Post by PickyChicky on Apr 7, 2015 20:57:18 GMT -6
After being reminded about Google not allowing watermarked images in Google Shopping, I was curious whether or not organic search results are also being affected. So I've been doing a little research and can't seem to find anything specific about whether or not Google allows watermarks on images in organic search results. However, I did come across a Google help page for automatically adding watermarks to images using Picasa -- CLICK HERE for that.
I also came across the following statement from a blogger who did a test on their watermarked images and based their findings on their Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools accounts. In their findings, nowhere was it shown that any image with a watermark was de-indexed (removed from Google search results by Google). Yet, traffic via those images slowly declined and this is their take on it:
"We assume that watermarks lead to a lower click-through rate (CTR) of images in Google's SERPs: Given the choice between an image with and without watermark, most users will - naturally - prefer a non-watermarked picture. That itself isn't a real problem. However, Google's algorithms are based on so-called signals for determining whether given content is useful or not. And the CTR is most likely one of those signals. Logically, if users tend to avoid clicking on certain pictures, Google must assume, it's simply not the content they were looking for. Consequently, images protected with a watermark will - in the long run - be classified as not-quite-as-useful, which directly results in a lower ranking in search results. Hence, traffic for such content drops steadily over time." Source: Pixabay
Based on the above, it would seem that the drop in traffic via watermarked images was solely due to the fact that viewers prefer images without watermarks. In other words, people looking to use someone else's images don't want ones with watermarks. So, basically, those of us selling products can use watermarked images in Google organic, but not Google Shopping.
The only thing you need to worry about is the amount of traffic you'll get from those images in Google organic. HOWEVER, those looking for products and not images to steal via Google Images will still click on your images to find the product they're looking for. Of course, that will mean a drop in traffic via Google images because the less something is clicked on, the lower it is ranked in search results.
That said, using keywords in filenames would help with that problem because the textual content would still be useful since people will be doing searches using those keywords. Many images I find on Google Images have an alphanumeric file name, but my non-watermarked images use the product's title as its filename and they place well in search results.
So, I think I shall do a bit of testing myself once my PIP site is up and running. I'll first determine which images are more likely to be stolen and add a watermark to half of them. For example, my Josef Originals pictures are among the ones that have been repeatedly used on other sites, so I will place a watermark on the images of the one remaining doll I have for sale.
For the sake of the test results, I may even include two of the same images, one with and one without a watermark and see which one does better. I won't do this on the Josef Originals images, though, because I already know how much people like using them without my permission.
Of course, once everything is uploaded, it will take time to see which images do well in organic search results. Plus, I still have to actually get everything uploaded and live. So it will be quite a while before I will be able to report back. However, what I found above should help you determine whether or not you should place watermarks on your images.
If you rely on Google Shopping for sales, then DON'T add watermarks. If you don't rely on Google Shopping, then it shouldn't really matter -- even if your images don't get much traffic because that simply means that you're getting traffic from those interested in the product rather than image thieves.
I also came across the following statement from a blogger who did a test on their watermarked images and based their findings on their Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools accounts. In their findings, nowhere was it shown that any image with a watermark was de-indexed (removed from Google search results by Google). Yet, traffic via those images slowly declined and this is their take on it:
"We assume that watermarks lead to a lower click-through rate (CTR) of images in Google's SERPs: Given the choice between an image with and without watermark, most users will - naturally - prefer a non-watermarked picture. That itself isn't a real problem. However, Google's algorithms are based on so-called signals for determining whether given content is useful or not. And the CTR is most likely one of those signals. Logically, if users tend to avoid clicking on certain pictures, Google must assume, it's simply not the content they were looking for. Consequently, images protected with a watermark will - in the long run - be classified as not-quite-as-useful, which directly results in a lower ranking in search results. Hence, traffic for such content drops steadily over time." Source: Pixabay
Based on the above, it would seem that the drop in traffic via watermarked images was solely due to the fact that viewers prefer images without watermarks. In other words, people looking to use someone else's images don't want ones with watermarks. So, basically, those of us selling products can use watermarked images in Google organic, but not Google Shopping.
The only thing you need to worry about is the amount of traffic you'll get from those images in Google organic. HOWEVER, those looking for products and not images to steal via Google Images will still click on your images to find the product they're looking for. Of course, that will mean a drop in traffic via Google images because the less something is clicked on, the lower it is ranked in search results.
That said, using keywords in filenames would help with that problem because the textual content would still be useful since people will be doing searches using those keywords. Many images I find on Google Images have an alphanumeric file name, but my non-watermarked images use the product's title as its filename and they place well in search results.
So, I think I shall do a bit of testing myself once my PIP site is up and running. I'll first determine which images are more likely to be stolen and add a watermark to half of them. For example, my Josef Originals pictures are among the ones that have been repeatedly used on other sites, so I will place a watermark on the images of the one remaining doll I have for sale.
For the sake of the test results, I may even include two of the same images, one with and one without a watermark and see which one does better. I won't do this on the Josef Originals images, though, because I already know how much people like using them without my permission.
Of course, once everything is uploaded, it will take time to see which images do well in organic search results. Plus, I still have to actually get everything uploaded and live. So it will be quite a while before I will be able to report back. However, what I found above should help you determine whether or not you should place watermarks on your images.
If you rely on Google Shopping for sales, then DON'T add watermarks. If you don't rely on Google Shopping, then it shouldn't really matter -- even if your images don't get much traffic because that simply means that you're getting traffic from those interested in the product rather than image thieves.
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