Is There Any SEO Benefit To Image Geolocation Data?

Our question today is good from one I turned to Earlier, as far as image metadhadows are concerned.

This time it is especially focused on a single aspect of metadads: “Is there any good benefit to the image geolocation information?”

Before I answer this question, it is important that we all get on the same page about what is geoloculation data.

What are the data on the geolocation of the image?

Basically, its code is built into a picture that gives details of where that image was taken or created.

The most common way to express these data is through the Exif or an alternating picture file format.

EXIF is a data format that includes information about how the image was taken. It can include aspects such as the size of a picture in pixels, the settings on which the camera was placed when it took the picture and when the photo was taken.

Exif data can also provide information about where The picture was taken.

How can you find a picture of a picture location

Not every photo you take or download to have metadads. If, for example, you set up your phone camera not to share the place of the pictures you take, then you will miss the information.

However, if you go to the photo file data, you usually click on the picture or touch the menu available through the picture, you should be able to see if the location has been taken.

This will often be in the form of coordinates and can have a rough city or city based on these coordinates.

However, warning: Location data cannot be deleted not just decorated. Therefore, even if you find a location for a picture for a picture, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

Theoretically, what benefits could have data on geoloculation?

If we think about it logically, understanding what we have concluded How the search engines workThere are several areas where we could expect that the geolocation data will help with SEO.

Understanding the image

Similarly, as a structured data labeling, we could expect that geolocation will provide search engines with more contextual traces on the nature of the image.

For example, if the photo is a mountain, and the data on the geolocation of the photographer puts at the foot of Mount Everest, the search engines could conclude that the photo was Mount Everest.

Landscapes/Pictures of Location Relevance

Giving search engines more context about the picture, they can help them determine its importance to search.

For example, understanding that this photo of the mountain was taken near Mount Everest can make a more relevant searching pictures such as “Mount Everest Photo” and “Baza Camp on Mount Everest.”

This would have a logical sense, especially given what we know about how to search robots often use the image title and Alt text To determine relevance.

Local search and location profiles

Location data in theory would be the most important for local tests and business profiles specific to location such as Google Business profile and places for Bing.

The images are often transferred to these profiles and as such geoloculation data can improve local profile relevance.

A photo of an external trade in Seattle, with a geolocation data that suggests that the photo was taken in Seattl would theoretically help strengthen that the trade is relevant to Seattlu search engine.

What evidence do we have that geoloculation data affect SEO?

When we are considering how optimization can influence ranking, crawlingIndexing and other aspects of SEO, we have to ask ourselves if we have evidence that this is an impact.

In the case of a geolocation data affecting SEO, I can say that, unfortunately, there are no ones – beyond anecdotes, that is.

In fact, there were a lot of studies on whether the geolocation information influences local ranking and the work of Google’s business profiles. One study to look at is up to Sky.

Google seems to actually squeeze out the Exif data from the pictures published through the Google Business Profile, at least from a public view. Does it still use the Exif data that removes from the image should be determined.

Google claims not to use Exif data

Back in 2014Google representatives, including Matt Cutts, claimed that they are not currently using Exif data, but that they can in the future.

However, reports From the advanced SMX conference in September 2024. It suggests that Martin Split from Google repeated 10 years after Cutt.

Can we trust Google?

Many SEO professionals will claim that Google is lying. I prefer to think about it as a village professionals, maybe not understanding the shades enough to see that what Google’s representative said is technically true, but not necessarily and accurate in the context in which we perceive it.

However, in accordance with Google’s claims, we really have nothing more than occasional, unprotected anecdotes that geolocrats such as EXIF ​​affect Google crawl, indexing or ranking in any meaningful way.

What about other search engines?

Bing does not mention geoloction data at all Photographic guidelines. I cannot find any evidence that Baid or Yandex use it, although it is exclusively an armchair research.

Considering that, however, we know that there are waves of new search platforms online and, indeed, other ways of searching that could fall under the jurisdiction of SEO.

Large language models (LLMS) can use additional data points from traditional search engines.

What we do not yet know is whether they use geolocation data as part of their choices that the pages and brands show in their answers or search results.

So, is geolocation data that we should consider?

I suggest that adding data on geolocation to your pictures is not something that should find your way in your task list. We actually do not have information to make backups of claims that this is impressive.

In fact, we have more studies and communication than search engine representatives that suggest that this is not useful in SEO.

While I don’t think it’s worth the time and energy to implement geolocation data, I don’t think it’s harmful to involve them. Do not go to the extent to change or delete. Just leave it if you have already included geolocation information in your pictures.

It may become useful over time. As Google said, it reserves the right to use. We still do not know if it will use it with platforms for emerging search.

Basically, if you really want to understand his influence, I suggest you testing him with your own pictures.

Add the Exif data to a set of pictures and measure their scale according to the control group that does not use Exif data.

Measure a change in ranking before and after adding the Exif data and compare them to the control group.

If there are similar changes in the ladder, then it is possible that Exif data did not have an impact.

If there are significant increases (or decrease!) In the scale of images with Exif data, but not a control group, it would suggest that they are influential.

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Sepaled image: Maxbelchenko/Shutterstock