Not all that much apparently! Updating your content with timely text and new publication dates can have a huge, positive effect on your rankings – but new pictures alone won’t do much.
So does that mean images aren’t important for SEO? Hell no!
Images can be a great way to convey information – especially trends in data. Infographics are their own market and marketing strategy. What’s important though, is that you position your graphical and textual content in such a way that provides a pleasant experience for the users. To an extent, that also includes keeping up appearances, because we do judge people and websites and businesses by the appearances they put forward.
It’s just that Google itself doesn’t particularly care if your old content suddenly has images on it. The only way it is going to have an effect is if you turn around and re-market said old content and get a better reception this time. More links, more shares, more tweets. That kinda thing. Otherwise? Googlebot appears to be just as oblivious to images as it ever was. Sure, they’ll get indexed, but they don’t seem to be strong enough of a signal to change the ranks.
Looking forward in the WebBiz
So where is this blog post going? Nowhere in particular.
The web biz is stuck in another awkward bubble situation. A few startups with big buzz attract major investment, but few firms are turning these huge outlays in to profitable and sustainable business models.
For the little guy, it’s getting really hard to compete with people who just care about buying up market share and think that they can worry about profits later on, down the road. It’s obviously not a situation that can last forever, but it still makes the current moment kind of a crappy time for small-time publishers. Consolidation and gatekeeping behaviors among cash-soaked firms can easily crowd out self-promoters.
But these things go in cycles, and before you know it, big firms will be crashing and burning while banks and investors shy away from the industry. Those moments of chaos are the biggest opportunity available for the little guys, so always keep your eyes and ears open for that next chance to strike!
Update 2020:
The web biz has been so popular with investors that we’re starting to see more comparisons to the 90’s tech bubble. Large firms, backed by private equity, continue to buy up market share while giving only secondary thought toward the preferences and needs of their user base. The combination of lockdowns, business shut downs, and stay at home orders have only accelerated individual preferences for online services, but almost all of this growth has been captured by a few dominant firms like Amazon and Google.
So are a few new pictures going to revitalize your website? Probably not! That doesn’t mean you can get away without using them. If anything, the trend toward rich media consumption has also sped up in to 2020. Streaming video and image sharing is more popular than ever, and if your website isn’t taking advantage you’re probably missing out on potential readers and subscribers.
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