Author Topic: Images on sale with poor discoverability - Alamy (Read 21003 times)

JetCityImage · « **on:** February 08, 2017, 08:52 »

Has anyone been instructed on or have any idea how to increase "discoverability?"

Thanks!

beketoff · « **Reply #1 on:** February 08, 2017, 08:59 »

You should go to your Alamy's Image Manager and review each photo's properties for being checked (e.g. categories, titles, tags and supertags). When they shifted from old to new system, they automatically transferred part of metadata but not all and not always 100% correct. Once you complete the missing data, the "discoverability" bar will go from orange to green to fully optimized.

I'm now in the process of cleaning up and updating metadata of my images as well.

MarcvsTvllivs · « **Reply #2 on:** February 08, 2017, 09:28 »

I can't believe they introduced "categories" now that the market has been trending towards getting rid of them for years... ugh.

Also, something is clearly bugged or not fully transparent - I have old images that have 50 keywords, 10 boosted ones, categories and everything else and are still shown as "poor visibility".

ShadySue · « **Reply #3 on:** February 08, 2017, 09:35 »

ShadySue · « **Reply #4 on:** February 08, 2017, 09:37 »

It's on their site, but it's totally false. You need 45-50 keywords to have good 'discoverability', which is crazy, because false keywords will just annoy buyers and decrease your click through rate.

Alamy's own guide is here, but as ever, it's not clear how much what they say relates to what actually happens in a site search:
http://www.alamy.com/blog/tagging-images-on-alamy
(Calling it 'tagging' rather than 'keywording' is such a bad sign, IMO.)

FWIW, my only ten 'good discoverable' files were all files which had rather large keyword phrases, being what it actually was, and the system split the phrases into individual words, meaning the files now had a large number of singly inappropriate keywords, which I've now cleaned up. Sadly, the new system doesn't allow a keyword phrase of over four words, which in editorial often isn't enough.(e.g. for the name of a particular building or institution).

Experiment for yourself on your own files, but my poor discoverable files are showing up just fine on relevant keywords, and their system is still splitting keyword phrases, so they're sadly showing up far better than they should be on the split-now-irrelevant keywords too.

Effectively, it has no real meaning, but experiment on your own files to reassure yourself. Trouble is, there are all sorts of reasons why your files may be lower: poor keywording may have given you a low CTR meaning your files were low in the search anyway, as your Alamy Rank was historically per author, not per image.

Read over on the Alamy forum where other people have also concluded that poor discoverability is just nonsensical.
http://discussion.alamy.com/index.php?/topic/7024-discoverabilitysossos

If it ever gets to the stage where a minimum of 45 keywords is necessary for the accurate keywords to be easily findable, I'll be out of there.

JetCityImage · « **Reply #5 on:** February 08, 2017, 10:01 »

I've tried using the new 'location' tag and that worked for two of my files and nothing else. I don't have an issue with them telling me I CAN make my photos more discoverable, but not HOW irritates me.

JetCityImage · « **Reply #6 on:** February 08, 2017, 10:32 »

50 TAGS + 10 SUPERTAGS = On sale, optimized!!!

ShadySue · « **Reply #7 on:** February 08, 2017, 10:32 »

Quote from: JetCityImage on February 08, 2017, 10:01

I've tried using the new 'location' tag and that worked for two of my files and nothing else.

Huh? Which new location tag?
Under 'optional' I see a location field, which is populated with the location of each image which were already there from the file's original upload. That still shows on the file's 'homepage'.

Is there something else I haven't found? Where is it, please?

ShadySue · « **Reply #8 on:** February 08, 2017, 10:35 »

Quote from: JetCityImage on February 08, 2017, 10:32

50 TAGS + 10 SUPERTAGS = On sale, optimized!!!

Indeed, though it's not 50 +10, it's 50 including 10.

But do you really need 50 keywords for every image, even though we have to manually stem?

You should also run tests on your own files.
E.g. I promoted a keyword to a supertag, then it dropped in the search!
Obviously one trial proves nothing, so I'll do more, but ALWAYS DO YOUR OWN TESTING.

JetCityImage · « **Reply #9 on:** February 08, 2017, 11:34 »

Quote from: ShadySue on February 08, 2017, 10:35

Quote from: JetCityImage on February 08, 2017, 10:32
50 TAGS + 10 SUPERTAGS = On sale, optimized!!!
Indeed, though it's not 50 +10, it's 50 including 10.

