Rocky beach at sunset, Bray Head, Wicklow, Ireland

If you know the specific location - always add it in. If you don't, then don't. It's a very nice generic sunset picture of a specific place. No magic wand, just describe what you see accurately so it appears in relevant searches.

Shame Yuri doesn't dip in here to add some clarity. Why should he? Well he's happy to use this forum as a soundboard for ideas and his sunglasses copy-write issue; an explanation would end the speculation.

Why am I starting to think his input here only goes on way.

I have to say this is a concern for me. Whilst I'm happy to share information up to a point, at the end the day, as others have touched on, I don't wish too share too much business information. I'm quite happy saying I have 6,000 images at Shutterstock  these earn me $xx per month. I'll stop short of showing you the portfolio- that's a personal choice.

There are also many other concerns, one I don't want certain RM competitors to know I deal with macro (they'd start as well, especially when they saw my portfolio and could gauge my income). Two, I've got another job who I don't want to know what I do in my spare time. (they don't need to know). Three, I don't want the publicity, I have a reason for anonymity.

I do take you point Leaf, the more constructive forum the better. I think there needs to be an element of compromise with your idea. Do you want to know point four? Hypothetically if I worked in any capacity for one of the micro agencies in whatever role, they might just have a NDA in place to cover themselves. If this was the case, then why jeopardize that position? This really is a contentious issue; I'd probably withdraw quietly if it was implemented as suggested. The benefits do not outweigh the risks.

Snap - SS are 50% give or take some loose change - and increasing!

Interesting question.. Current best practice SEO is to have your company name as your URL, http://www.backyardsilver.com/ - you're trying to establish an internet brand in effect.

Option 1  If you add it as stock.backyardsilver.com to your existing site, then it will benefit from your current search position and legacy.

Option 2 would be to establish it as a new domain linking to a more established one (your blog). This would benefit your new site, but not your existing one.

Option 1 would be the best way to get a higher initial ranking IMO. The only downside is if having a stock. extension in front of your domain name in any way hinders ranking; not come across that one before.

It can take up to 6 weeks to get a new site indexed if you decide on a new URL. It's probably more important that whichever way you go you get plenty of good links in and out. Funnily enough I was reading your blog last week, which is why it seemed fair to chip in here as I enjoyed it, not come across it before..

Oldhand

Yes - on balance. It is extra hassle, but if you use Deep Meta uploading can be made easier. Unless you are against IS on ethical grounds, it makes little business sense to discount them without trying.

Hi there - many places is the honest answer...There are plenty of agencies out there, plus I supply certain media directly. To give you an example Sipa Press used to represent all my editorial images in France, I used to upload directly to them to file in their archives. I got a monthly sales report, sent off my invoice and got paid. I give this example as Sipa are no more, they went under last year.

These type of outlets don't have the same "visibility" as the micro ones  there are no sites listing good and bad agents in the same way as Micro. It took me a long time to find and build up my images with good agents.

I've around a dozen decent outlets in addition to Micro and Alamy. I'm afraid I can't be candid about which ones, but I know you post on here a lot Louis, so I've answered as best I can.

Either way, you get the point. It's hard enough in a recession without your "employer" acting like that. Very shabby indeed.

Well, we know very little details on this one and it's a long way to your first payout. Forgive me if I'm intrigued but nothing else at this stage. Click of the fingers and everyone wants to send in all the images they have spent years creating. Fair enough it may promise a better deal than some of the bad news at the moment, but it's going to take a huge effort to compete with what is out there.

Back to working for the less equitable agencies who are in a position to pay me my slim percentage of something....Knights died out in the Middle Ages...

Hi Jonathan

Wise words to ponder over. Thanks for taking the time and trouble to look into it; it is appreciated as ever. An honest position well stated and a viewpoint that everyone should consider before making a decision.

Regards...

Hi Michael - just dipped into your thread for a read. I do some work with Google Adwords, but am by no means an expert. Are you also trying to promote your site? If you are I'd have a look at the SEO for it - a few tweaks would help a lot.

Born in 1989, Poland, Michal Bednarek is a young, creative professional photographer, specializing in commercial/stock photography. He focuses on highly conceptual photography touching various sides of life. Apart from great technical quality, his works feature true emotions, naturalness, positiveness, and a fresh feeling with an artistic edge.

Michal Bednarek licences a vast number of pictures which have been used by corporations from around the world and include Encyclop�dia Britannica, The Independent, MSN Life and Style, Ferrero Tic Tac, Kinder Maxi King and many, many more.

Maybe you're looking to buy a fine art print of the River Seine in Paris, the city skyline of Prague or it could be a canvas of African wildlife would look great on your office wall? Whatever type of art you are looking for Michal Bednarek will have something in his portfolio which you would love.

Michal has a Bachelor's degree in English, in his free time he loves traveling, practising tennis, reading about psychology and self-development, and sleeping after a long day .

You want to get some text on your news page, post a couple of blogs promoting specific items and regularly update the site. I'm trained to write to current Google standards for SEO; I realise the site is not a stand alone one in itself, but I'd certainly try to promote the pictures you have for sale through it. Without edging into keyword stuffing, there is plenty of scope for getting some nice keywords in there.

Just a thought as a longer term strategy to Google Adwords.

Oldhand

I can't see any alternative but suspending this account ASAP - not very speedy action by SS - I'd have expected a lot better.....