An image pack is a block of image thumbnails that Google shows in regular web search results, usually linking to Google Images or straight to the image's page. It appears for queries where visual results help, such as diagrams, design examples, product photos or interface screenshots. Images in the pack come from Google's image index, so the same practices that help in Google Images help here.
Getting images into results
Google's image guidance covers the essentials.
- Use standard HTML img elements, not CSS backgrounds, for important images
- Write descriptive alt text
- Place images near relevant text and captions
- Use descriptive file names
- Include images in sitemaps if they are not easily discovered
- Use supported formats and serve responsive sizes
Where SaaS companies can win
Searches for templates, diagrams, workflows, dashboards and examples often show image packs. Original visuals, such as a clear diagram of a sales pipeline or a screenshot of a well-designed report, can earn visibility for informational queries where text results are crowded.
Measuring
In Search Console, the Performance report can be filtered by search type. The Image search type shows performance in Google Images; clicks from image packs in web results are counted under the Web search type, with the page as the URL. Separating these takes some care.
Example
Diagrams that earn image visibility
Hypothetical project tool Taskfurnace publishes a guide to RACI matrices with an original, clearly labeled diagram, descriptive alt text and a caption. The image starts appearing in the image pack for related queries, sending visitors to the guide.
Common mistakes
Using stock images for concepts
Generic stock photos add little and rarely stand out. Original diagrams and screenshots are more useful.
Questions
Google uses alt text along with surrounding content and file names to understand images, so descriptive alt text helps both accessibility and search.
