Google Lens? Time to Double Down on Image Optimization For Clients

A WooCommerce client just asked about AI Overviews. They want to know if their products can show up there, right next to Amazon and Wayfair.

Forget AI Overviews for eCommerce sales. You’re chasing placement you’ll rarely win while missing what’s actually driving eCommerce sales.

Over 100 billion visual searches happened in 2024 through Google Lens and Circle to Search. One in five of those searches came from people ready to buy something they saw in an image or video. (source: business.google.com)

Your client’s products could be showing up in those searches. But they’re not — because nobody optimized for visual search.

Time to change that.

“Google AI Mode taps into Google Lens and other tools to answer queries with images, not just text. Users can snap a photo of a product or a landmark and get AI-powered answers or recommendations instantly.

If your images aren’t optimized with structured data, alt text, and schema, you’re invisible to this new wave of search.”
Rocket.net – What is Google AI Mode? Should I Be Worried About my SEO?

TL;DR: If your client’s products aren’t showing up in Google Lens searches, then it’s time to get to work on image optimization.

Why This Matters for Your Agency (Traffic Light Version)

The opportunity: 100 billion visual searches in 2024. 20 billion of these were shopping searches — they saw a product and wanted to buy it. Is your WooCommerce store visible in this channel?

The premise: Stop worrying about AI Overview placement. Focus on Google Lens searches you can dominate right now.

The investment: 30-40 hours to optimize existing images and add basic smartphone videos for 50-100 products.

The return: Agencies implementing video-first visual search optimization are capturing meaningful traffic from an entirely new channel. Customers can better visualize products before purchase = improved conversion rates.

How to sell it: “You’re getting 12,000 monthly image search impressions but only 140 clicks — a measly 1.2% CTR. Here’s how we capture more traffic with video and contextual photography.”

Competition status: Many agencies still ignore visual search completely. First-mover advantage available right now.

Stop Chasing AI Overviews — Focus on Google Lens Instead

“The rise of Google Lens is part of a broader shift toward visual-first SEO. As a marketer, you’ll need a visual search strategy to meet users’ growing demand for image-based searches.”
Neil Patel

Every agency is obsessing over AI Overviews right now. Can we get our client’s content featured? What about product listings?

AI Overviews feel like the next big thing, and at Rocket.net, we’re leaning into this new search behavior – not running from it. But, AI Overviews for commercial searches are dominated by massive publishers, major retailers, and established brands. You’re competing with Amazon, Wayfair, and The New York Times for those placements.

You won’t win. Neither will your clients. We’re not being pessimistic – we’re being realistic about where your time gets ROI.

Here’s where fewer companies are competing: Google Lens visual search.

Think about how this works in real life. You purchase a chair. Someone sees it in your office and likes it. They don’t try to describe it — they point their phone at it. Google Lens identifies similar products and shows purchase options within seconds.

Your client is a furniture store. Their chair could be in those results — if you optimize for visual search instead of chasing AI Overview placement, you’ll have a hard time getting.

Does this sound good? Okay. Here are two strategies we like at the moment.

Strategy 1: Get Video of Your Products (This Is Non-Negotiable)

“80% of video marketers say video has directly helped increase sales, and 84% of consumers have been convinced to buy a product by watching a brand’s video.”
yieldify.com

Static images are table stakes now. Video is your competitive advantage in visual search.

Google Lens and Circle to Search extract information from video frames. Show your product in motion, demonstrate scale with known objects, prove functionality — and suddenly you’re discoverable in ways static-only competitors aren’t.

Why video matters more than photos for visual search:

When someone searches visually for furniture, they’re trying to solve a sizing problem. Will this fit my space? Is it too big? Too small? Too… something?

Do this Now:
Check your WooCommerce clients’ product pages. How many contain a video? If it’s less than half, you have an immediate upsell opportunity. Video increases conversions AND makes products discoverable in Google Lens searches.

The furniture visualization problem:

Shoppers say they hesitate to buy furniture online because they can’t visualize size and scale. That’s not a small problem — that’s potential customers bouncing before they ever add to cart.

