Would image-only pages show up in search?
I am working with a sophisticated designer who does beautiful high-end home renovations in the Seattle, Washington area of the US.
She didn’t want text on the pages where she showcased her projects. I was concerned because most people search with words. However, there were compelling arguments for testing webpages with no on-page text.
Reasons to Test Portfolio Pages Without Words
#1 The Images are Beautiful. Helen’s aesthetic is minimal. Her designs feature clean lines and a sophisticated interplay between white, black, and neutral. Understandably, she wants her project pages to look clean as well.
#2 Visuals are Important on Webpages. Particularly for a designer. Her potential clients want to see the homes she has designed.
Nielsen Norman Group has found that images are more memorable than text. They based their findings on “The Picture Superiority Effect.” Because when we see an image, our mind gives it a label. Therefore, both the image and the label are stored in our memory. That means that two pieces of information are stored in our minds.
#3 Image Search is Popular. Maybe, we reasoned, now that Google image search is enhanced with AI tools, images would be enough. Ahrefs reports that people use Google Lens to search for images 12 billion times a month.
Building the Test Pages
It is important to do good image SEO, especially if we will depend on images alone to bring visitors to the page. We optimized the images for Google image search by—
- Using meaningful filenames
- Adding alt-text
- Making the images faster-loading
Our Webpages Without Words Didn’t Get Shown in Search
In the next review, it became clear that fewer of Helen’s Project Pages were shown in web search results. They had dropped out of Search Console’s web results— completely. Image search results were no better.
We concluded that the portfolio pages needed words.
Adding Text to Image-focused Pages
Google Doesn’t Like Hidden Text that visitors can’t access. However, Google is OK with text that a visitor can access. We talked about hiding the text at first and letting a visitor choose to see it with a click. Since this was a test, we went with the simplest solution. We added the text below the fold.
We chose two project pages for the next phase of the test, adding text. Helen did the initial copywriting. I sprinkled in words and phrases her potential customers use to search for similar projects. (keywords).
More Google Impressions
Writing Content Was Worth it.
It is hard to do justice to visual images in words. But Helen’s work paid off.
Looking at the Search Graph in the Search Console was like seeing a patient bounce back from cardiac arrest. Suddenly there were indications that Google was showing the pages to searchers.
Clearer Messaging and Better User Experience
Words are not just for SEO. They improve user experience and make messages clearer. Beyond the images on the designer’s pages, the text provides details. The client was “A young family”. They wanted an extensive renovation. The home had been neglected. Now a potential client knows much more about Helen’s role and services.
“When the picture-superiority effect is effectively leveraged in interface design, users are more likely to leave with a more accurate and positive impression of your website, product, or brand. While visuals can add information and increase memorability, text is still required for good usability and conveying a clear message.”
— Sara Paul, Nielsen Norman Group
How Many Words Do You Need?
I’ve often seen a suggested minimum of 300 words for a product page. More words are best for a blog post or essay. Our test pages have slightly fewer, 263 words and 287 words. A recent study by Backlinko and Ahrefs found the average length of a Google first page result is 1,447 words.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Our test proved that you need words, too. The hard work of writing text and choosing keywords thoughtfully got her project pages in front of people searching for home renovations.
Trying to Decide What to Do Next? Prioritize Website Administrator Tasks
Perhaps someday AI-assisted search will be so sophisticated that words won’t be necessary. However, in our tests, a webpage without words did not get organic search traffic.
Do you have an underperforming webpage? Contact me for a complimentary consultation.