Are Stock or Original Photos Better for SEO?

In a new Google Webmaster video by Matt Cutts, the possible impact of photographic content on your site's SEO is discussed. Does Google distinguish between sites that use original photos and sites that use the same photos repeatedly?

According to Cutts, it does not have an impact in the current algorithm. To the best of his knowledge, Google makes no distinction between stock and original photos. So for websites that lack the manpower or time to take new photos for each new page, this will certainly be welcome news. Cutts did sound optimistic about including this difference in future updates, saying that Google could use a signal to distinguish photos recycled on multiple pages on the same site.

For now, the two biggest photo attributes as far as search engines are concerned would be the file name and the alt text displayed in case the photo fails to load.

What do you think Google could include in future updates to promote original photo usage? Should such considerations even be included in the future? Share your insight on the Fission SEO Facebook page!