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Author Topic: No wonder that I hardly sell a thing...  (Read 2616 times)

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« on: January 20, 2013, 00:29 »
0
... when my images get no search results.

I have no big portfolio at iStock, but still had my regular sales. After 3 weeks with only one sale I started wondering if something is wrong. So I made the test.

One of my images (http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-21810232-mature-woman-suffering-from-back-pain.php) had 9 views and 5 sales in the first three weeks after uploading in November. Two months later, nothing has changed. But no wonder, the image doesn't exist anymore, when I type in the relevant keywords "mature woman back pain" or "woman back pain". 32 respectively 82 images, but not mine. Not funny! And not happening at other agencies.

Anyone else with same annoying experiences?


« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2013, 01:00 »
+1
iStock you say...
I remember them.
Are these guys still in the business of selling images?
I've heard they do clown shows these days.
« Last Edit: January 20, 2013, 01:17 by Snufkin »

« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2013, 03:17 »
0
... when my images get no search results.

I have no big portfolio at iStock, but still had my regular sales. After 3 weeks with only one sale I started wondering if something is wrong. So I made the test.

One of my images (http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-21810232-mature-woman-suffering-from-back-pain.php) had 9 views and 5 sales in the first three weeks after uploading in November. Two months later, nothing has changed. But no wonder, the image doesn't exist anymore, when I type in the relevant keywords "mature woman back pain" or "woman back pain". 32 respectively 82 images, but not mine. Not funny! And not happening at other agencies.

Anyone else with same annoying experiences?


It appear you didn't understand iStock's keywording and search system yet. iStock's system not only know single words but also terms consisiting of multiple words. Both "mature woman" and "back pain" are terms know to the system. Your image contains "woman", "back", "pain" and "mature adult" but neither "back pain" nor "mature woman".

So when you search for "back pain mature woman", the system looks for files containing these two terms, and that is why yours doesn't appear.

If you search for "back woman pain outdoors" (in this search "back pain" is not recognised as one term because woman comes in between), your image appears.

Have those two terms added to your keywords.

« Reply #3 on: January 20, 2013, 10:46 »
0
Thanks a lot, indeed. Just learned another lesson... but too late, because I am going to deactivate the file on D-Day  :D ... amongst others.

« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2013, 10:52 »
0
yes, but why do a content provider have to sit and adapt his keywords to grammar or specifications in searches.
The searches should find the relevant picture for the customer, not opposite. The contributor should not have to sit and think heavy thoughts on what would be found or not.
Relevancy for the customer, not all kinds of fancy opinions of what will lead to views.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2013, 11:00 »
+1
yes, but why do a content provider have to sit and adapt his keywords to grammar or specifications in searches.
It's phenomenally easy, far easier than Alamy, and worked really well until they started to mess it up.
Admittedly, it can't be at all easy if you aren't fluent in one of the site languages, but that's always going to be the case with any site.

« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2013, 11:12 »
0
One problem I've noticed with the CV keywording is that you need the correct phrase to match the CV but also the indivdual words but sometimes those individual words result in what could be viewed as keyword spamming.  Consider an image of a Shrimp Cocktail.  Keywords "shrimp cocktail", "shrimp" and "cocktail."  It obviously would appear in searches with the phrase.  If they buyer searches on just "shrimp" then decides they want to narrow the search by adding "cocktail" it will not recognize the phrase, only the individual words so you need the individual words included.  But if you search on "cocktail" the shrimp cocktail image appears as a search result which I think many would consider inappropriate and perhaps keyword spamming.

It's also a challenge when new terms are added to the CV, changing the search results for you image. 

Batman

« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2013, 11:22 »
0
yes, but why do a content provider have to sit and adapt his keywords to grammar or specifications in searches.
It's phenomenally easy, far easier than Alamy, and worked really well until they started to mess it up.
Admittedly, it can't be at all easy if you aren't fluent in one of the site languages, but that's always going to be the case with any site.

CV is not a friend when it makes one words not match a phrase and we get no views. Then they change it and we lose. It's broken when it makes its own language that buyyers and togs don't know. Other places you get what you ask, on IS you get nothing when you ask for words that are in there.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #8 on: January 20, 2013, 11:23 »
+1
Yes, the above can be an example.
But OTOH, without a CV, you have similar but different problems. vide Alamy.
At iStock, for some reason Sandwich Tern isn't in the CV, so you have to keyword 'Tern' and 'Sandwich', but it's certainly not what someone looking for a photo of a sandwich wants.
And yes, also adding only one meaning to the CV mucks things up. Leith (a specific area of Edinburgh with the harbour and docks) wasn't in the CV, and it was never a problem as it was a one-word term, not translatable. But now suddenly Leith offers only a choice of Portugus , which maps to Leith Docks, or Espaol, which gives you Damien Leith, whoever he is.
Can't see what the language relevance is to either of these.

Well, it used to work.
RIP BM2.  :( >:(


 

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