{"id":79822,"date":"2020-11-09T09:37:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-09T17:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graphpaperpress.com\/?p=79822"},"modified":"2020-11-09T12:06:48","modified_gmt":"2020-11-09T20:06:48","slug":"google-images-licensable-badge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/graphpaperpress.com\/blog\/google-images-licensable-badge\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Images Licensable Badge: Everything Photographers Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Image piracy is a real issue that affects all photographers who publish their work online. Having to deal with issues such as image theft<\/strong> is a source of frustration for many. Thankfully, Google Images licensable badge ushers in new opportunities for photographers to capture referrals and sales directly from Google Images searchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years, the search engine overlord, Google, hasn’t been exactly helpful.\u00a0 The commercial interests of photographers simply weren\u2019t being protected. People would find images on Google and often download and use those images without any regard for copyright or licensing terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But with the latest update to Google images and the advent of licensable images, all of that is about to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Google Images licensable badge?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The latest update to Google Image search adds the licensable badge to images that can be licensed online directly from independent photographers, just like you!  For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suppose, I want to open an ice cream parlor and I am looking for a picture of chocolate ice cream. As a business owner, I need to attract visitors with a few pictures of delicious chocolate ice cream.\u00a0So, I head over to Google and type in the keywords \u201cchocolate ice cream\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now, initially I am not seeing any images with the licensable badge. If you take a closer look at the picture above, you will notice a “Tools” button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip: Click the “Tools” button<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Clicking on the Tools button, I notice a list of options to choose from. By default, your search results will display unlicensed images. But if you want to use your images legally, you can choose any of the other options and you will get a list of chocolate ice cream images to choose from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now, when I toggle my usage rights to images for commercial use that allow modification, I get an entire different set of results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And because now I know the criteria under which the image of my choice is licensed, I can now easily obtain instructions for how I can use that image without having to worry about the legal repercussions of image piracy later down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Licensable Badge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Clicking on the “Licensable” badge will display the image on the right side of the page with some additional details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This chocolate ice cream image has been licensed under Wikipedia Commons license. Clicking on the link transports me to the wikipedia page that contains information about the owner of this image and how I can use this particular image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google Bot scans the internet (including your WordPress website) and creates a massive index of images. These images eventually make their way into Google Images, which visitors can search for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you get your images into Google Images? Continue reading, and I\u2019ll show your how, including how to get backlinks directly into your store where searchers can purchase licensing rights from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why are licensable images important?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now, you might be thinking: \u201cWhy is licensing even important in the first place?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the thing: Licensing your images can be a game-changer for your online photography business. People will now be easily able to obtain relevant licensing information about your images and you can direct them to you sales page where they can purchase a usage license.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The risks of using unlicensed images<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Violating a licensing agreement and using it freely on your website can result in potential copyright lawsuits. You might receive a “cease and desist” order from a photographer, your entire site might get banned\/penalized, and you might get sued for copyright infringement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No bueno.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a photographer, you should already be somewhat familiar with licensing. There are many different kinds of licenses out there. Consider giving the article on Budgetstockpoto<\/a> a read to learn more about the different kinds of licenses. Knowing more about licensing information will definitely help you out in your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Licensable badges will help you acquire backlinks<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you are using original images on your site, you can make use of the licensable badge feature to acquire backlinks to your blog or website.  Each licensable image contains a link to the site where the image can be licensed and purchased. This is a powerful thing for photographers: You can get direct backlinks to your site (or your shop) where consumers can purchase your image. More on this later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fewer copyright infringements? Well, hopefully.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While the new update lets searchers easily find out licensing details for images, it still doesn\u2019t stop nefarious users from stealing your images. It does, however, give users acting in good faith the ability to pay you for your work. And this feature has been the missing ingredient in Google searches. A standardized method for searchers to obtain licensing details for images was simply non-existent. Consequently, most people simply downloaded images fitting their search criteria and used copyrighted images with wild abandon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will this decrease the number of copyright infringement cases? It should. Will copyright infringement stop? Absolutely not \ud83d\ude41<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How will this impact your photography business?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the digital sphere, photographers make money through selling photos. Selling photos online can take two main forms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Selling through 3rd party stock sites<\/strong> – You can either sell your photos on your own website, or you can sell photos on photo repositories like Shutterstock, AdobeStock, 123RF, Envato Elements etc. The downside with this option, is that the 3rd party sites take the majority of the sales profit and leave you with peanuts. The commission rates varies site to site (for instance, on Shutterstock, your commission rates will vary from anywhere between 15% to 40% depending on your tier level). The underlying fact is that you lose out on potential earnings when you sell through a 3rd party stock website.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    1. Sell through your own shop<\/strong> – If you are looking to sell photos through your own website, you will incur a small charge at the beginning for the software, but this method would allow you to retain 100% commission on any sales you make. Nice! Granted, there is a little setup time, but you\u2019ll be building a sustainable business where you control the products and prices. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Let\u2019s compare a few 3rd party stock sites:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Third Party Platform<\/td>Commision range<\/td>URL<\/td><\/tr>