But do you really need 50 keywords for every image, even though we have to manually stem?

You should also run tests on your own files.
E.g. I promoted a keyword to a supertag, then it dropped in the search!
Obviously one trial proves nothing, so I'll do more, but ALWAYS DO YOUR OWN TESTING.

Every other site I use ca 25. No sense in wasting the buyers time.

ShadySue · « **Reply #10 on:** February 08, 2017, 11:38 »

Quote from: JetCityImage on February 08, 2017, 11:34

Quote from: ShadySue on February 08, 2017, 10:35
Quote from: JetCityImage on February 08, 2017, 10:32
50 TAGS + 10 SUPERTAGS = On sale, optimized!!!
Indeed, though it's not 50 +10, it's 50 including 10.

But do you really need 50 keywords for every image, even though we have to manually stem?

You should also run tests on your own files.
E.g. I promoted a keyword to a supertag, then it dropped in the search!
Obviously one trial proves nothing, so I'll do more, but ALWAYS DO YOUR OWN TESTING.

Every other site I use ca 25. No sense in wasting the buyers time.

I seem to have around 18-25 on my existing Alamy files. I was surprised it was so few considering stemming, but there it is.

BTW, is it only me, or does it actually take longer now to manage Alamy files (if you include the optional tab, including categories, which is new)

JetCityImage · « **Reply #11 on:** February 08, 2017, 11:56 »

I believe that if everything is the same on the 'optional' tab, you should be able to select all and save once you've made your changes.

Freedom · « **Reply #12 on:** February 08, 2017, 12:30 »

Be very careful when you edit. If you edit one, the next one will import totally irrelevant keywords from the previous image and delete the relevant ones.

ShadySue · « **Reply #13 on:** February 08, 2017, 12:52 »

Quote from: Freedom on February 08, 2017, 12:30

Be very careful when you edit. If you edit one, the next one will import totally irrelevant keywords from the previous image and delete the relevant ones.

Is that not just only if you don't untick the first one?

Maybe not ... I found earlier when I did a batch, I had to untick every one individually before moving on.
Honestly, this system is even more fiddly and time consuming than the last one.

And so far no sales this month - by this time in Jan (sic!) I had two decent sales. (Still, I don't have a high enough volume of sales to claim any pattern, though 2016 was well up for sales compared to 2015, though $$ almost identical.) My zooms/CTR are almost non-existent this month so far.

Freedom · « **Reply #14 on:** February 08, 2017, 12:55 »

Quote from: ShadySue on February 08, 2017, 12:52

Quote from: Freedom on February 08, 2017, 12:30
Be very careful when you edit. If you edit one, the next one will import totally irrelevant keywords from the previous image and delete the relevant ones.
Is that not just only if you don't untick the first one?

Maybe not ... I found earlier when I did a batch, I had to untick every one individually before moving on.
Honestly, this system is even more fiddly and time consuming than the last one. And so far no sales this month - by this time in Jan (sic!) I had two decent sales. (Still, I don't have a high enough volume of sales to claim any pattern, though 2016 was well up for sales compared to 2015, though $$ almost identical.)

I agree. It gave me a lot of trouble. I even once clicked on reset instead of + and re-do the whole thing again, because they are located so close to each other.

ShadySue · « **Reply #15 on:** February 08, 2017, 13:04 »

Quote from: Freedom on February 08, 2017, 12:55

Quote from: ShadySue on February 08, 2017, 12:52
Quote from: Freedom on February 08, 2017, 12:30
Be very careful when you edit. If you edit one, the next one will import totally irrelevant keywords from the previous image and delete the relevant ones.
Is that not just only if you don't untick the first one?

Maybe not ... I found earlier when I did a batch, I had to untick every one individually before moving on.
Honestly, this system is even more fiddly and time consuming than the last one. And so far no sales this month - by this time in Jan (sic!) I had two decent sales. (Still, I don't have a high enough volume of sales to claim any pattern, though 2016 was well up for sales compared to 2015, though $$ almost identical.)

I agree. It gave me a lot of trouble. I even once clicked on reset instead of + and re-do the whole thing again, because they are located so close to each other.

