The visuals of a website attract more users than a mere text. A web page that is facilitated with images, videos and infographic earn 94% more views than the one having a bulk of the textual content. The more the people are engaged in your eCommerce business, the more they place orders, and the more you earn.

The human minds are programmed to process visuals at a speed of 60,000 times higher than the text. We forget the facts and figures, but remember a lot of visual details. Due to the facts, the eCommerce websites are recommended to ensure the display of visual content to improve the SEO and website usability.

According to 3M &Zabisco research, 90% of information that enters the brain is visual. While it is also more digestive compared to text, customers are found to respond faster to it.

The search engine optimization is all about facilitating the end user with the best possible search results. Visual search is also a step forward in creating ease and comfort for the users to search products by images.

The problem with conventional search tools

Usually, a user is required to remember the name or any detail of the product he searches online or has the communication skills to describe it in a word or two. If he fails to do so, the search engine or your eCommerce website may bring forth irrelevant results.

The visual search comes to the rescue when a user is ignorant about the brand, style, design, make or model of his favorite item, but has an image to search for. He feeds an eCommerce website with that image and gets a list of matching products to his requirements.

Visual search is powered by pixel-by-pixel comparison technology to help the end users get easy access to all the products that match their provided images, videos, logos, etc.

Neiman Marcus is the reaping the benefits of visual search tech

Neiman Marcus, a famous fashion clothing brand, is following the trend to maximize users’ comfort in finding products of a similar style and design. They have switched their focus recently to the visual search technology that is allowing users upload a photo and get a complete suggestion list of the products that matches the color and design.

How a visual search option improves SEO?

Visuals have an enticingly amazing presence on your eCommerce website. The search engine frequently indexes the images and videos from your website, which elevates website rankings according to its quality and usefulness.

In terms of off-site SEO, images and infographics can play a vital role in maximizing your business reach through social media platforms that are famous for visuals. For example, Pinterest is a prominent platform to exhibit your products where people search for images. Instagram is also emerging with higher potential to business promotions.

While considering the on-site SEO factors, visual search is a brilliant tool to improve the usability and user experience of an eCommerce website. Following are some of the different ways a visual search can contribute towards the user and SEO-friendliness of your website.

Remove multiple steps in finding products

A conventional eCommerce website requires the users to select between different categories and browse through the entire list of products to find the one they need. This procedure of carrying a user through multiple steps towards a product search is a hectic job and the core reason for a decline in conversions.

The visual search removes the hassle of going through a typical method. A user is required to input an image and find matching search results. The removal of additional steps turns out to be more user-friendly.

It is a valuable tool for users who visit your online store for a specific product. They might not be interested in digging your website deep as they are concerned about their required store items.

Practically speaking, a checkout process that includes multiple steps right from the product search is prone to a higher cart abandonment rate. For example, the user experience starts with searching for a product. If the beginning is time-consuming and stressful, what do you expect the users to proceed to the checkout page?

Improve the on-site search experience

There are loads of search filters to have on your web store for assisting users in easily finding their required products. For example, you can allow users to search a product by its brand or manufacturer, or by an attribute. It requires the users either to know the brand or an attribute of the product they are looking for.

The visual search has no such criteria. The users are no longer required to know the product name or anything related to it, but an image. They can get a snap of a product they like the most with built-in cameras in cell phone and any other mobile device. And, upload it on your website to have the results of similar products. It is that much simple.

The SEO is all about improving the shopping experience for your targeted community. Having a high quality and well-optimized images on product pages of your website does not only communicate a better picture to the search engine algorithm, but also to the end users.

How an improved on-site search benefits your website?

• It enhances the user experience and achieves customer satisfaction
• It narrows down the search and increase conversions
• The users save a bunch of time in getting to a landing page
• It improves your website exit percentage
• Expose more products in suggesting similar searches

Skip the dead ends

The dead end occurs when the user reaches a category page and do not find the required items. In a conventional eCommerce structure, a user enters a query similar to a product or clicks a brand logo to find quality products. This may provide a list of products, but not the relevant ones. And, the user may leave your website.

With a visual search, the users find a lot of results that may not exactly match the one they are looking for, but quite similar to those. It eliminates the dead end with the message, “Sorry! Your search didn’t match any results.”

It is quite relieving for the end users to have a list of similar products then finding nothing in your store. They are engaged in their findings and consider buying it on the spot or save it for later. It brings you qualified leads, which are expected to convert sooner or later.

For instance, a consumer needs Nike Joggers that his peer was wearing in the morning walk and captured it through his cell phone. He might be sure about his manufacturer, but not about its design.

The conventional method is that he will visit your store and browse different subcategories in men’s shoes. He may be fed up for the search difficulty of your website and may switch to another tab to find the same somewhere else.

But, by allowing him to try a visual search, you can facilitate his search in finding the exact or similar product on your store. And, there, you get a qualified lead.

How to implement visual search technology into your website?

The addition of a feature or functionality requires the webmaster to write a code or install a plugin among the available ones. Every eCommerce platform has a range of tools for adding a technology, whereas you can select from the third part suppliers as well. Some of the worth considering options include Visenze, Slyce, and Cortexica.

Any feature is added to an eCommerce website with the intention to increases the conversion. The incorporation of visual search does not assure higher conversions, as a feature is not necessarily fruitful for everyone. So, you need to thoroughly measure the conversion rate, cart abandonments, page views and page exits. It will help you study the impact of a visual search so that you can take precautionary measures if the results are not satisfactory.

Final Thoughts

The search engine optimization has drastically changed with the increased internet population. Today, the websites are not ranked on the basis of their higher number of poor backlinking strategies, but the way it is helping the users to solve their problems.

The addition of visual search to an eCommerce help the users easily find products of their choice. It is assisting them to visit the landing pages they need and save time in roaming around the websites. In this post, different ways are discussed to help you understand the significance of visual search for an eCommerce website.

About the Author

Asad Ali is a digital marketing strategist having experience of more than 7 years. Currently, he is heading the marketing team at Go-Gulf Saudi Arabia – a custom web design company. His vast exposure to SEO, design optimization, boosting conversions and targeting relevant customers makes him an industry expert.