The Internet has changed a lot in the last few years. We are no longer limited by the place and the device that we’re using. Instead, users are able to access the internet from any place by simply using their mobile device. Cities all over the world are making it easier to access the web from public places and we are definitely taking advantage of that.
One of the biggest, most intriguing technological developments we’ve seen as of late is visual search.
Here are some things you need to know about it.
What is visual search?
Similar to voice search, visual search allows us to browse the web without relying on keywords and typing. Instead, we can simply take a photo of a place or a product, and the web browser will give us various suggestions.
Keep in mind that this technology is still improving; we don’t know the full extent of its potential. Still, for this short amount of time, all signs are pointing to a very exciting future for the rise of visual search.
It is expected that visual search will be incorporated into more and more apps and sites. Furthermore, don’t be surprised when social media and search engines start adapting it in order to incorporate this new innovation.
One thing is for sure: visual search will not only affect users but online marketing as a whole.
Things to look out for
With all of this in mind, it’s important to understand the basic function of visual search – whether you are a marketer or consumer taking to the web. But how will it impact us going forward? How will it change the internet?
Here are some most probably changes that we can expect see in the future:
- Better price browsing
The first and more important thing to keep in mind is how visual search will impact all e-commerce stores.
If you went to your favorite store and a dress caught your eye, you might find yourself wondering whether you can buy it cheaper in some other city or shop. Well, you don’t have to wonder anymore. With voice search, you can simply snap a picture, and your browser of choice will show you a list of stores that are selling this item.
This will make it much easier for consumers to buy items for the lowest possible price. On top of that, it wouldn’t be surprising if we see search engines starting to show similar dress patterns so that a user can see if there is a better fit for their style elsewhere!
Source: Pikwizard
- Benefits tourism
When traveling to foreign countries, people see all sorts of intriguing scenery, monuments and architecture. Oftentimes, they don’t know the lay of the land and it can be hard to find the precise spot by simply searching a few vague keywords.
So, as a way of quickly finding information, you can take an image of whatever you’ve seen and find more information of the monument or tourist attraction via a search engine. Because of this, tourism organizations all over the world are likely to start relying on visual search more and more.
Source: Pikwizard
- Changes to web marketing
Due to its revolutionary nature, we should definitely expect voice search to make a big impact on online marketing and in particular – search engine optimization.
At this point in time, marketing experts rely on textual content for ranking sites’ pages. However, in the future, don’t be surprised if they start focusing more and more on pictures as a way of optimizing content and promoting products and services. One this is for sure, there are exciting times ahead of us.
Conclusion
No matter how you look at it, visual search will definitely benefit users but as the methods is still in its early stages, it’s hard to tell whether it will ever supersede the tried and tested ‘traditional’ keywords search.
There is still a good chance that we won’t use it very regularly. In the end, how often do you decide to browse the web via images?
Nevertheless, as with all other trends and developments online, you can never say for certain what will succeed and what will fizzle out. There is undoubtedly great potential when it comes to visual search and we’re looking forward to seeing how companies adapt to it!
If you are in doubt about any of the points listed above, the team at Olive Street Design should be your first port of call when it comes to seeking more information on how your company can benefit from education and investment in visual search for your company!
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