Images and Visual Search is a topic I talk about and write about since when Google started experimenting with the Images Search tags almost 4 years ago, a time when the majority of the SEOs were dismissing them saying it was just Images SEO, hence something that did not need to be prioritized.

Dismissing Images and Visual Search as a secondary SEO task would be deeply myopic now as it was before.

The worldwide status of crisis and suspended activity for practically any kind of physical shop makes it even more urgent that Ecommerce owners and businesses focus all the attention and efforts on visual shopping.

This guide is a humble attempt to guide you and offer you ideas and ways to optimize your category and product pages for it.

Contents [hide]

1 Why Visual is so important?
1.1 Ok, but why Visual Search is important for SEO?
2 Images and Search now
2.1 The Images Search vertical
2.2 Google Lens and the opportunities of Visual Search
2.3 The potential of Collections
2.3.1 How do Collections work?
2.4 From searching inspiration to buying in a few taps
3 Images in Universal Search
4 Rich Results, Images, and Structured data
4.1 What must we consider when doing Images SEO specifically for structured data and Rich Result?
4.1.1 Images XML Sitemap
4.1.2 Images specification for Rich Results
4.1.3 The Image License Metadata
5 How to do SEO for Google Images Search?
5.1 Alt text
5.2 Descriptive file names
5.3 Captions
5.4 The text surrounding the image
5.5 Correct image sizes, formats, and file types
5.6 How to have high-quality images and a good PageSpeed at the same time?
6 How to do SEO for Google Visual Search?
6.1 Images SEO
6.2 Using structured data and correct images specifications
6.3 Using high-quality images and photos
6.4 Avoiding mess
6.5 Trying not using stock photos or…
6.6 Letting your images to be used by others
7 Conclusions
Why Visual is so important?
Amazon once gave the perfect answer to this same question:

Visual Search is perfect for shoppers who face two common dilemmas:

I don’t know what I want, but I’ll know it when I see it;
I know what I want, but I don’t know what it’s called.

Shopify SEO is essential for global eCommerce growth. It’s actually estimated that retail eCommerce sales will amount to nearly $5 trillion worldwide in 2021. With this in mind, it’s equally important that your international SEO strategy fits your business’ needs.

International SEO for eCommerce using Shopify
We’ve actively researched what’s available and even spoken to a Shopify rep on what the best options are. Combining this information with our international SEO specialist knowledge, We’ve come up with the most optimal solution for one particular store.

UPDATE: Shopify International Domains
How to set-up a UK e-commerce business
Working with a ccTLD
Setting up the currency and language targets in Shopify
Advantages of International Domains with Shopify

Step 1: Shopify Multi-Currency
Multi-currency set-up
Geo-location drop-down selector

Step 2: Shopify Translation
Why use a translation app?
How to select a translation app
Which Shopify translation app is best?
Option 1: Subdirectory/subfolder implementation
Option 2: Subdomain implementation
Option 3: Shopify Multiple Stores
How to use Google Sheets + Google Translate

Step 3: Submit Your New Language to Google for Indexing
Create an additional property in Google Search Console
Change Geo-Targeting Settings for the new subdirectory
Create XML Sitemap in Screaming Frog
Upload XML Sitemap to Shopify
Submit New XML Sitemap into Google Search Console

Step 4: Other Considerations & Next Steps
I’ll take you through exactly what I did and recommend the essential steps that you could take to quickly launch your Shopify store into international territory. Depending on factors such as budget, development resources, translation services, and time, you may choose a different option.

Online retailers today have a brilliant opportunity to leverage these new technological trends and boost their business
The blinding pace at which digital landscape is growing is impacting every aspect of businesses. With the emergence of data analytics and innovative technologies, the e-commerce industry is gaining a solid ground to deliver better customer experiences. Online retailers today have a brilliant opportunity to leverage these new technological trends and boost their business.

The successful strategies in the e-commerce industry are developed primarily based on how customers shop, what they buy and how they respond to technologies employed by businesses. According to a report by Statista, global retail e-commerce sales are expected to reach $4.8 trillion by 2021.

If you want to stand out among your competitors, now is the time to step up your game. The following strategies will help to put you at an advantage.

1. Interactive Product Visualization
As opposed to physical shopping, online shopping is intangible and needs a lot of guesswork on the part of customers. So, in 2019, product visualization is one of the best strategies for you to present your products to your consumers.

It will help them study every detail of a product, which in turn will enable them to make an informed decision without regretting it afterward – helping you avoid complaints and negative reviews.

For example, the recent addition of zoom option on various e-commerce sites has been a great help for businesses and consumers alike. It allows consumers to zoom in on certain details and get a better understanding of the item without actually touching it.

e-commerce site on different devices

As well as a zoom feature, you should include more product demo videos that show your products in action. According to a research report provided by Invodo, 52% of consumers say that watching product videos makes them more confident in their online purchase decisions. The fact is videos show all the aspects of your products’ potential. Consumers want to see how a product works but also to make sure it looks the way they expect.

