Initially I intended to write these suggestions of mine to one of those Symbiostock threads, just as a short reply to posts questioning about personal website SEO.
But how I was writing my reply, text of my reply got bigger and bigger, so I changed my mind and decided to put it to separate thread here.
My suggestions are concerned and applicable on most types of personal portfolio websites in general, not only on Symbiostock type of website.
(Through I am fan of Symbiostock idea!)
So here are my suggestions that I consider crucial when developing any type of personal portfolio website.
I believe these can possibly increase website traffic picked from search engines for almost any type of portfolio website!
1.) Unique on-site text, titles, descriptions and keywords!If possible try to use unique on-site text. Especially unique titles, descriptions and keywords of your images. Surely this requires some time and effort put to rewriting/rekeywording of your images, but it will help you with better ranking in online waters full of those "big" agencies.
2.) Long image descriptions! Try to use long descriptions for your images whenever possible. By long descriptions I mean descriptions that are at least 200-300 source words long! Of course text must be, more or less, relevant to image.
More on-site text can increase likeness that you will match people's searches for word(s) or phrase(s) contained in your description. Thus it will mean increased traffic for your website picked from search engine and increased website traffic ALWAYS means raised chances of bumping into some buyer(s)! Yes of course, most of people that you will pick from search engines by those long descriptions will not be image buyers (for now). For example, they can be people who are just looking for something that is mentioned in description of your image. But the more visitors you pick the bigger your chances will be to finally find some buyer(s).
This is game of numbers and probability!
Simply: More traffic is always good for your website, even if those visitors are not image buyers at the time when they are picked.
Through, initially, they maybe not image buyers looking for purchasing of your images - right at that exact moment when they are searching for some keyword(s) or phrase(s) - they will be always at least quasi relevant visitors to your website, because your website will contain titles, descriptions, keywords that will be, more or less, relevantly describing what can be directly seen on your images, or indirectly describing some story behind what can be seen on image. Such as on photo of castle with it's history in description, etc.
For example: Someone may be initially searching just for information about history of Orava castle in Slovakia, history that is mentioned on large image preview page in long description of some of my Orava castle photos, that my portfolio website contains. But later this person may decide that not only text contained in description, but also images of Orava castle she saw on website will be suitable for flyer she wants to create for her family owned guest-house, as a small presentation brochure, which will showcase all nearby attractions for tourists and thus possible visitors of her guest-house. This is just one of many real life examples, that happened to me in the past and the story behind of how this customer found my website was revealed to me when that lady contacted me through form on my website and we further communicated together.
You never know who your visitors are and why they are searching for what they are searching at that time. They can change their mind later (thus become image buyer(s)), suddenly recall of your website and your images they saw there at time of their last visit, come back, trying to contact you about purchase, or purchase your images directly.
(Depending on how your website is setuped. Whether you sell directly from your website, or just showcase your work, etc.)
But again, the more traffic the better! This is always true! Even if it is quasi irrelevant traffic - quasi irrelevant in terms that it may be consisting of non image buyer(s) at that time, but people sill quasi relevant to content seen on image. Anyway there is always chance that visitor who was not interested in purchasing images may became interested later some time in the future.
Here are some examples of what I mean by long descriptions for images:
http://www.jareso.com/photo/73/water-sawmill-in-kvacianska-valley-slovakia/http://www.jareso.com/photo/69/budatin-castle-in-zilina-slovakia/http://www.jareso.com/photo/131/southern-side-of-famous-orava-castle-slovakia/http://www.jareso.com/graphic/106/energetically-efficient-car/3. TONs of language versions!And now my favorite way of increasing traffic. Translations, translations and translations! Offering your content in many languages is the easiest, yet the most effective way, how to harmlessly multiply (rise) traffic of website many times! Translations can artificially expand count of image preview pages contained on your website. Preview pages that will be indexed by search engines as new, original and unique content, because translated text is not considered duplicated content in terms of SEO! Imagine that you have for example 1000 unique images in your stock portfolio which means only about 1000 large preview image pages that can be indexed on your website by search engines. That is very low number in huge waters of internet content.
Of course you, as no doubt very talented and creative stock artist, can say to yourself that you will work even much harder and that way you will make even more and more new quality creative stock works, photos or illustrations, to expand your portfolios and so the counts of new images that will be added on your website.
Yes, that is of course very right way of thinking! But honestly, unless your are not some big stock factory, it is very slooooow way go! (Through, creatively it may be right way!) But, how much new content - content that can be put and indexed on your personal website as large image preview pages are you able to produce a day, a week, a month?
Few tens, maybe one hundred images, maybe even little more, or so, but that is still not enough.
Too slooooow results!
You need to pick traffic, bump into some buyers, rise chances for your sales right now, right here! Not after some years of long waiting! So I suggest something faster, something that can be started right now and done faster (than production of new content) - translations!
(Of course you may still produce new content throughout working on your translations.)
Translate your images that are contained on your website in form of on-site text (text around your images, you need to look at it from point of view of search engine's bot reading your website) to as much languages as possible! And than you will see something!
I mean translate titles, descriptions and keywords of your images to lets say 50 languages and all of sudden you will have huge portfolio with big amount of virtually new content! Let's count together now on our example of 1000 unique images in portfolio, 50 languages X 1000 images equals 50 000 large preview pages with virtually unique content new virtually unique images for your website!
That is nice, isnt it?
That is something to feed endless stomach of search engine with! Amount of 50 000 large preview pages (on website of average unknown artist) that is count that can be almost compared to size of smaller stock agency! Imagine how much people will such count of 50 000 image preview pages pick from search engine results pages (SERP) once when all of those 50 000 large preview pages will be indexed and properly ranked by search engine! And that can be only the beginning! There are more languages in the world than 50, so artificially expanding it to 100 000 or more large preview pages is possible.
Remember! This way of approach is absolutely legitimate and it is in compliance with terms of search engine's webmaster guides!
Translations are not considered duplicated content in terms of SEO, they relatively easily create new content for your website!
(Artificial, but still legitimate content!)
Little secret! <- Most buyers dont search in English for images they want to purchase!It is the main factor why translations should be done for every (personal) portfolio website!
Most of people and so those much wanted image buyers search internet for images in their own mother tongue!
Not in English language!
To assume that image buyers search for images mostly in English is totally WRONG!
It is the most common mistake that English speaking webmasters make!
Really, no matter how strange it may be, but believe it or not, it is like that! Most image buyers dont use English when searching for images!
Dont get me wrong. They may be very good speakers of English, but if they have choice of using their own native language they do so! Almost always!
If your website doesnt contain that particular language, it will be not indexed in search engine for those targeted keyword(s) or phrase(s) and thus you will loose possible image buyer(s), just because you will not satisfy their need for mother tongue!
Remember you need to pick your visitors first, this is crucial bring them to your website from search engine's result pages if you fail here, the possible buyer will be lost for you!
That is probably not what you are looking for. Or is it?!??
As I already mentioned, he may be very good speaker of English! Definitely good enough speaker of English, that after he will land on your website, he will be able to further communicate, for example through contact form on your website, with you about the details of his purchase, or other things concerning your images, etc.
But if you loose him in first part of chain, crucial moment of picking him from search engine, no other parts of chain will follow!