Multimodal search means search that works across formats. A user might point a camera at a product, upload a screenshot of an error, ask a question out loud or combine a photo with a text question. Multimodal models can also read images, charts, video and audio on the content side. Google Lens, Circle to Search, and image inputs in ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity are all forms of it.
Inputs and outputs
On the input side, users increasingly search with things that are hard to describe in words: an unfamiliar UI, a chart, a part number on a device. On the output side, models can interpret images and video they find, which means screenshots, diagrams and product videos are potentially part of what gets understood about your product. How much any AI search product actually analyzes media during retrieval is not well documented, and text remains the most reliable way to state facts.
Practical steps for SaaS sites
Multimodal search adds a few concerns to normal image and video SEO.
- Use real screenshots of your product with descriptive file names and alt text.
- Pair every important image or chart with text that states the same point.
- Provide transcripts and captions for product videos.
- Make error messages and UI labels searchable in docs, since users screenshot them.
- Keep brand visuals consistent so your logo and interface are recognizable.
Example
Screenshot-driven support
Users of Cindergrove, a fictional billing tool, often upload screenshots of error banners to assistants. The assistants struggle because the help center describes errors in prose that never quotes the exact on-screen wording. Adding each error message verbatim to its troubleshooting article lets text and image-based queries find the right fix.
Common mistakes
Putting key facts only in images
Even capable multimodal models may not read every image they encounter. State facts in text too.
Using stock imagery for product pages
Generic images tell a model nothing about your product. Real interface screenshots carry meaning.
Questions
Image search is one part. Multimodal search covers combinations of formats, such as an image plus a question.
Google has image understanding systems, but it advises providing important information as text and using alt text. Do not rely on text in images being understood.
