Google Indexed Images: Website Vs Social Media
-
I use Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram to post images that are already featured on my website. I have been following a routine of uploading the images to these social media platforms only after I can see Google has indexed the image from my original site. My website is ecommerce and the product images drive sales more than any other factor.
The thinking behind my method was that when these images are posted on Pinterest, Twitter and the various Instagram crawler sites (I realise Instagram images aren’t indexed directly), Google would recognise that the image was already attributed to my website. The ‘duplicate’ image would not therefore be indexed and the originally uploaded website image would remain in ‘Google Images’.
After completing various searches and reviewing other Q&A’s on Moz, it seems as though this is in no way guaranteed and images reposted on social media platforms may still replace the already indexed image from the website. I am assuming this is because Google views these platforms as more authoritative than mine.
I usually change the image by adding logos, text, backgrounds, borders etc before posting on Pinterest and this seems to have worked most of the time (both the original and ‘amended for Pinterest’ versions are often indexed) but images posted on other platforms are usually identical.
Does it make sense to continue with my method or am I shooting myself in the foot by reposting these images on social media at all? I obviously want customers searching for products, who then click on an image, to be directed to my site rather than one of my social media pages or worse, an image reposting site.
Additionally, If I post images on social media before they are uploaded to my website (for example to tease a product launch), would Google likely class these images as the ‘original’ and therefore be less likely to index the website version of the image once it is uploaded?
Any thoughts are appreciated.
-
Hey there! This is a fantastic question. I would continue the process of posting your images to social as it will improve the probability of people finding you either way. I know it's tedious but if you find that you get a presence in image search on your site and in Google with both, I would keep it up. You can create a custom action in photoshop where you just take an image into that and it'll brand it with a few clicks (you may have been doing that already).
I commend your diligence on doing both as an A/B experiment. I would love to know if these image searches via pinterest are driving response via your site (sales/leads).
Thanks!
John
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Links to Social Media accounts, rel=nofollow/follow and rel=me
Hi guys, I just saw this rel="me" attribute and I can't find any reputable recent (within last year) information. I never heard of this and wonder if it's any beneficial in any way. At the same time, should I use nofollow or follow on links from website to social accounts? I've heard different opinions but, again, no recent relevant and trustworthy information. Please, kick me into right direction. However, when kicking, please give me some proof, rather than thoughts 🙂 Thanks!
Social Media | | DmitriiK0 -
Socialbakers tool for Social Media
Hi! I've been using Sprout Social to manage my Social Media. I saw a video of Social Bakers and was a little bit curious. I haven't heard of it. So I clicked through an ad to look at their features & pricing. I was surprised to see such high values. Does anyone has any experience working with this tool? Are this reports providing a lot more of information than the ones that I can handle through Sprout Social? Thanks for any comment that can help me understand this.
Social Media | | guillermoga0 -
Are Social Links on Home Page Good for SEO
Hi, I have removed the Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn and G+ links from the top of our home page so as to try and stop users leaving the page. Is this bad for SEO? Thanks
Social Media | | Studio330 -
Google+ SERP
I just wanted to know if you have a Google+ page, should your page be displayed on the right hand side of the SERP when someone searches for your company name. We currently have set-up a Google+ page but it doesn't appear when someone searches for us. Any help?
Social Media | | AAttias0 -
Social Media Gurus... What would you do, your industry has no presence?
You are tasked with creating a Facebook page for an industry which has a distinct lack of social media presence. During your research for your industry or client you find none of their competitors are using social media to any large degree. Reviewing the whys, you find that the demographics of people using Social Media outlets like, Facebook, Twitter, Pin Interest, and LinkedIn do not really fit with the industry. Do you view this as a great opportunity for your company / client and push forward with creating a Social Media presence? Or, do you inform your company / client based on your research, social media isn't a viable use of time or money? Examples: Plastic Manufacturing
Social Media | | donford
Industrial Laundry
Tractor Trailer Wholesale
Copper Mining Equipment I am interested in how the guru's handle clients / companies that don't necessarily fit the mold of social media, but ask and are willing to pay you to make it happen for them. I am hoping this to be a good discussion as I don't see any right or wrongs in these situations. What would you do?0 -
Automating the brainless tasks of Social Media Management
I'm talking about Scheduling Tweets Scheduling FB Updates I'm sure I'll be pointed to some good resources for the above but what I really need is a tool that allows me to sort out queries/complains/requests that I would need to pass on to my client. Something that lets me tag a comment and gathers it with complete data like user name, time, comment etc. Does something like this exist?! Similarly, something that allows you to filter words that should be treated as spam. Also, suggestions on what other "brainless" tasks of SMM should be/can be automated would be appreciated. Regards, Edit: No responses as yet! Whats up Mozzers?
Social Media | | AsadMemon0 -
Google Search Plus - Which is more valuable?
Would you rather have someone +1 your homepage or add you to their Circles? Which one will help you out more in the SERPs ?
Social Media | | znotes1 -
Twitter profile: Personal photo vs brand graphic image
We are promoting our company on twitter, and currently using a high quality brand graphic image. We see others who use the personal photo of "evangalist" who manages the twitter account. Any advice on what works best here to encourage user engagement? A more generic "brand" identity graphic versus a real person's photo? Of course this is in conjunction with doing all of the other good Twitter things, but curious what folks recommend on the profile image.
Social Media | | sftravel0