SEO companies: if you grab the first image you find…
You’ll all end up looking the same!
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I’ve always been interested in how people use Google images in the building of their websites. Now, I know how tempting it is to use the first image you come across when you’re in a hurry to get your page built. But if you do, then one day soon, we’re all going to be using the same image.
A couple of years ago I noticed a rash of companies all local to Plymouth in the UK, all involved in the same broad business networks using one single set of ’smiley young corporate business people’ pictures – and they didn’t know it. Incredible.
Ok, so you might think heck, that other company’s over there in Canada, so what’s the likelhood of anyone noticing we’re both in the same line of work using the same picture? Mmm, right. This is the internet we’re talking about isn’t it?
I’m not making a judgment whether or not people are paying for the images they find in Google. That’s between you and your own conscience. What I would say, though, is if you’re going to use things you find without paying for them you might want to consider taking a tiny moment to rename them.
The sites (above) are a quick collection of a few SEO companies who have all used the exact same image to sell their search engine marketing services. These were all found by a quick Google image search on ‘internet marketing’ in the order I found them (except No. 1 which is the local company I saw the image in the first place):
These are just some of the businesses that have used the image without bothering to change the name. There must be plenty of others in the same field that have changed the name.
If you’ve arrived here because of one of these links, welcome. As you can see, you’re in good company 
