Addressing the issue of duplicate images in order to enhance SEO and authenticity

In today’s digital landscape, where originality and search engine optimisation (SEO) play vital roles, the significance of image selection and naming must not be overlooked.

This blog post delves into the impact of duplicate image content and sheds light on the benefits of using unique, appropriately named images to enhance SEO and evoke a genuine connection with your audience.

Why the fuss about duplicate images?

Many websites around the world – quite naturally and with good reason – source the images for their brand materials such as their website from stock image libraries.

Stock images represent an often more cost-effective method of sourcing high quality photographic images compared to, say, using a professional photographer.

The impact of this is that the images from an image library used on one website may also appear on another website, or indeed on many other websites.

The pitfalls of duplicate image content

Just as textual content can be penalised by Google for duplication, images face the same fate.

When an image that has been previously crawled by a search engine appears on another website without proper attribution, the entire page can suffer from duplicate content penalties.

As stated above, this issue often arises when using stock photos from image libraries, as it can raise concerns about the authenticity and originality of the content presented. While using stock images is sometimes necessary, it’s essential to be mindful of their impact on SEO and user perception.

In the following sections, we will suggest how these twin issues arising from the use of stock imagery can be addressed, firstly to improve SEO ranking.

Rethinking image file names

Along with image alt tags, image file names can significantly influence SEO – positively and negatively.

Ideally, images should be given descriptive names that accurately represent their content and the page where they will be used.

Moreover, when image settings are not appropriately configured, many content management systems such as WordPress will default to an image file name as the image “title,” which search engines like Google also consider (although, less so than alt tags).

Additionally, some websites display image titles when users hover over them, inadvertently revealing details such as the generic name of the image and even the source, such as the name of the stock image library.

As well as creating a potentially detrimental impression for the visitor, search engines such as Google will see these labels as lacking authenticity and may penalise the ranking of the page.

Although such image titles can be manually removed, it is a time-consuming task to address every image on a website, especially one with hundreds of images.

Hence, when adding newly sourced images to a website, it is crucial to be cautious about image file names from the outset to avoid potential SEO and authenticity issues.

Embracing the era of unique images

As technology advances, AI-powered image generators are becoming increasingly proficient in the creation of ‘original’ images.

In light of this, it may be time for website owners and marketers who routinely use image libraries to reconsider their reliance solely on stock images.

Utilising unique, custom-created images adds an extra layer of authenticity and originality to your content.

At the time of writing, Adobe Firefly, Microsoft Canva, and OpenAI DALL-E are among the notable platforms that offer remarkable AI-generated images.

By embracing these alternatives, you can elevate your visual content and ensure a more distinctive and engaging experience for your audience – as well as appealing in a more positive way to search engines and potentially achieving better ranking positions.

Conclusion

In the ever-evolving field of SEO and content creation, every detail counts.

Avoiding duplicate image content and choosing appropriate file names will in future both be essential for maintaining a strong online presence and ranking position for your website.

Furthermore, the era of AI-powered image generators presents exciting opportunities to step away from stock images and embrace the allure of uniqueness.

By harnessing the power of unique images, you can enhance your SEO, build authenticity, and establish a more meaningful connection with your audience.

Ready to turn your marketing around?

C4B Media are a team of experienced marketers. Please contact us if you are looking for fresh ideas to help grow your business on 01763 877110 or email us at hello@c4bmedia.com