Google Images is Google’s image search. For SEO it is a separate channel that sends visitors to pages that embed an image. The query “Google Images” usually means opening the image search itself.
How do images get found?
Google can find images in the src attribute of <img> elements, even when they sit inside other elements such as <picture>. It does not index CSS images. When using srcset or <picture>, Google recommends always setting a fallback src, because some browsers and crawlers do not understand those attributes. An image sitemap can reveal images Google would not discover otherwise.
Supported formats are BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, WebP, SVG and AVIF, and the file extension should match the type. The technical requirements for Search apply to images as well, plus extra points because images are a different format from HTML.
What helps Google understand an image?
Google reads the subject of an image from the page, including captions and titles, so images belong near relevant text. Alt text is the most important attribute for image metadata and also helps accessibility. Google warns that filling it with keywords creates a poor experience and may look like spam. The file name gives very light clues, and short descriptive names are better than IMG00023.JPG.
Metadata and the Licensable badge
With structured data or IPTC photo metadata, Google Images can show details such as creator, credit and license information. Providing license information can make an image eligible for the Licensable badge, which links to the license and details on how the image can be used. Structured data must be added for every use of an image on each page. IPTC metadata is embedded once in the file. If both conflict, Google uses the structured data.
Example
<img src="/images/black-cat-sofa.jpg"
alt="Black cat lying on a gray sofa"
width="1200" height="800">
Common mistakes
- Images only as CSS backgrounds. Google does not index CSS images. Images belong in
<img>elements withsrc. srcsetor<picture>without a fallback. Some browsers and crawlers do not understand these attributes. Google recommends always specifying a fallback URL insrc.- Missing or keyword-stuffed alt text. Google lists missing alt text and strings of keywords (keyword stuffing) as bad examples.
- A file extension that does not match the format. Google asks for the extension to match the file type.
Frequently asked questions
Is image SEO different from web SEO? The basics are the same, since images must be crawlable and indexable like pages. The extra work is in how images are embedded and described.
Sources
- Image SEO best practices – Google Search Centraldevelopers.google.com
- Image metadata in Google Images – Google Search Centraldevelopers.google.com
- Visual Elements Gallery of Google Search – Google Search Centraldevelopers.google.com
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