Platforms that index search results often focus on broad and long-tail keywords to capture traffic from various search terms determined by user demand.
With adequate management and careful curation, this can be a winning strategy providing a competitive edge.
3. AI-generated content
Platforms like Freepik have increasingly turned to AI-generated content to expand their libraries and target high-volume search terms.
By creating thousands of variations of popular images, such as “cute dog photos,” and aggressively indexing them, Freepik and similar platforms aim to capture traffic for general and long-tail queries.
While this approach can generate significant SEO traffic, it also contributes to content saturation in Google Image Search, where users encounter repetitive, near-duplicate results from competing platforms.
4. Localization
Localization is crucial for international SEO growth, allowing platforms to dominate in specific regions.
Getty, Shutterstock, and Freepik all employ powerful localization strategies to compete more effectively in organic search.
By employing country-specific TLDs (e.g., gettyimages.co.uk), Getty ensures its content is tailored for local searchers, enhancing its SEO performance in individual countries.
Shutterstock boasts impressive regional and linguistic localization within the core shuttertock.com experience, while Freepik wins through several regional brands.
Dig deeper: How to create images and visuals with generative AI
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The SEO strategies, monetization models, and business practices of image marketplaces have created a problematic landscape for licensable image content.
