Google usually reveals photos taken from web sites and publishers like your websites in its search outcomes. Would you like Google to indicate your picture in search with attribution, or would you like Google to license photos with out attribution?
Danny Sullivan, Google’s Search Liaison, mentioned in some circumstances, he thinks Google ought to use paid licensed photos from perhaps sources like Getty Photographs versus taking photos from web sites on the internet and including an attribution hyperlink.
This got here up when one writer was upset to see his picture utilized in that issues to do/know characteristic. Right here is that submit:
How is that this authorized?
Google is now stealing Journey Lemming’s personal model searches (even by way of website search).
They take our listing — INCLUDING MY ORIGINAL PHOTOS 📸 — and current it in a wealthy outcome so folks do not click on via.
I’m actually IN that Crimson Rocks picture! Wtf? pic.twitter.com/Wsw33BUMKY
— Nate Hake (@natejhake) December 20, 2023
So you may see the pictures used on this “issues to do” field are from writer web sites the place Google will get this content material:
Then Sullivan responded to Nate Hake saying that this isn’t a brand new characteristic (it’s outdated, he’s proper) and that the picture has an attribution on it and that if you don’t need it, block Google from indexing it:
Hey Nate, this received flagged to my consideration. I will go alongside the suggestions to the crew. Fairly positive this is not a brand new characteristic. Elsewhere within the thread, you speak about it being an AI reply, and I am fairly positive that is not the case, both. It is a solution to refine an preliminary question and… pic.twitter.com/rO2dyaISbT
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) December 20, 2023
So you may see the attribution hyperlink on the picture while you click on on it:
Wherein, Danny then mentioned, “My choice would not be to make use of photos from across the internet in thumbnails like that. I might desire we use solely licensed photos. It is what I’ve communicated internally earlier than. That is due to precisely this difficulty, some website homeowners won’t prefer it. Others may, nevertheless. Others may like that when folks click on, they will be the very first thing within the carousel. Finally, if somebody does not need their photos utilized in Google Search, they will block them.”
Danny is saying for this case, who is aware of what different circumstances, he would like Google Search to indicate licenses photos and never photos (even with attributions) from third-party web sites.
However he did ask, some publishers may need Google to indicate their photos with attribution and never for Google to indicate licensed photos.
So I ran a ballot on X asking what SEOs would need and thus far most of you (thus far 70%, the ballot just isn’t executed) need Google to indicate your picture with attribution over Google licensing a picture:
Would you like Google present your picture in search with attribution or would you like Google license photos with out attribution?
— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) December 20, 2023
Discussion board dialogue at X.