Another powerful option is to use 3D experience for your consumers. An interactive 3D representation can be extremely handy for customers to process product features. 3D product imaging will not only increase customer engagement, but it could significantly boost conversion rates.

2. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence is no longer an alien concept, neither is it a territory that can’t be harnessed for usual practical purposes. That said, AI is everywhere and is gradually embedding itself into each and every aspect of our life. From smart homes to e-learning, to healthcare and finance, AI is making its presence felt in a profound manner. E-commerce is another highly appropriate domain where AI can make a significant impact.

Today, business decision making has become more data-driven and there is an ever-increasing demand for measurable metrics. For example, conversion rate, bounce rate, website traffic, engagement rate, etc. are extremely important factors for online marketers.

This is where AI tools can be of considerable help for you. They enable you to gather as well as investigate data in real-time and track the way potential customers interact with your brand. AI facilitates better efficiency and competence.

Percentage of retailers planning to invest in AI and IoT technologies by 2021

Google Analytics is loaded with reports and has many settings that can be customized to enhance reporting. The following checklist is designed for ecommerce merchants. By using Google Analytics’ reporting capabilities, merchants can obtain the data to grow their business.

Google Analytics Setup Checklist
1. Use the latest code. Make sure your Google Analytics’ tracking code is updated by going to Admin > Property > Tracking Info > Tracking Code to view the latest version.

Check that your Google Analytics’ tracking code is updated by going to Admin > Property > Tracking Info > Tracking Code.

2. Confirm time zone in Analytics matches AdWords. Ensure your Analytics and AdWords traffic align by time of day by clicking on the Admin > View > View Settings. The time zone setting is down the page.

Ensure your Analytics and AdWords traffic align by time of day by clicking on the Admin > View > View Settings.

3. Check “View Settings.” Give your Google Analytics View a descriptive name. It defaults to “All Website Data,” which is not very helpful. Set the default page to be your home page URL.

If you want certain query parameters to not appear in your content reports (so that pages are grouped together that contain those query parameters with different values), enter those parameters in the “Exclude URL Query Parameters” section.

Make sure your currency is correct.

Click the box to “Exclude all hits from know bots and spiders” to minimize this traffic from muddying up your reporting. I addressed spam traffic at “Google Analytics: Removing Internal Traffic and Referral Spam.”

The way to show customers you know them is by showing that personal, meaningful, individualized experiences are your priority when they visit, browse, and buy on your website. And personalization directly correlates with increased transactions, revenue, and brand loyalty:

➔ 89% of U.S. marketers recently said that personalization on their websites resulted in revenue increase.
➔ Marketers personalizing their customers’ website experiences (and who can quantify the improvement) see approximately 19% uplift in sales.
➔ 75% of consumers are more likely to buy from a retailer that recognizes them by name, recommends options based on previous buying behavior, or that demonstrates knowledge of their previous transactional history.

If the way to consumers’ hearts (and wallets) is personalization, then how can we actually get there?

There are several ways to leverage what’s called artificial intelligence marketing to incorporate personalization across your ecommerce website design– and at scale across all your marketing channels.

We’ll break down ten unique ways to use AI-enabled marketing automation tech to create killer personalized experiences. Our tactics will fall into these categories:

Gaining the right insight – Use past buyer behavior to gain actionable insights
Product recommendations – Predict future behavior and make intelligent product recommendations
Omnichannel experiences – Let consumers pick up where they left off, regardless of device or stage in the buyer journey
Incentives – Offer personalized deals and incentives
Website as a channel – Pose customized exit-intent popups as a last-ditch effort to capture a conversion
Retargeting and re-engagement – Get interested consumers back to your website

That’s why we put together an overview of effective marketing tactics and ecommerce tools along with ideas to help you implement each approach. The ideas themselves run the gamut from straightforward acquisition to generating more repeat purchases from the customer base you already have.

Try to implement one of these ideas every day for the next few weeks. On the last day of your sprint, take stock and figure out which tactics worked best to drive new sales.

What is ecommerce marketing?
Ecommerce marketing is the practice of using promotional tactics to drive traffic to your online store, converting that traffic into paying customers, and retaining those customers post-purchase.

A holistic ecommerce marketing strategy is made up of marketing tactics both on and off your website. A sound marketing strategy can help you build brand awareness, drive customer loyalty, and ultimately increase online sales.

You can promote your online store by using ecommerce marketing tools for business as a whole or to drive more sales for specific products. Below is an overview of a few practical ideas to try.

Free Reading List: Conversion Optimization for Beginners
Turn more website visitors into customers by getting a crash course in conversion optimization. Access our free, curated list of high-impact articles below.

17 ecommerce marketing ideas to increase online sales
1. Upsell your products
Most of us have heard some variation of the famous, “Would you like to supersize your order?” It’s an example of upselling, or the approach of selling a slightly more premium product than the one the customer was originally considering.

For many businesses, upselling can be more effective than acquiring a net new customer. Sometimes your customers don’t know that a premium product is available, or they may simply need more evidence to understand how an upgrade (or package) is a better fit for their needs.