Image Duplication

[GaryVictory]

I'm feeling strong!

Ok, so can Google penalise a website which has "duplicated images"  - coming from a completely independent  website?

[AlanBleiweiss]

Google can penalize (American spelling) just about any site they want to for just about any reason.  That's the unfortunate reality of Google's power.

However the bigger issue is what are the specific circumstances that might make it more likely Google would have a problem with a site like this?

Is the site dependent on images as a significant portion of content?

What volume is this (a few dozen images, hundreds, thousands)?

Are the images legitimately duplicated (is there a violation of copyright taking place)?

Is the site attempting to get their copy of those images ranked in the Google Images index?

These are just the first few questions that need to be answered to determine the potential for a problem.

[GaryVictory]

Hi Alan

The images come from reputable sources like shutter stock, or corbis. Some images we've purchased on behalf of our client have been seen elsewhere, so my brain tells me it's duplicated material?

I know Google's policy it to have everything ethically, no cutting corners, but surely this is standard practice?

[AlanBleiweiss]

stock images are just that - stock - used by many.  So given all the other factors, it's not a problem in this instance.

[GaryVictory]

Hi Alan

How does Google sniff out a piece of photography which has been purchased from a stock website, to the same image taken from Google images and used for advertising? Same picture sourced ethically and unethically. At the moment I'm unable to give my client a straight answer.

[AlanBleiweiss]

Gary,

I'm not even sure their algorithms can automatically detect duplicate images purely by the image visually.  As a forensic audit professional I have not seen this.  Where I would have concern is from a manual reviewer perspective.  Google employs a large network of manual reviewers, so in that scenario it would be possible for detection of duplication of images.

Again though, what matters is context.  If they are on a site where the majority of content is not those specific images, and if that site is a quality site that offers unique value to site visitors, this should not be a problem or a concern.