      Shutterstock<\/td>15% to 40%<\/td>https:\/\/submit.shutterstock.com\/payouts#:~:text=Earnings%20Schedule%20%7C%20Shutterstock&text=Earn%20up%20to%2040%25%20commission,download%20your%20images%20or%20videos.&text=When%20you%20sell%20more%2C%20you,of%20your%20content%20is%20licensed.<\/td><\/tr>
      123RF<\/td>30% to 60%<\/td>https:\/\/www.123rf.com\/contrib_structure.php#:~:text=Earn%20from%2030%25%20to%2060,your%20creative%20works%20with%20us.&text=How%20much%20can%20you%20earn%20per%20download%3F&text=All%20earnings%20will%20be%20rounded%20to%20the%20nearest%20USD%240.01.&text=Your%20commission%20depends%20on%20your,you%20hit%20Contributor%20Level%208.<\/td><\/tr>
      AdobeStock<\/td>33% royalties<\/td>https:\/\/contributor.stock.adobe.com\/commissions<\/td><\/tr>
      Alamy <\/td>50% to 70%<\/td>https:\/\/www.alamy.com\/terms\/contributor.aspx<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      The royalties you earn from stock photo repositories can often be minimal. Living a financially independent life means you want to make more money from your photos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Helps you generate more sales<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      And adding a licensing badge to your stock photos can help you generate more sales irrespective of whether you are using your own site or a third party site to sell your photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      When users search for images on Google, your stock images will appear on Google search results. And when people see the option to license those images, they will consider making a purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      However, giving your photos exposure on third party platforms is often difficult and that caps your earning potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Sell usage licenses from your own shop<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      That\u2019s the reason why we recommend photographers to sell their photos through a self-hosted site. If you really want to make some serious cash with licensed photographs, then getting your own site is something definitely worth investing in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      User-friendly platforms like WordPress have made it easy to host your own site. Moreover, the Sell Media<\/a> plugin makes it especially easy to sell your images online. What\u2019s more; the plugin is free to use and gives your online shop a classy look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Complete Guide To Getting Your Images Licensed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Without further ado, let\u2019s walk you down the aisle and get you updated on how to get your images on Google Images with the licensable badge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Optimize your images and web pages for search engines.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Ensure that Google can access and index your web pages and images. Because if Google crawlers can\u2019t crawl through your webpages, it won\u2019t be possible to index your images. Consequently, the visibility of your images would drop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Optimize your photos for Google Images involves the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1. You want to make sure that your people can view the images on your site without requiring any login. The idea is to eliminate any barriers.<\/li>
      2. Ensure that the image-containing pages on your site are included in the robots.txt file. <\/li>
      3. Keep your images up-dated with Image SEO best practices.<\/a><\/li>
      4. Create relevant sitemaps to keep Google updated on any changes to your site. (specifically, changes to your images is what your focus should be on)<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Once you have got your basic Image SEO done right, you can move on to the next step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Now that you have got your images appearing on search results, the next thing that we are going to be focusing on is getting the licensing badge for your photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        How to add the licensing badge to your photos<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        To get a licensing badge for your photos, you need to send Google specific instructions using what’s called “metadata”. Don’t worry if this sounds intimidating, because our free Sell Media<\/a> plugin handles all of the technical integration for you seamlessly. But technically, here’s how Google’s licensable badge feature works:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        1. Use Structured Data<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        To understand the content of the page, Google makes use of something called structured data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Every webpage that you view on your browser contains code that may be categorized into two forms: visible code snippets and invisible code snippets. The invisible code snippets are mostly metadata. It looks something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n

        \n    <script type="application\/ld+json">\n    {\n      "@context": "https:\/\/schema.org\/",\n      "@type": "ImageObject",\n      "contentUrl": "{{ getImageUrl( $image->url, 600 ) }}",\n      "license": "{{ getRoute( $user, 'user.license' ) }}",\n      "acquireLicensePage": "{{ url()->current() }}"\n    }\n    <\/script>\n<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n
        Thankfully, WordPress and our Sell Media<\/a> plugin make this incredibly easy. Every single image page contains all of the necessary metadata on the page, ready for Google to index your images. Once your site’s SEO is solid and you have adequate domain authority (not hard if you’re using WordPress!), then your images will start appearing in Google Images search with the licensable badge \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n
        Simple as that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
        2. IPTC Photo metadata<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
        The other way to get the licensable badge in Google Images is by embedding the required IPTC metadata directly into your photos before uploading them into WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
        We do not recommend doing this. Here’s why:<\/p>\n\n\n\n