Video solves what photos can’t: they show your product next to objects of known size.

Example: Selling a nightstand

Bad approach (what most stores still do):

White background product photo

Maybe 2-3 angles if you’re lucky

Dimensions listed: 24″W x 18″D x 26″H

The customer has no idea if that’s right for their space

They leave, maybe bookmark it, probably forget about it

Video approach that captures Google Lens searches:

Create a 20-30 second video showing:

Nightstand positioned next to a queen-size bed (not floating in white space)

The camera pans around, showing the scale relationship clearly

Person stands next to it for height reference (bonus: shows build quality)

Drawers open to show interior storage capacity

Copy mentions “positioned next to luxurious queen-size bed” explicitly

Why this works: Google Lens recognizes the queen bed as a known object. It can infer nightstand dimensions from the spatial relationship. When someone searches visually for “nightstand queen bed,” Google can confidently recommend your product because it has visual proof that the scale works.

Strategy 2: Show Your Product in Use (Answer the Questions Customers Don’t Ask)

“Video content addresses the need for product understanding by providing detailed demonstrations and showcasing products in action. Marketers agree that videos have helped increase user understanding of products or services.”​
bazaarvoice.com

Theory: This backpack is waterproof.
Proof: video showing water being poured on it, beading up, interior staying dry.

Theory: This purse fits everything I need for work.
Proof: video showing phone, wallet, keys, makeup bag, laptop charger, and water bottle being loaded with room to spare.

See? One is a claim. The other is proof.

The unasked question problem:

A customer looking at a leather purse thinks, “I live in Seattle. Will this survive the rain? Do I need suede protectant? What’s the maintenance routine?”

They won’t email to ask these questions. Too much friction. They’ll just buy from someone who answered them proactively. Visually.

Create use-case demonstration videos (15-30 seconds each):

For the waterproof question:

Show the purse in actual rain (or simulate it convincingly)

Show water beading off the leather naturally

Wipe it clean with a cloth

Show interior completely dry

Takes 20 seconds, answers the exact question they had

For the care question:

Quick 30-second video: “How to care for your leather purse”

Show a simple wipe-down routine

Demonstrate leather conditioner application once

Show the same purse after 6 months of use (proves durability)

Now they’re confident, not anxious

Why this captures visual search traffic:

Someone uses Google Lens to search for “waterproof leather bag” visually. Your video showing the water test can surface as a match in search results, driving them to your product page even if they’ve never heard of your client’s brand.

That’s the beauty of visual search — you don’t need brand recognition. You need relevant, contextual content.

Scenario-based product demonstrations work for everything:

Can this standing desk actually support my dual monitor setup? (Show it loaded with monitors, a laptop, a keyboard, and accessories — not empty)

Will this sectional sofa fit through a standard doorway? (Video showing it being moved through the doorway, assembled in the room. Yes, this matters.)

Is this camping tent actually waterproof? (Set it up, pour water on it, show dry interior. Don’t just say it — prove it.)

Do this Now:
For each product, list the top 3 questions customers ask before buying. Create 15-30 second videos answering each question visually. These videos improve on-site conversions AND become discoverable in Google Lens searches.

Result: Increase in conversions and decrease in pre-purchase customer service inquiries. Customers find answers visually before needing to ask. The support team can focus on actual problems instead of answering “will this fit my laptop?” for the hundredth time.

Don’t have an in-house production team? Yeah, most of us don’t. Consider services like Vidico or Dobby Ads for product videos. We’ve written about augmented reality for WooCommerce before; you may want to check that out, too.

How to Package Visual Search Services for WooCommerce Clients

“While both WooCommerce and Shopify are popular choices, WooCommerce offers a lot of advantages that make it a better option for most online shop owners.”
Rocket.net – Why WooCommerce is Still Better Than Shopify

Don’t pitch “visual search optimization” as a standalone service. Most clients don’t know what that means, and explaining it takes longer than it should.

Position it as: “We’ve identified a gap in your image search performance. You’re getting impressions but missing sales. Here’s how we fix it with video and contextual photography.”

