The concept of visual search is a powerful tool that has come to revolutionize the world of marketing. To understand it, let’s imagine an everyday scene like having coffee with friends. Let’s suppose that one of them shows some new sneakers that they gave him, and another expresses interest in acquiring the same model. However, since it is a gift, none of them know exactly what make or model they are.
What if there was a technology that, with a simple photo, could recognize the exact product and offer several purchase options? This is possible thanks to visual search, an innovation driven by algorithms guided by artificial intelligence, which allows technologies to recognize specific elements of each image, such as shape, color or composition. Once the brand identifies these elements, it consults its database to offer the user similar content.
Visual search is innate in humans and has become part of our nature. For this reason, search engines have decided to go beyond the text and enter the audiovisual world. We find three types of visual search: by keywords, the most traditional, in which we enter text and it returns related images; the reverse search, in which we upload a photo and the system shows us similar options; and the detailed search, in which the computer is capable of identifying several objects within the same image, which requires a more advanced system.
This emerging technology has numerous benefits from a business standpoint. With a good implementation and a solid positioning, the following benefits can be multiplied exponentially:
- Connection with the target audience: If a platform incorporates visual search tools, the user experience will be optimal. As a result, we will obtain greater satisfaction, which can lead to the conversion of a user into a regular and loyal customer.
- Increase in sales: Thanks to visual search, it is possible to show complementary or similar products to the main product searched. Anticipating customer needs can make your product or service sell itself.
- SEO plays a primary role when it comes to visual search. To rank high in search results, we need to focus on metadata. This involves including “alt text”, that is, a description of the visual elements of the image with keywords that users might search for. It is also important to optimize the size of the images, maintaining a minimum quality. The classification of visual content is another essential action for optimal positioning.
Without a doubt, visual search is the future of search, and companies must take advantage of this trend. In short, as the well-known Spanish saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. This phrase perfectly sums up the potential and importance of this disruptive technology in today’s marketing world. There is no doubt that visual search is changing the way we look for information and how companies relate to their customers.
