Google has announced plans to allow marketers to bolster their paid search campaigns with images, making adverts more visually appealing for users.
Currently still in its beta launch stage, the new image extension feature for Google AdWords could improve the promotional success of brands’ search marketing.
Recent studies have found that almost half of internet users (around 40%) would rather read text when it’s accompanied by visual elements such as infographics and videos, pointing to the need for internet marketing specialists to employ diverse strategies when engaging users.
The announcement, published on the AdWords blog, explained that as well as benefiting marketers, images could improve user experience by making the answers to individual queries more relevant.
Analysts believe images are becoming increasingly important in SEO. Around 16% of queries bring up domains with images, infographics or video content, as more and more brands choose to ‘show’ their user base details rather than just ‘tell’ them.
The post on the blog reads:
“Image extensions enable you to more accurately convey the body style of a car, the cut of a pair of jeans, or a particular shade of eyeshadow, making your ads richer and more informative so they stand out in a crowded marketplace.”
The image extension feature is just one of a number of changes Google has brought about with the aim of improving the searcher’s experience, as well as encouraging more organic approaches to SEO. Google rewards sites that present users with a mixture of visual and text-based content, since they give users a richer experience.
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