What is Image Metadata for Google Images? #
- Metadata tells Google more about your images — like who created them, copyright info, and usage rights.
- Helps your images qualify for features like the Licensable badge in Google Images, which links to license details.
- Metadata can be added either via:
- Structured Data (JSON-LD, Microdata, RDFa) on your web pages
- IPTC photo metadata embedded directly inside image files
- Structured Data (JSON-LD, Microdata, RDFa) on your web pages
Why Add Image Metadata? #
- Makes your images more discoverable and trustworthy.
- Lets Google show license and creator info in search results.
- Protects your copyright and clarifies how others can use your images.
Requirements & Recommendations #
1. Accessibility #
- Images and pages must be accessible to Googlebot (no login, no robots.txt blocking).
- Pages should follow Search Essentials & image SEO best practices.
2. Structured Data Properties (Required and Recommended) #
- Required:
- contentUrl: URL of the actual image file
- At least one of these: creator OR creditText OR copyrightNotice OR license
- contentUrl: URL of the actual image file
- Recommended:
- acquireLicensePage: URL explaining how to license or buy the image
- creator: Person or Organization who created the image (with a name)
- creditText: Who gets credit for the image
- copyrightNotice: Copyright owner’s notice
- license: URL describing usage license (e.g., Creative Commons or your terms)
- acquireLicensePage: URL explaining how to license or buy the image
Example: JSON-LD for a Single Image #
<head>
<script type=”application/ld+json”>
{
“@context”: “https://schema.org/”,
“@type”: “ImageObject”,
“contentUrl”: “https://example.com/photos/black-labrador-puppy.jpg”,
“license”: “https://example.com/license”,
“acquireLicensePage”: “https://example.com/how-to-use-my-images”,
“creditText”: “Labrador PhotoLab”,
“creator”: {
“@type”: “Person”,
“name”: “Brixton Brownstone”
},
“copyrightNotice”: “Clara Kent”
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
<img alt=”Black labrador puppy” src=”https://example.com/photos/black-labrador-puppy.jpg”>
<p><a href=”https://example.com/license”>License</a></p>
<p><a href=”https://example.com/how-to-use-my-images”>How to use my images</a></p>
<p><b>Photographer</b>: Brixton Brownstone</p>
<p><b>Copyright</b>: Clara Kent</p>
<p><b>Credit</b>: Labrador PhotoLab</p>
</body>
IPTC Photo Metadata #
- Embed metadata directly inside image files (e.g., using Photoshop or other photo management tools).
- Important IPTC fields:
- Creator (photographer or organization)
- Credit line
- Copyright notice
- Web Statement of Rights (license URL)
- Licensor URL (optional)
- Creator (photographer or organization)
Tips & Troubleshooting #
- If you add both IPTC metadata and structured data, Google uses structured data if there’s a conflict.
- Google does not guarantee showing metadata in search results.
- Use Google Rich Results Test to validate structured data.
- Use Google Search Console for monitoring and troubleshooting.
- Allow days for Google to recrawl and index new or updated metadata.
- Removing image metadata reduces file size but can hurt copyright attribution and may be illegal in some regions — keep key copyright fields intact.
Summary #
- Add either structured data on the page or embed IPTC metadata in images to help Google understand your image rights and creator info.
- This can unlock special badges and enhance your image’s presence on Google Images.
- Make sure your pages are crawlable, accessible, and your metadata is complete and accurate.