How do I have Google image search link the image to a different page?

Question

I want some images be indexed with specific page URLs. When users click them from image search I would like it to take them to my chosen URL instead of place where Google found that image. For example, I have the image: img1.png and pages: /page1 and /home. On /home page I have this HTML:

<a href="/page1"><img src="/img1.png"></a>

But in search results for this image Google brings me to /home page when I want /page1.

How can i fix this? Can this be fixed by telling Google not to index this specific image on the /home page? How would I do that? Would it damage my SEO?

Answer 1

Since you have the same image on two pages, you're essentially leaving it up to search engines to find either instance in image search and display that instance. You can't use a canonical tag on images, unfortunately (https://www.seroundtable.com/google-rel-canonical-for-images-nope-22549.html), but there are a couple of things you can do here.

1. You can create and submit an XML image sitemap. In that sitemap, only point out the URL of the page you want with the URL of that image. (Here's more info on doing that in an XML image sitemap: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/178636?hl=en) It won't take the other version out of search, but you'll be sending the search engines a signal.

2. A more proactive approach: you can remove images manually via the URL removal tool in Google Search Console, or by blocking it in the robots.txt file. (More info: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/35308?hl=en). You can also choose to block the indexing of images on a certain page by including the following meta tag:

   <meta name="robots" content="noimageindex">

In your case, you still want the image to be indexed, so you'll have to duplicate your image and give it a different file name - that's the image you'll take out of the index. Then include the new filename image on the page where you don't want it indexed. Be sure not to block or remove the original image on the page where you do want indexing. Then, whichever path you choose, noindex the new filename image on the page you don't want linked.