How to use visual search optimisation in your marketing

Online search has evolved significantly in recent years, with the concept of visual search being one of the most talked-about innovations in digital marketing.

Consumer behaviour has dramatically shifted, with users preferring to discover products in more visual and immersive ways, as opposed to standard text-based queries on desktops.

For B2B and marketing-driven businesses, visual search represents an incredible opportunity to make their brands more visible and cultivate deeper relationships with their audiences.

A shift in the customer journey

This represents a profound shift in the traditional customer journey by allowing prospects to:

• identify solutions they encounter across different touchpoints

• discover similar offerings

• make informed purchasing decisions with greater speed and confidence

Businesses can only succeed in this evolving space with the help of strategic visual search optimisation strategies and techniques.

Not only must they make sure their websites, apps and digital assets are easily for people to find, but that these channels are technically optimised, user-friendly and fast across different devices.

Optimising for visual search means thoroughly understanding search engine optimisation (SEO) strategies – but with a notable difference.

While traditional SEO focuses on standard searches and optimising text, visual search is about optimising visual assets and multimedia content to make them more discoverable and engaging to users.

How visual search works in marketing (with examples)

Before we explore specific ways to optimise visual assets, it's important to know how visual search affects modern practices for marketing to and acquiring customers.

Marketers may use images for a wide range of reasons beyond simple product displays, including in:

• brand storytelling

• case studies

• infographics

• interactive and thought leadership content

Every search platform uses its own algorithm and, by extension, measures visual assets against specific criteria that determine how relevant they are and how far they'll engage customers. The scale and impact of visual assets cannot be understated.

Google Lens, for example, processes over 20 billion monthly searches, offering comprehensive features such as text translation, object identification and direct link generation to other content.

This tool is particularly powerful for B2B (business-to-business) marketing, as it helps potential customers discover products and solutions in real-world environments.

It also connects them directly to relevant marketing materials, moving them further down the sales funnel towards conversion.

Other platforms like Pinterest Lens, Amazon Lens and emerging discovery tools focus on specific business and professional niches and offer more specialised capabilities.

These range from augmented reality (AR)-powered content recommendations to built-in search and discovery functions.

What visual search involves

With visual search, users upload images to a platform to learn more about their content or find a related product.

Search engines receive the image and interpret it, using a form of advanced AI to identify similar visual assets or content online across the web.

These systems may use contextual analysis for broader discovery or computer vision for precise visual matching.

This opens up a lot of potential for B2B visual search, particularly as businesses increasingly rely on visual storytelling, infographic content and multimedia presentations to communicate the value of their products and services.

How to optimise images for visual search

Where traditional SEO relies on text-based optimisation and programming, visual search takes a fuller approach to multimedia content.

Here are some strategies you can implement to make your visual assets easier for users to find.

Technical image optimisation

Image resolution and format

• Select the right file format for your purpose. Choose WebP format for superior compression-to-quality ratio, PNG for graphics with transparency and JPEG for standard photographic images.

• Optimise for quality and size. Compress images without compromising their quality (ideally under 100KB), as they will load on webpages much more quickly.

• Maintain visual consistency. Reinforce your brand identity by using a consistent aspect ratio and branding across all images.

• Follow platform-specific guidelines. That way, you're always uploading images in the recommended dimensions for each channel (such as social media and blogs). This will stop the images appearing distorted and make sure they display correctly.

Best practice for naming and organising files

• Use descriptive, keyword-optimised filenames (for example, "sales-automation-dashboard-january-2025.wbp" instead of "IMG_54321.jpg").

• Include relevant campaign or product identifiers in filenames, and category folders to make tracking and accessing files much simpler.

• Separate words with hyphens rather than underscores.

• Keep filenames concise but descriptive and easily searchable.

Implementing structured data

As well as giving content important visual context, structured data helps search engines better understand, categorise and deliver the assets to users who are searching for them.

Structured data also dramatically improves visual search performance from a user experience (UX) perspective.

Search algorithms can use the data in the source HTML to understand the context of a page, the service's or product's features and organisational information in real time.

Improving the quality of image alt text

Alternative text (or alt text) is vital in improving modern search accessibility. However, when it comes to visual marketing content, be sure to mention the following, where possible:

• Relevant marketing, industry or solution keywords

• Product or solution category, type and target audience

• Any notable or distinguishing features

Consider the template below for your alt text descriptions.

“[Solution type] [Feature] [Target audience] [Value proposition]”

For example: "B2B sales dashboard showing conversion rate interface for stakeholder presentation" rather than just "Dashboard screenshot".

Optimised marketing content

By approaching visual content with the same level of detail you apply to other marketing activity, you'll make sure that your visual assets are contributing to your goals for acquiring customers.

Invest in professional photographs

If your B2B organisation sells products to other businesses, rather than directly to consumers, the same advice applies in terms of product quality.

Dedicate some of your budget to buying good equipment you can use to capture high-quality product images for your pages, emails, social media and other outreach campaigns.

Product images are likely the first element that will draw prospective buyers to your business. These will be more impactful and meaningful than stock images, which are dispersed all throughout the web and which often feel dated and irrelevant.

Visual consistency

Making your marketing assets consistent will help with brand recognition as well as SEO. Keep the following elements consistent at all times:

• Typography, colour schemes and design elements

• Formatting, templates and layout

• Professional, original photography and design standards

• Brand presentation and guidelines across marketing channels

Contextual images

For B2B organisations, contextual visual content that demonstrates your product's value and shows people how it's used can significantly improve conversions.

Combine this with real-world case studies, reviews and testimonials and you'll help prospective clients derive tangible value when searching for and discovering your solution or product.

Conclusion

Visual search optimisation presents a great opportunity to improve your digital presence and customer acquisition.

For instance, if someone comes across a product and wants to learn more, it's as easy as taking a photo and running a visual search.

You should look to build visual search optimisation into your broader content marketing and SEO strategies, rather than treat it as its own isolated activity.

The most effective approach combines creative excellence with technical sophistication, making sure that your visual assets not only look professional but also perform as well as they can in online search.

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