Peter: It's understandable that webmasters find watermarking images beneficial.Pros of watermarked imagesPhotographers can claim credit/be recognized for their art.Unknown usage of the image is deterred.If search traffic is important to a webmaster, then he/she may also want to consider some of our findings:Findings relevant to watermarked imagesUsers prefer large, high-quality images (high-resolution, in-focus).Users are more likely to click on quality thumbnails in search results. Quality pictures (again, high-res and in-focus) often look better at thumbnail size.Distracting features such as loud watermarks, text over the image, and borders are likely to make the image look cluttered when reduced to thumbnail size.In summary, if a feature such as watermarking reduces the user-perceived quality of your image or your image's thumbnail, then searchers may select it less often. Preview your images at thumbnail size to get an idea of how the user might perceive it.
Pros of watermarked imagesPhotographers can claim credit/be recognized for their art.Unknown usage of the image is deterred.
Findings relevant to watermarked imagesUsers prefer large, high-quality images (high-resolution, in-focus).Users are more likely to click on quality thumbnails in search results. Quality pictures (again, high-res and in-focus) often look better at thumbnail size.Distracting features such as loud watermarks, text over the image, and borders are likely to make the image look cluttered when reduced to thumbnail size.
Peter: Nope. The presence of a watermark doesn't itself cause an image to be ranked higher or lower.
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