Show them the data first. Open Google Search Console → Performance → Search Type: Image. Most WooCommerce stores show thousands of impressions with minimal clicks. That’s a lost opportunity you can monetize immediately.

Starter Package: Optimize What You Have

Audit existing product images and videos

Optimize file naming and alt text for visual search

Add basic product videos for the top 10-20 products (client provides footage or simple smartphone videos work)

Implement structured data for products and videos

20-30 hours agency time

Standard Package: Video + Context

Everything in Starter

Professional video production for the top 30-50 products showing scale and use

Lifestyle photography showing products with known-size references

2-3 blog posts with a visual-first content strategy

40-60 hours agency time + production costs

Premium Package: Complete Visual Dominance

Everything in Standard

Video for entire catalog (or top 100 products if catalog is massive)

Comprehensive lifestyle photography showing multiple use scenarios

Monthly blog content with a video-first approach

Ongoing optimization and performance monitoring

80-120 hours agency time + production costs

Technical Implementation for Visual Search

Video requirements (critical for Google Lens):

Upload videos directly to WordPress (not YouTube embeds for product pages — you want control and faster loading)

15-45 seconds per product video (shorter for simple products, longer for complex ones that need explanation)

Show products from multiple angles with context visible

Include known-size objects in frame (beds, doors, people, standard furniture)

Explicitly mention sizes in voiceover or captions (“queen-size bed,” “standard doorway,” “6-foot person for scale”)

Don’t overthink this. You don’t need Hollywood production quality. You need clear, well-lit footage that shows context and scale.

File naming before upload – the same as SEO:

Bad: VID_2847.mp4, product-video-1.mp4

Good: walnut-nightstand-queen-bedroom-scale-demonstration.mp4

Include: product type + key feature + context + what it shows

This seems tedious until you realize Google extracts meaning from filenames. “VID_2847.mp4” tells it nothing. A descriptive filename gives it context before the video even loads.

Alt text for video thumbnails and images – the same as SEO:

Bad: “nightstand video” or missing entirely

Good: “Two-drawer walnut nightstand shown next to queen-size bed demonstrating appropriate scale for standard bedroom”

Structured data (Rank Math, AISEO):

Product schema with video URLs included

Video schema marking content as a product demonstration

Explicit mention of dimensions and size references in the schema description

If you’re not technical, don’t worry; the plugins handle this. Just make sure they’re configured correctly.

Video compression without quality loss:

Target 1080p resolution (1920×1080 is the sweet spot)

H.264 codec for compatibility across browsers

Keep file size under 50MB when possible

Rocket.net’s CDN handles delivery optimization automatically once uploaded

Large files kill page speed. Tiny files look terrible on Zoom. Find the balance.

Running WooCommerce stores on hosting that makes video delivery painful? Rocket.net’s CDN means your product videos load fast globally (we just added India and Dubai data centers) without extra plugins. Plus, automatic image optimization and WebP conversion are built-in – no performance sacrifice for visual search optimization.

Why Most Agencies Miss This (And What It Costs Clients)

Image and video optimization feels like tedious, unglamorous work compared to writing blog posts or chasing 100,000 likes on social.

Nobody gets excited about renaming 200 video files or writing alt text. We get it. But while you’re chasing AI Overview placement your client may never get, competitors are capturing visual search traffic from a channel that’s growing year-over-year.

The competitive timing advantage:

Most agencies still don’t understand that visual search exists. The ones implementing this now are building leads while everyone else figures it out.

First-mover advantage in visual search is real and available right now. By the time everyone catches on, you’ll already have refined systems and case studies to show prospects.

Common Google Lens Questions Agency Owners Ask

How long before we see visual search results?

Expect 60-90 days for meaningful traffic increases. Google needs time to re-crawl and index video content. It’s slower than text indexing.

Monitor Google Search Console’s Performance report filtered by “Image” search type. Impression increases usually appear within 30days.

Can we use client-provided smartphone videos, or do we need professional production?

Start with what you can get. Smartphone videos work if the lighting is decent and the products are shown with proper scale context.

