How do I disable Microsoft Edge Visual Search?

Microsoft Edge has a Visual Search feature that automatically activates when a user clicks on the Visual Search button that appears with every image. This allows users to search for products that are visually similar to the image, which can draw them away from your website or those of your clients. In the image below, you can see how competitor products are displayed when you visit an online shop on Microsoft Edge:

As an online marketer, you want to ensure that visitors to your webshop, or those of your clients, are fully focused on the products and offers that the webshop has available. Visual Search often directs them to external websites, which reduces the likelihood of them completing a purchase on your site. If this feature is not disabled, customers may be diverted to competing products instead of buying your own products. This can lead to a loss of revenue and lower conversion rates. Even though Microsoft Edge is not the most popular browser, this is a functionality that you will want to disable so as not to lose browsing visitors to the competition.

How do you solve this?

To resolve this, you will need to add the following CSS to your images:

pointer-events: none;

By adding this to your images, you ensure that customers can focus on your products, without being distracted by related search results from other websites.