Google’s John Mueller answers how Google’s new Google Lens multiple searches affect SEO. How Google Lens multiple searches affect SEO practices is a great question, and John provides a thoughtful answer.
John Mueller discusses SEO and Multisearch
google multiple search
Google Lens is an app for Android and Apple iOS devices.
The Google Lens app (available for Android and Apple iOS devices) provides a way to use the camera to search and complete tasks such as translating text, identifying plants, insects, and animals, and finding information about places, among other similar capabilities.
Google Multisearch is a new way to search using both text and images using the Google Lens app.
The official Google Lens page on Google Play lists the following features of the app:
- “Scan and translate text
Translate words you see, save business cards to your contacts, add events from posters to your calendar, and save time by copying and pasting complex codes or long paragraphs into your phone.- Identify plants and animals
Find out what plants are in your friend’s apartment, or what kind of dog you see in the park.- Explore places around you
Identify and understand landmarks, restaurants and storefronts. See ratings, hours of operation, historical facts, and more.- find the look you like
See a piece of clothing that catches your eye? Or the right chair for your living room? Find clothes, furniture and home decor similar to your favorites.- know something
See popular dishes on restaurant menus based on Google Maps reviews.- scan code
Quickly scan QR codes and barcodes. “
The Multiple Search feature was announced as a beta feature on April 7, 2022. Beta usually means that something is still in development and testing, but has reached a point where it is stable enough to be used.
Google said the multi-search feature uses artificial intelligence, and they are still exploring integrating the MUM algorithm.
The Google MUM algorithm is a powerful technology that can answer complex questions using audio, video, images, and text, and can return answers using information in any language.
Using the Google Lens app, users can take a photo and swipe up to access the “Add to Your Search” button, which opens a form for adding text.
Screenshot of Google Lens in multi-search mode
Using an image search can be thought of as searching for exactly what is in an image, just like an exact search.
Use image plus text search to allow users optimize their searchsuch as searching for content with different colors in an image.
The new MultiSearch released by Google uses the following search optimization examples:
- “Take a cut of a stylish orange dress and add the query “green” to find another color
- Take a photo of your table and add the query “coffee table” to find matching tables
- Take a photo of your rosemary plant and add the query “care instructions”
How does multi-search affect SEO?
John Mueller read this question at the Google SEO Office Hour Meetup.
Here’s the question Mueller read:
“How does multiple searches in Google Lens affect SEO?”
John Mueller first explained that Google Lens multi-search is still a new thing.
“So…I think it’s still fairly new and how multiple searches work.
We recently published a blog post about this. For example, you can do this on Chrome and different types of phones.
Basically what happens is you can take a photo of any image from the website and you can search using that image.
For example, if you find a specific…a piece of clothing or…basically anything and you want to find more information, you can like highlight that part of the image and then search for more similar things. “
SEO and Multiple Search
Mueller next discusses SEO in the context of multiple searches:
“From an SEO standpoint, it’s not really something you would do…do it manually.
Conversely, if your images are indexed, then we can find your images and can highlight them to people when they search that way.
So that’s not to say…that has a direct impact on SEO or anything like that.
But it’s kind of like if you’re doing everything right, if your content can be found in search, if you have images on your content and those images are relevant, then there are a number of ways that we can direct people to those images or your content. “
SEO and Multiple Search
There isn’t anything new for SEO related to multi-search, says John Mueller. Recommended SEO best practices for content and image SEO.
However, it seems to me that Google Multiple Search may require new SEO-related actions, including rethinking content and image strategies, as Google Lens is a part of that.
When it comes to SEO, it might be prudent to use the Google Lens app and check that your images actually appear in relevant queries.
Another thing to investigate is to check how your competitors rank in Google Lens.
The advent of multiple searches means that it may be useful to consider using images on your web pages (if they are not already being used effectively) in addition to applying various image best practices (including Google Discover and image recommendations for structured data).
Citation
Read the Google Multisearch announcement
Beyond the Search Box: Introducing Multiple Searches
Read more about the Google Lens app
Google Smart Lens on the Google Play Store
Watch the Google Office Hours video
John Mueller answers SEO and multi-search questions at 17:39