Professional production looks better and converts higher, but authentic smartphone footage showing the product in real use often outperforms sterile studio videos for visual search.

Quality matters less than context and scale references. Shaky iPhone footage can outperform professional studio videos because the context is better. Don’t let “perfect” kill “good enough.”

What if the client already has manufacturer product photos and videos?

Manufacturer content works as supplementary material, but won’t differentiate in visual search because hundreds of retailers use identical assets.

Shoot 2-3 original videos per product, showing scale context, even if you use manufacturer videos for detail shots.

Original content creates a competitive advantage in visual search results. Your competitor has the same manufacturer footage — you need something unique.

How do we track ROI on visual search optimization?

Google Search Console separates “Web” search from “Image” search traffic. Compare image search clicks before and after optimization.

Track conversions from image search traffic specifically in Google Analytics using UTM parameters or channel grouping. Monitor product-specific metrics: conversion rate improvements, return rate decreases, and support question reductions.

The support question metric is underrated; fewer pre-purchase questions means better product presentation.

60 Day Implementation Roadmap

Week 1: Audit and Prioritize

Review Google Search Console image search performance (impressions vs clicks – this tells you opportunity size)

Identify the top 50 products by traffic and revenue (focus where ROI is clearest)

Assess current video and image inventory (what exists? what’s missing? what’s salvageable?)

List unasked questions customers have for each product category (this becomes your content roadmap)

Budget for video production based on client priorities

Week 2: Video Production Planning

Create a shot list prioritizing scale and context (products next to known-size objects)

List use-case scenarios to demonstrate for each product

Schedule video shoots for top 20-30 products (batch these for efficiency)

Plan 2-3 blog posts with a video-first content approach

Coordinate with the client on product availability and location access (staging matters)

Week 3-4: Content Creation

Shoot product videos showing scale references (beds, doors, people, standard objects – anything recognizable)

Create use-case demonstration videos answering common questions

Shoot lifestyle photography showing products in real environments (not studios)

Write blog content supporting video (explicit size mentions, care recommendations)

Record voiceovers mentioning specific sizes and dimensions (or add captions if budget is tight)

Week 5: Technical Optimization and Upload

Rename all video files with descriptive, context-rich names (batch rename tools save time here)

Write detailed descriptions and alt text for video thumbnails

Upload videos directly to WordPress (not YouTube for product pages)

Implement product and video schema markup (plugins make this easier)

Add blog posts with a video-first layout and proper optimization

Week 6-8: Monitor and Iterate

Track Google Search Console image search traffic weekly (watch for impression increases first)

Review which products/videos generate the most visual search traffic (double down on what works)

Monitor conversion rates for products with video vs without

Collect customer feedback on video helpfulness (sometimes surprising what resonates)

Identify patterns to inform the next optimization phase

Ongoing Monthly

Expand video optimization to the next product tier based on initial results

Create seasonal or trending product videos with fresh contexts

Develop new blog content leveraging visual search insights

Test different video formats and contexts for performance (not everything works – find what does)

Refine strategy based on actual traffic and conversion data (not assumptions)

The Bottom Line: Visual Search Is Where eCommerce Growth Lives

A hundred billion visual searches in 2024. Twenty billion with commercial intent.

While other agencies chase AI Overview placement, they’ll probably never win, visual search traffic is available right now for anyone willing to optimize properly.

Renaming files, shooting product videos, writing alt text — none of this has any rizz, but the ROI is real and measurable.

The shift requires three things:

Video showing products with known-size objects (beds, doors, people, standard furniture – anything for scale)

Use-case demonstrations answering questions customers don’t ask out loud

Blog content with a video-first approach and explicit recommendations

Stop optimizing for text-based searches from 2015. Start optimizing for how people actually shop today — by pointing their camera at things they want to buy.

Agencies capturing visual search traffic right now are building a competitive advantage. The ones still chasing AI Overviews are fighting battles they probably can’t win.

Pick your battlefield wisely. One has open territory. The other is crowded with competitors who have bigger budgets and better brand recognition.

Choose wisely.

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