# Your Product Photos Now Have an SEO Job Images used to be a page-speed problem and an accessibility obligation. In AI-assisted search they have started doing a different job: helping systems understand what a page is actually about. ## What changed Search and AI systems increasingly interpret the images on a page as evidence of what it covers, not merely as decoration. A page about a product that shows the real product, with a descriptive filename and accurate alt text, is easier to classify correctly than one illustrated with generic stock photography. ## Why this matters more for small businesses Most small business websites are illustrated with stock images. It is understandable and it used to be harmless. The problem now is that a stock photo of a generic office tells a system nothing about you, while a photograph of your actual premises, your actual work or your actual team is genuinely distinguishing information. For a showroom in [Gariahat](https://thedigitalmagic.com/locations/gariahat/) or a clinic off the [EM Bypass](https://thedigitalmagic.com/locations/em-bypass/), photographs of the real place also do something stock never could: they tell a prospective customer what they will find when they arrive. ## What to do ### Photograph the real thing Your premises, your products, your completed work, your team. A phone camera in decent light is sufficient. This single change usually improves conversion more than it improves rankings, which is a good enough reason on its own. ### Name files descriptively Not IMG_4471.jpg. Something that says what the picture shows. It costs nothing and it is one of the few remaining trivially easy wins. ### Write alt text that describes the image Alt text exists so that someone using a screen reader knows what is there. Describe the picture plainly. Do not stuff keywords into it, which reads badly aloud and helps nobody. If an image is purely decorative, an empty alt attribute is correct. ### Keep them fast Compress, size correctly for how they are displayed, and lazy-load anything below the fold. Real photographs are usually larger files than stock, so this matters more once you start using your own. See [technical SEO](https://thedigitalmagic.com/service/technical-seo/). ## What not to bother with Do not rename every decorative background image in the hope of a ranking benefit. The gain is in the images that carry actual information about your business. Everything else is housekeeping. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is stock photography bad for SEO? It is not penalised, but it tells search and AI systems nothing distinguishing about your business, and it tells customers nothing about what they will find when they arrive. Photographs of your actual premises, work or team do both jobs at once. ### What should alt text actually say? Describe what the image shows, plainly, as you would to someone who cannot see it. Do not stuff keywords in, which reads badly through a screen reader and helps nobody. If an image is purely decorative, an empty alt attribute is the correct choice. ### Do image filenames still matter? They are a small signal, but they cost nothing to get right. A descriptive filename beats IMG_4471.jpg. Concentrate on images that carry real information about your business rather than renaming every decorative background.