Google Image Search Adds Usage Rights To Search Tools

Now, when you go to Google Image search, you will see an extra option under the search tools for “usage rights.” Searching and filtering images by “usage rights” is not a new feature for Google Image Search. The feature has been around since 2009; but, Google’s head of search spam Matt Cutts announced on Twitter that these features are now added to the main filter options on search tools. You no longer need to dig into the “advanced image search” features to get them.

My only word of caution, despite your filtering for creative commons rights in Google Image Search — the image found in Google might be stolen from a source that does not allow reuse. So, be careful when using this feature and using images on your own website.

That is my main concern with Google bringing this feature to the front, making it way to easy to suggest to searchers that they can legally use images when they might not really be allowed to do so.

About The Author

Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land's News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on SEM topics.