Search is becoming more visual.
For years, SEO largely focused on the words people typed into a search box. Businesses optimized their webpages around keywords, headings, written content, links and technical SEO.
But the way people search is changing.
Users can now search using images, screenshots, smartphone cameras and visual elements on their screens. Google has been expanding visual and multimodal search experiences, and its latest Search Console update gives website owners a new way to understand some of this activity.
On September 24, 2026, Google announced web multimodal Search performance reporting in Google Search Console. The new reporting provides insights into how websites perform when users search using images, including Google Lens, Circle to Search on Android, image uploads to Google Search, and Chrome’s “Search this image” feature. Google says the reporting is rolling out globally.
For businesses, this is another reason to stop treating website images as simple decoration.
Images are part of your search presence.
Visual SEO refers to optimizing images and visual content so that search engines can better understand, discover, and associate them with relevant webpages.
It is not simply about adding keywords to an image.
A well-optimized image should be:
For example, instead of uploading an image named:
‘IMG_4587.jpg’
a business could use a descriptive filename such as:
`seo-services-hyderabad.webp`
The filename alone won’t make an image rank, but it provides useful context when combined with the webpage’s content and other relevant signals.
Google’s Search documentation includes images as an important part of search appearance and guides image-related optimization.
Traditional search usually begins with a text query.
For example:
“modern office interior design”
A multimodal search can include an image as part of the search.
A user might:
The search system can then use visual information alongside other information to return relevant results.
You don’t always need a large budget to start using AI. Many powerful AI tools offer free plans or limited free access that can help businesses with content creation, design, SEO, social media, automation, and everyday productivity.
Premium AI tools are designed for users and businesses that need more advanced features, higher usage limits, deeper analytics, automation, or professional-level capabilities. They can be particularly valuable for marketing agencies, growing businesses, SEO professionals, and content teams.
|
Traditional Search
|
Multimodal Search
|
|---|---|
|
Primarily text-based
|
|
|
User types a query
|
|
|
Keywords are central
|
Visual information becomes part of the search
|
|
Text content is important
|
Images and page context can also matter
|
|
Example: "blue running shoes"
|
User searches using a photo of running shoes
|
Google’s new Search Console reporting specifically distinguishes web multimodal searches from text-based web searches.
The latest update adds multimodal search reporting to Search Console’s Performance reports.
Google says the reporting includes searches involving:
Users can use their camera or an existing image to search for information.
Users can select visual content on their screen and search it.
Users can upload an image as part of a search.
Users can search an image directly from Chrome.
Google says this data is being rolled out globally and can be accessed through the new multimodal search type filter in the relevant Performance reports.
This gives website owners another way to understand how people discover their content.
Imagine a person sees a product, room design, piece of clothing, building, food item or another visual element and wants to learn more about it.
Instead of describing what they see in words, they can use an image.
That creates another pathway to discover websites.
For businesses with visually important content, this can be particularly relevant.
Examples include:
Medical and educational visual content can support information discovery, although businesses should ensure health-related information is accurate and appropriately presented.
Infographics, website screenshots, campaign visuals and educational graphics can make marketing content more useful and discoverable.
The important point is not that every image will generate traffic. Rather, visual search provides another search pathway that businesses can now monitor more directly in Search Console.
The latest Search Console reporting is a good reason to review your existing website images.
Here are practical steps businesses can take.
Avoid generic filenames such as:
`image123.jpg`
or
“DSC_8292.jpg`
Instead, use descriptive names that accurately represent the image.
For example:
`local-seo-services.webp`
or
`digital-marketing-strategy.webp`
Keep filenames readable and relevant.
ALT text helps describe an image for users who cannot see it and provides additional context.
For example:
Poor:
SEO
Better:
`Digital marketing professional reviewing SEO performance data`
ALT text should describe the image naturally.
Avoid turning ALT text into a list of keywords such as:
‘best SEO agency Hyderabad SEO services digital marketing agency Hyderabad’
That is keyword stuffing rather than useful image description.
Large images can slow down webpages.
Modern formats such as WebP can often provide a good balance between image quality and file size.
Where appropriate, consider newer formats based on your website setup and browser support.
The objective is simple:
Good visual quality + reasonable file size.
Don’t upload a 4,000-pixel-wide photograph if your website only displays it at 600 pixels.
Oversized images increase the amount of data the browser has to download.
Resize images to a sensible dimension for their actual use.
This is especially important for:
Image compression can significantly reduce file size.
For example:
Original: 1.5 MB
↓
Optimized: 200–300 KB
The exact target depends on the image and its intended use. Don’t sacrifice noticeable quality simply to reach an arbitrary file size.
An image shouldn’t exist in isolation.
Suppose you have an image showing a Google Business Profile.
Instead of placing it randomly on a page, surround it with useful content explaining:
| How Google Business Profile optimization can help local businesses improve their online visibility.
The image and the text then reinforce each other.
Don’t use an unrelated stock image simply because it looks attractive.
If your article is about Google Lens and visual search, an image showing visual search on a smartphone is much more relevant than a generic photograph of someone working on a laptop.
The goal is to make the image useful to the reader.
Visual SEO doesn’t mean putting your target keyword into:
SEO should remain natural.
Your primary objective should be:
Help users understand the content.
If your website is eligible for the new reporting, you can monitor it through Google Search Console.
Go to:
Search Console → Performance → Search results
Then look for the Search type filtering options and the multimodal search reporting.
Google says you can use the new multimodal filter to understand performance from searches that use images. The data can also be exported for further analysis.
This creates an interesting new comparison.
You can look at:
Text-based search performance
versus
Multimodal search performance
For example, you might discover that a particular page receives impressions from both traditional text searches and image-based searches.
That information can help you understand how people are discovering your content.
It is important not to misunderstand this update.
Multimodal search does not mean traditional SEO is disappearing.
Your website still needs:
Google’s page-experience guidance emphasizes that website owners should consider the overall experience rather than focusing on one individual ranking factor.
Visual SEO should therefore be considered part of a broader SEO strategy, not a replacement for it.
If you already have a website, you don’t need to redesign everything.
Instead, perform an image audit.
Check:
Prioritize images on pages that already receive traffic or are important for your business.
Look for multimodal search data as it becomes available for your website.
Compare visual-search activity with your traditional search performance and website analytics.
This gives you actual data instead of relying on assumptions.
For businesses working with a digital marketing agency, the takeaway is straightforward:
SEO is becoming more than text optimization.
Search is evolving across text, images and increasingly multimodal experiences.
At iTravail Solutions, we recommend treating images as part of your overall digital marketing and SEO strategy.
That means optimizing:
Website content + images + technical SEO + local SEO + user experience + conversion paths
rather than focusing on keywords alone.
If your website has never undergone an image and SEO audit, now is a good time to review it.
The way people discover information online continues to evolve.
Google’s new multimodal Search Console reporting gives website owners another window into how their content performs when users search with images.
For businesses, the message isn’t to abandon traditional SEO.
It’s to expand your SEO mindset
Create useful content.
Use relevant images.
Describe images accurately.
Keep images technically optimized.
Provide strong webpage context.
And most importantly, use your own Search Console and analytics data to understand how people are actually finding your website.
Visual search is becoming another part of the modern search journey—and businesses should be prepared for it.
We help businesses grow online with result-driven digital marketing strategies. From SEO and social media to Google Ads, Meta Ads, and lead generation, we create tailored solutions that build visibility, attract the right audience, and drive sustainable growth.
© 2025 Created with iTravail Solutions
