Start with what the customer needs to see
Visual search is useful when an image can answer a question faster than a paragraph: what a product looks like, how a space is arranged, or what a completed project involved. Choose the visual format around that question. A photograph, short demonstration and written explanation can support each other without being duplicates.
For a Guelph restaurant, that may be a current dish and menu context. For a contractor, it may be an approved project image with the work and location described accurately. Do not use stock imagery to imply a project your business completed.
Give images meaningful context
Place original images on relevant, crawlable pages. Use descriptive file names and concise alt text that describes the visible subject. Surround the image with useful page copy, a clear heading and captions when they add information. Avoid stuffing a location or service phrase into every alt attribute.
Google explains how image content, alt text and page context work together in its image SEO guidance. An image can be eligible for discovery without a promise that it will appear in a particular visual search feature.
Make a video worth landing on
Publish a useful title, description and thumbnail for each video. When a video is the main purpose of a page, give it a dedicated watch page with the video easy to find. If the video supports a service page, keep the service explanation and inquiry route useful even for visitors who do not play it.
Google’s video SEO guide explains technical discovery requirements and how to check video pages in Search Console. Add VideoObject data only when it accurately describes a real video on the page; markup alone cannot guarantee a video result.
Connect visuals to a decision
A gallery needs enough information to help someone assess fit. State what the image or video shows, whose permission was obtained where relevant, and what a visitor can do next. Link from an example to the relevant service or case study rather than leaving people at a dead end.
Check the page on a phone. Images should load at useful sizes and video controls should work without blocking the rest of the page. Visuals that make a page slower or harder to use may undermine the task they are meant to support.
Measure discovery and inquiries separately
Use Search Console to examine image and video search visibility where data is available, then compare it with visits and relevant inquiries. A view or impression is a discovery signal, not a sale. Review which visuals lead people to useful pages and maintain the assets as products, services and projects change.