Show Posts
26
iStockPhoto.com / best match Indexing Problem - A Severely Damaging Issue
« on: November 24, 2012, 09:48 »
I hadn't realized how broken the best match search really was until I did some test searches on my own today.
I have read threads where people talked about how when you add a second search term that your search results include images that are either brand new or instead rather old pictures but that also have 0 or very few downloads. I see now though that the search engine on iStock is severely broken and its no wonder why buyers aren't buying anymore. It seems they just can't find what they are looking for.
Today I did a test search for the word "train". Then I added the word "elevated" to my existing search results.
The first picture that came up for me provided by the best match search is one that has 0 views and 0 downloads indicating that it has no history and can't possibly be deemed as a best match to my search.
The worst part of it though is that the picture doesn't contain an elevated train at all, but a train way off in the distance passing through on the ground and in a valley. So not even an elevated train.
The picture itself is titled "Hiking In The Swiss Alps", which further indicates to me that the train is not the main intended subject of the photo by the contributor. Rather hiking in the mountains seems to be the main intended subject of this image.
What follows that picture is a whole slew of at least 2 more rows of other unrelated train pictures with low and/or 0 views and 0 downloads as well.
If I were a buyer I would simply go to another web site to buy my pictures after getting such poorly related search results like that. How can a buyer even be expected to find and buy pictures they need when the search results are not fully related and are coming out like this? It is often already difficult enough to find what you want with so many images matching your keywords, but when the images you are getting aren't even related to your search, let alone ones that have no history of popularity or downloads, what else can you do but go elsewhere?
Apparently the search has been like this for a few months. And what I am afraid of is that if such a severe problem like this, and one that is so directly related to a buyer's ability to buy what they need, hasn't been fixed by now, then it may not get fixed anytime soon. And the site will just continue to lose more and more buyers by the day out of pure frustration.
How this can go on for so long is puzzling and, with no explanation from iStock to buyers about the problem or what they can do to try and find the pictures they need, I don't blame the buyers for going elsewhere. I would too.
Hopefully iStock will be able to fix this problem before its too late, but sadly the prospects of that aren't very promising seeing how everyone's download numbers seem to continue to worsen every month.
I have read threads where people talked about how when you add a second search term that your search results include images that are either brand new or instead rather old pictures but that also have 0 or very few downloads. I see now though that the search engine on iStock is severely broken and its no wonder why buyers aren't buying anymore. It seems they just can't find what they are looking for.
Today I did a test search for the word "train". Then I added the word "elevated" to my existing search results.
The first picture that came up for me provided by the best match search is one that has 0 views and 0 downloads indicating that it has no history and can't possibly be deemed as a best match to my search.
The worst part of it though is that the picture doesn't contain an elevated train at all, but a train way off in the distance passing through on the ground and in a valley. So not even an elevated train.
The picture itself is titled "Hiking In The Swiss Alps", which further indicates to me that the train is not the main intended subject of the photo by the contributor. Rather hiking in the mountains seems to be the main intended subject of this image.
What follows that picture is a whole slew of at least 2 more rows of other unrelated train pictures with low and/or 0 views and 0 downloads as well.
If I were a buyer I would simply go to another web site to buy my pictures after getting such poorly related search results like that. How can a buyer even be expected to find and buy pictures they need when the search results are not fully related and are coming out like this? It is often already difficult enough to find what you want with so many images matching your keywords, but when the images you are getting aren't even related to your search, let alone ones that have no history of popularity or downloads, what else can you do but go elsewhere?
Apparently the search has been like this for a few months. And what I am afraid of is that if such a severe problem like this, and one that is so directly related to a buyer's ability to buy what they need, hasn't been fixed by now, then it may not get fixed anytime soon. And the site will just continue to lose more and more buyers by the day out of pure frustration.
How this can go on for so long is puzzling and, with no explanation from iStock to buyers about the problem or what they can do to try and find the pictures they need, I don't blame the buyers for going elsewhere. I would too.
Hopefully iStock will be able to fix this problem before its too late, but sadly the prospects of that aren't very promising seeing how everyone's download numbers seem to continue to worsen every month.
