What's up with Zazzle's product image links on Google?

[MaggieA]

I did a Google reversed image search today to see who might be the 3rd referrer that is so often showing up nowadays. What I noticed is that those hits shown from Zazzle shows one product but the link takes you to another. If our product links, found by google, goes to another product. Could this possibly have an impact on sales, customers can't actually find what they see on the product image? I personally shop mainly by images, then I read the text.

Examples:

1. This is my card found by Google but it links here; https://www.zazzle.com/card_10_8_x_14_2_cm_little_miracle-256752616453363572 which is not my design but someone elses.

2. I did not find my tank top image but one from another designers. Since it says "leggings" in the text under the image I clicked the link and it indeed goes to a pair of leggings; https://www.zazzle.com/black_and_gold_funky_patterns_leggings-256310630422974906

3. These are the leggings in the link above, did an image search for them to see if they linked to the correct product. Answer is no. I ended up here, a searchpage for alternative leggings in Zazzle UK domain; https://www.zazzle.co.uk/alternative+leggings.

Why?? Clearly there is a correct link to this product (listed in example 2), it has not been hidden or removed by the designer.

I understand not many customers may do an image search like this but it does not alter the fact that something is very wrong here. Why are our products links going to another product, sometimes not even the same product category???

Edited to add the following;
I just did an "ordinary search" on Google for black and white leggings :zazzle.com and one match was this;
It seems the link goes to the right seller (no idea if it actually is the correct product or another pair of bw leggings). But as you can see, the product image in this search is NOT the one I see when I click on the link; https://www.zazzle.com/black_and_white_leggings-256451786633481687?srsltid=AfmBOorBro2d6M-Z4Z7NmMpmD...

I did the first search logged, the rest in a "private window".

[LMGildersleeve]

What in tarnation is that all about?

[Joanna]

@MaggieA , thank you for your feedback.

It's important to understand that when you do a reverse image search, you're not actually searching the website where you found the image. Instead, you're using a specialized search engine – like Google Images – to look across the entire internet for visually similar images.

The website where you originally saw the image (in this case, Zazzle) has no control over what other similar images the search engine finds. The search engine's algorithms are looking at visual characteristics – shapes, colors, textures – and trying to find matches across its massive database of indexed images. Sometimes, those algorithms might pick up on similarities that aren't actually related in the way you'd expect.
The host website is only responsible for the image on their own site. We can't influence what other websites might have similar-looking pictures or what the reverse image search engine will show you I'm afraid.

Thanks again for reaching out.  Joanna

[MaggieA]

@Joanna- I do not think you understand what I was trying to say, please read again. I am not bothered that the search engine finds similar images. What bothers me is that the similar images presented, which are also on Zazzle, have the wrong product description and link.
 
I have not followed any links to another website - these are the google results presented to me where the links do not match the images. Google bots would, I assume, pick up the "whole package" on Z, both image, link and text at the same time from the same URL? 

What about the last example, doing an "ordinary" google search for products.

The image is not the correct image for that product! You mean that is googles fault? How? Does it pick up random images to our indexed products? No wonder sales have been stalling...

(Edited spelling and making image larger.)

[MaggieA]

Is anyone else getting the same results as I am when doing this google search? Two links goes to search pages, the two other does not match the image shown by google but it seems to be the correct product link for the text.

[karab]

I'm not getting the same result when I put that exact search in. I'm getting all listing search pages with black and white leggings...You might get a different result when you put in just "zazzle" instead of "zazzle.com" because that changes what Google is looking for. 

Google switches pictures around by accident a lot, it's not an uncommon thing because Google does what it does and we have no control over it. Sometimes they'll bring back weird-looking results because of the text in the descriptions, but it could also be pulling photos from the search results page that are showing up in other places, like in the row of listing images that show up under a listing. There's no predicting or explaining it, they just make mistakes sometimes.

[MaggieA]

But where does the links go for your results? Does it go to the product in the thumbnail picture? 

If Google can't be trusted to combine the correct product title and description with the correct images when the bot indexes our product pages there is no wonder there is drops in sales.

[Deb]

this is what I get using my ipad and safari and the same search phrase you used 

[Deb]

This is what I get if I drop the dot com off zazzle and just use zazzle ..same ipad safari 

[MaggieA]

Does the links to these products go to the products show in the thumbnail picture?

[LMGildersleeve]

I've done the search on Firefox for "black and white leggings zazzle". The results looks like what has been reported above but the links take me to the same search term in the Z marketplace. However, if I scroll down I see this options called Popular Products.

When I click on the link it pops up a sidebar on the right. From there I clicked "visit site" and I am taken to the product page of that pair of leggings.

This is only one browser but at least there is some measure of Z's efforts of promoting individual products.
However, if I use one of my products and type in the exact title, the image nor link to the product is found on the first 4 pages of search. This means that Z isn't promoting it. Another product title search and Z is promoting it and all the links via image or singular link to direct product works.

Does this help Maggie? I hope I understood your correctly.

ETA, when just using images I find links to products working.