Have you noticed that when you search for a hotel in Sydney or a catering company near you on your phone, your eyes are drawn to the images in the search results list before you read a single word?
In search marketing, we often place a large emphasis on meta descriptions (a summary of what the page is about). Yet, for the average person scrolling through search results on their phone, the first thing they process is the image.
That tiny square image appearing next to a website link isn’t there by accident, and the business owner didn’t necessarily upload it for Google either. Think of Google as a high-speed digital concierge. In the blink of an eye, it scans your entire website to hand-pick the single image it believes will be most helpful to your customer in that search.
But how does it choose? Why does it sometimes pick a stunning hero shot, and other times a random, cropped-in photo of a floor? Understanding the logic behind the selection process can help you to improve your brand presence and click-through rate, especially from mobile screens.
How Google validates your visual identity
Google’s latest documentation reveals that the algorithm prioritises images that are not only high quality but also contextually relevant to the specific user query. The system looks for a clear subject, high contrast, and images that scale well down to a small square or rectangle.
Crucially, Google has confirmed that using high-quality images, adding descriptive alt-text (short and functional textual description of an image or graphic), and ensuring images are placed near the most relevant text on the page are primary signals for its selection process.
Optimising for Google Discover
For many lifestyle, news, and eCommerce brands, Google Discover has become a major source of organic traffic. Google Discover is a personalised, AI-driven content feed within the Google app (Android/iOS) and mobile homepage that presents articles, videos, and updates based on user interests, search history, and activity, requiring no search queries.
Unlike standard search, Discover is a visual-first feed. Recent data from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) reveals that 97% of Australian adults now use a mobile phone to access the internet, with the vast majority doing so multiple times a day.
In this mobile-dominated environment, a blurry, generic, or poorly cropped thumbnail drastically undermines your click-through rate, often causing potential customers to ignore your website entirely. When an Australian user is “consciously consuming” content—a trend highlighted in Deloitte’s 2026 Media and Entertainment report—they’re increasingly choosy about what they click. If your search photo doesn’t look professional, they’ll simply keep scrolling.
Google recommends using large, high-resolution images that are at least 1200 pixels wide for Discover. This ensures that whether the user is on a high-definition iPhone or a tablet, your brand looks professional and trustworthy.
Four ways to enhance your visual presence
To ensure Google represents your business correctly in the search results, we suggest a few technical and creative shifts:
Edit the aspect ratio and centralise the subject: Ensure the main subject of your image is centrally located. Google often crops thumbnails into squares. If your key product or person is off to the side, they may be cropped out entirely.
Carry out schema markup: Use ImageObject structured data to tell Google explicitly which image you consider the primary representation of your content. This reduces the guesswork for the algorithm. We offer this as part of our SEO service.
Avoid text-heavy graphics: Google’s automated systems often struggle to render images with heavy text overlays as thumbnails. Keep your imagery clean and let your headlines do the talking.
Ensure local relevance: Original photography consistently outperforms stock imagery. A photo of your actual team on the Central Coast or your real project in Brisbane provides a level of authenticity that AI and stock photos can’t replicate.
Ultimately, perfecting your search photos is about making sure your brand looks as professional as possible. By following these updated guidelines and treating your imagery with the same level of care as your SEO keywords, you can claim more real estate on the screen and drive more meaningful engagement with your audience.
