The Clinic Marketing Podcast - Local SEO & Healthcare Digital Marketing Tips for Clinic Owners & Wellness Providers

Are Stock Photos Hurting Your Clinic’s SEO? Here’s the Truth [Propel Playback]

• Darcy Sullivan

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If you’ve been wondering what kind of website photos are better for SEO, stock images, or your own unique images, wonder no more.

In this episode, we’re exploring a topic that is often overlooked but can have a big impact on your online visibility: your website images. 

Specifically, we’re asking the question: When it comes to SEO, does Google prefer stock photos or unique photos? Stick with me as we discover how the type of imagery you use on your clinic's website can impact your visibility and brand authenticity. 

Are you ready to unlock the secrets of SEO with images? Let’s do it.

Episode Webpage: https://propelyourcompany.com/photos-for-seo/


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Speaker 1:

Today we're tackling questions that a few people have recently sent in regarding stock photos versus unique photos. What's the difference in using them on your website? Which does Google actually prefer? Which is better for SEO stock photos or unique photos? Does Google even care? And should you care? Hey there, welcome back to another episode of the Clinic Marketing Podcast. I'm your host, darcy Sullivan from Propel Marketing and Design. As I mentioned, the questions that we're answering today have been sent in from people just like you, tuning in and listening. If you have a question about SEO, websites, content marketing or anything of the sort, please reach out via Instagram at Propel, your Company, and we would love to feature your question on an upcoming episode.

Speaker 1:

On this episode, we're diving into a topic that often gets overlooked but can have a big impact on your visibility, and that's your website imaging. Specifically, we're asking the question when it comes to SEO, does Google prefer stock photos or unique photos? Stick with me as we unpack this, because the results might just surprise you. First, let's break it down. What is the difference between stock images and unique photos, between stock images and unique photos? Well, stock photos are readily available online, whether it's from a free resource or a paid stock library. They're very convenient to find, but they're also widely used. On the other hand, unique photos are ones that you or a professional photographer has taken that are specific to your clinic or business and, believe it or not, ai-generated photos can also fall into this unique category category. These images are personal to your business or offerings and showcase your service, products or team. All this is great, but what does this actually mean for your clinic, your chiropractic practice, your acupuncture company, the company that you're running acupuncture company, the company that you're running? What does it mean? No-transcript.

Speaker 1:

While Google does not seem to penalize stock photos, unique photos offer advantages. So why should you care? Well, for starters, unique photos add authenticity to your overall brand. When visitors see real photos of your clinic, it helps build trust. In fact, we found that unique photos give businesses some core advantages. One we already mentioned authenticity. Unique photos are a great signal to Google that your content is original and relevant. This can help out your rankings. Engagement Real images tend to capture more attention than generic stock photos. When users engage with your content, it sends a positive signal to Google, which could boost your SEO signal to Google, which could boost your SEO. In branding, which we also already mentioned. Unique images help differentiate your clinic from your competitors, making your brand more memorable.

Speaker 1:

The problem with stock photos, now, again, we already mentioned. Stock photos are easy to use, but they come with their own risk. Your competition likely has access to the same stock photos you do, which means you're not really setting yourself apart. Even worse, google's algorithm can recognize stock photos and may even filter them out if they're overused across the web. This can give the impression that your content lacks originality. If you are going to one of the big websites or main websites like depositstockcom or iStockcom to purchase stock photos, make sure that you sort the stock photos and that you're not using the stock photos that are the most popular for your specific search because, lo and behold, most likely most other people will already be using those images.

Speaker 1:

Now, the real SEO secret for images and what really matters to Google are three things Relevance that your images match the intent of the search query or keyword that's been searched. The quality that your images are high quality, clear images and that they're easily able to be viewed. That they're optimized. That you're using descriptive file names and alt text for your images that match what the image actually shows. Here's the thing. The truth is, google values high-quality content. The relevance of your image matters more than whether or not it's a stock photo or a unique photo. Google's focus is on quality and relevance.

Speaker 1:

Here's the key takeaway. Google doesn't necessarily care if you are using stock photos or unique photos, as long as they are relevant to your audience and truthful. For example, if you're offering a weight loss treatment and using stock photos for before and after shots, that would be an absolute huge red flag. However, in most cases, the relevancy of the image is more important than where it came from. So why should we even bother with unique photos if Google doesn't technically care about them? Well, even though we know Google cares more about the quality and the relevancy, we still recommend using unique photos when possible.

Speaker 1:

You can use a mix of stock photos and unique photos on your website stock photos and unique photos on your website, but having some unique photos helps reinforce your brand identity and create a more personalized experience for your website visitors. Just make sure that your images match the intent of what people are searching for and they align with what's already ranking on Google's image results. So if you're using stock photos, again make sure you're not using the most popular ones because other people will be using them. And the big takeaway here is when do images really matter for Google rankings? Here's a quick tip to figure out if you need something unique in the category of images to help rank for a specific search term, check the search term results page. So, if you go to Google and type in the keyword that you are trying to rank for, if you see an image carousel, a local pack with images that would be your Google Maps or your Google Business Profile listing or a featured snippet that includes an image, it's a good sign that Google's considering images as a ranking factor for that specific query, the query being the keyword or keyword phrase that you typed in Google and searched for. So, while unique photos don't directly boost your SEO, they can enhance your overall digital presence For chiropractors, acupuncturists, physical therapists and other clinic owners considering using a mix of high-quality stock photos and unique images for your practice.

Speaker 1:

Make sure you're focusing on relevancy and quality and you'll be well on your way to a stronger online presence. Remember, the goal is to attract and engage potential patients, not just rank higher. Use images that showcase your expertise. Showcase your expertise, your caring approach and results you deliver for your patients. There are a few additional resources that you can find included on the show notes page for this episode. They include a DIY blog images, tips and tools to creating impact image SEO, how to optimize your website images, a detailed clinic photo shoot list this has become very popular and a link to the article and podcast episode on how to plan a picture-perfect photo shoot. Again, these additional resources can be found in the show notes associated with this episode. That's it for today's episode. If you found it helpful, be sure to check out our other content on improving your local SEO and, as always, don't forget to like, share and subscribe for more tips on how to grow your practice.