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Does Google Care If Your Site Uses Stock Images?

Didit Editorial

7 Tips for a Powerful PR + SEO PartnershipJune 18, 2013: Matt Cutts, Google’s chief anti-spam engineer, posted a new video in which he answered a question from a user about whether Google rewards (or penalizes) sites relying on stock – rather than original – photographic image. According to Cutts, Google doesn’t do so now (although Cutts appeared intrigued by the idea that classifying sites on the basis of the proportionate quantify of stock/original photos might provide Google’s ranking algorithm with a useful new relevancy signal).

Should webmasters with stock image-heavy sites therefore rest easy? For the moment the answer is a clear “yes,” followed by a strong caveat. While it’s true that there may be no actual Google penalty for hosting on non-original images, search engines devoting an increasing proportion of their SERP real estate to images, and this trend is likely to continue (for example, this week Google announced that it was adding a “carousel” feature to its local search SERPs. It is expected that original images that “stand out” against a sea of stock images will get more clicks.

Original images also will be of great value for marketers seeking to exploit the new generation of image-heavy search ad formats such as Google PLA (Product Listing Ads) and ads with Image Extensions. Those merchants whose images “stand out” in the strongest way will attract the most clicks, receive the best Quality Scores, and be able to run the most profitable campaigns.So while you’ll get no penalty from Google for displaying the same ads your competitors are displaying – at least on this go-round — you’re not going to be able to benefit maximally from these new, increasingly popular, image-heavy search ad formats either.

For marketers seeking competitive advantage in this latter area, it may make a lot of sense to create, curate, and host original images that distinguish themselves on both the organic/unpaid and on the paid site.

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