it makes a bit more sense as to why stock images might not be the best to use.
But Does Google Actually Care?
The biggest question most people have about stock images is, “does Google care about stock images?” The short answer is not really. While Google does care about originality, images are not its biggest concern. Although, it is important to state that Google still cares about the proper use of photos. They need to pertain to the content and not come across as spam or violate their guidelines.
It’s important to understand that some businesses are better off using stock photos. Not every business has the ability to use its own photos because of what the business involves. For example, healthcare providers, insurance companies, and lawyers all have privacy laws they have to follow. Therefore, posting photos of their patients and clients might put them in violation of those laws, which will get them into trouble. Therefore, they have no other choice but to use stock photos.
Other businesses may not provide services that are worth taking pictures of. For instance, there are online writing services that will help people write school papers. The company could take photos of their employees working on a computer, but past that, there isn’t much to take a photo of. Therefore, stock photos are the way to go.
So is SEO Affected by Stock Photos?
Yes, and no. On the one hand, it does not impact SEO scores negatively so long as they adhere to the proper guidelines. On the other hand, using stock photos does not impact sites in a positive way either. There really is no gain to using stock photos because they are not considered to be original content. Therefore, if a company is worried about boosting its SEO score, it may want to consider using its own photos. A few original photo ideas businesses can use are:
-Their products
-Happy customers
-Employees performing a task
-Exterior building shots
-Interior office space shots
-Location shots (i.e., city the business resides in)
-Employee/business owner photos
-Company logos
What Matters Most to the Business?
Using stock images is fast and convenient and does not lower one’s SEO score. However, depending on where the images come from, companies may have to pay for them. Depending on the company’s budget, it could end up being a little pricy for some people.
Creating original images will help boost SEO scores, but they take time and effort. For one, quality has to be taken into consideration. Stock photos are not taken by anyone with a camera phone. They are often taken by professionals with a DSLR camera setup, proper lighting, and good composition. That is not to say that camera phone images will not work, but there is a good amount of effort that goes into taking high-quality photos for online content.
Whether stock photos are used for digital marketing is really up to the brand’s discretion. There are valid points on both sides of the argument. It really just matters what is most important to the business and how much time one wants to spend creating original content.
As a leading Houston SEO company, Actual SEO Media, Inc. empowers its clients to maximize their digital marketing potential. By harnessing the power of search engine optimization, the company helps businesses expand their online reach and establish a stronger presence on the Internet. In addition to SEO, Actual SEO Media, Inc. also specializes in creating unique content. They have insights what how to provide informative and interesting content to their audiences. For more information, contact the office at (832) 834 – 0661 or by email at info@actualseomedia.com.
Jamin Mootz
Actual SEO Media, Inc.
+1 832-834-0661
email us here
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