I've done that quite a few times.

pancaketom · « **Reply #16 on:** February 08, 2017, 13:54 »

It was a pain and fiddly and slow (at least with my system). I pretty much had to select or deselect and then wait a few seconds to make sure it actually did that. Until I learned to recheck a few times I edited multiple images when I wanted to just do one. When I typed in location it took up to 5 seconds per letter to show up.

Also I don't like the way that everything is on sale even before you get to it. So for instance if you want to set some RF and some RM they will all be set to default and for sale.

I am scared to go look at the thousands of images I had done under the old system to see how they are done now.

Sales are too sporadic there for me to say if it is working better or worse as far as sales (none this month yet).

Freedom · « **Reply #17 on:** February 08, 2017, 15:30 »

The new system really frustrating.

How long will take you to update over 1000 images??

outoftheblue · « **Reply #18 on:** February 08, 2017, 18:22 »

Quote from: ShadySue on February 08, 2017, 11:38

BTW, is it only me, or does it actually take longer now to manage Alamy files (if you include the optional tab, including categories, which is new)

Unless one accepts the fact that now pictures are on sale even without editing, and that people will start to upload thousands of files, leaving optional fields blank.

ShadySue · « **Reply #19 on:** February 08, 2017, 18:32 »

Quote from: outoftheblue on February 08, 2017, 18:22

Quote from: ShadySue on February 08, 2017, 11:38
BTW, is it only me, or does it actually take longer now to manage Alamy files (if you include the optional tab, including categories, which is new)

Unless one accepts the fact that now pictures are on sale even without editing, and that people will start to upload thousands of files, leaving optional fields blank.

So it depends how important the optional fields might be.
Wonder why they introduced categories at this late date!

ShadySue · « **Reply #20 on:** February 09, 2017, 04:01 »

Quote from: pancaketom on February 08, 2017, 13:54

Also I don't like the way that everything is on sale even before you get to it. So for instance if you want to set some RF and some RM they will all be set to default and for sale.

Hmmmm, mine were set to RM, which is fine by me; but I didn't look to see whether that's changeable when you manage it. I guess it must be, or all files would be one type of licence.

But they're not actually 'on sale' before you manage the files.
Firstly, how would a buyer find the file without keywords or caption?
Secondly, again empirical evidence: I had two files accepted on Monday, 'managed' them, and got the message that they were 'on sale' - but they were not visible in my port, nor were they searchable, until Tuesday morning (in my timezone), as usual.
So, 'on sale' isn't any more literally accurate than 'discoverability' or saying you'll get a QC email "in 24 hours" (but in fact, not over the weekend!). Of course, they might be setting something else up for the future in which all three will be accurate.

Chichikov · « **Reply #21 on:** February 09, 2017, 05:42 »

I have noticed that, after the new design changing, some of my image captions have disappeared.
Only me?

DaRkWeeDo · « **Reply #22 on:** February 09, 2017, 06:10 »

Quote from: Chichikov on February 09, 2017, 05:42

I have noticed that, after the new design changing, some of my image captions have disappeared.
Only me?

Same here. And on some it appears that for some unknown reason I have double keywords.

ShadySue · « **Reply #23 on:** February 09, 2017, 06:21 »

Quote from: DaRkWeeDo on February 09, 2017, 06:10

Quote from: Chichikov on February 09, 2017, 05:42
I have noticed that, after the new design changing, some of my image captions have disappeared.
Only me?

Same here. And on some it appears that for some unknown reason I have double keywords.

I've definitely noticed the double keywords thing; I'd better pay more attention to the captions

Chichikov · « **Reply #24 on:** February 09, 2017, 08:22 »

Quote from: DaRkWeeDo on February 09, 2017, 06:10

Quote from: Chichikov on February 09, 2017, 05:42
I have noticed that, after the new design changing, some of my image captions have disappeared.
Only me?

Same here. And on some it appears that for some unknown reason I have double keywords.

From Alamy: "Double tags would have been brought over from the old system, as you would have had duplicates in the different keyword fields (Essential, Main & Comprehensive)."

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Author Topic: Images on sale with poor discoverability - Alamy (Read 21003 times)

JetCityImage

beketoff

MarcvsTvllivs

ShadySue

ShadySue

JetCityImage

JetCityImage

ShadySue

ShadySue

JetCityImage

ShadySue

JetCityImage

Freedom

ShadySue

Freedom

ShadySue

pancaketom

Freedom

outoftheblue

ShadySue

ShadySue

Chichikov

DaRkWeeDo

ShadySue

Chichikov

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