Concept Mapping for Image Search

The problem with optimizing for image search is that the competitive search phrases in many industries don't have images to represent them. Some phrases are easy. Phrases like used car, apartments, and boats have concrete images the represent them. Concepts such as freedom are much more difficult to define with an image. What does freedom look like anyway? Phrases like "business school" are a little better. You can picture what a business school looks like, but the picture isn't anything that anyone would want to see when they type "business school" into Google's search bar. Everyone already knows what a business school looks like. They want information about a business school. This is were concept maps come in. They can provide great results for more abstract informational queries.

I give SEOmoz a lot of credit for creating images that illustrate complex topics, but I have never heard them talk about the underlying field of concept mapping.

So What is Concept Mapping

The field is just as it sounds. It involves taking concepts and ideas and portraying them in a visually appealing way. Professionals in the field usually group concepts to see how they relate. They are also often used to boil down complex topics into simple images and phrases, but they can also be used for simple concepts.

I had heard of the idea of concept mapping, but wanted to learn a little more before I made this post. I of course went to Google and typed it in. The Wikipedia article is pretty good, but they have enough damn links. Many of the other results out there aren't that good. The sites are dated, the concepts are weird and many aren't that visually appealing. Then I stumbled onto some great ones. Check these out. Now that's what I'm talking about. This one is also really good and is aboutacquiring customers.