Hi,

I recently had to remove about 200 images (from my 8000 images portfolio) featuring some models because they no longer wanted to have the images with them on micro stocks and threatened me. I decided to listen to them and remove the images (in spite of the fact I had all the releases of course). The honor thing, I don't want to get into details.
What I am now thinking about is whether the deletion of so many images (despite being just a fraction of my portfolio) might have affected my search engine ranking for my whole portfolio. These images were not super sellers, but maybe Shutterstock punish removing images ? What are your thoughts or experiences ?

Can I take it that your sales are down and you are looking for a reason and maybe you found it in a correlation of deletion and declining revenue.  Forget it, the horse has bolted, nothing you can do about it now.  That's my thought, my experience is that I deleted one once and my sales have been down ever since.

Yes  unfortunately I might have found a correlation, hope I am wrong so I am asking if anyone who deleted some images experienced a declining revenue at the same time.

No deletions and my sales are down, too.... but the bigger hit has been a lack of higher-priced sales recently.

There is no "portfolio ranking". Only ranking of individual images. Sales (Popular), recency (New), and a dash of conversion (Best Match - sales/view + sales + date + randomness) determine ranking.

Quote from: BaldricksTrousers on October 21, 2017, 13:40
No deletions and my sales are down, too.... but the bigger hit has been a lack of higher-priced sales recently.

I could add that I do not delete images, but that I continually add images to my portfolio, and despite this my sales are down too ......

I'll jump in with the facts before the conspiracy team arrives:

• If you delete photos, your sales will be capped and/or lowered by Shutterstock.
• If you don't delete photos, your sales will be capped and/or lowered by Shutterstock.
• If you add photos, your sales will be capped and/or lowered by Shutterstock.

Quote from: increasingdifficulty on October 21, 2017, 13:50
There is no "portfolio ranking". Only ranking of individual images. Sales (Popular), recency (New), and a dash of conversion (Best Match - sales/view + sales + date + randomness) determine ranking.

How do you know? I think its entirely plausible that portfolios might be ranked according to the popularity of the author. Like everyone else other than those who work in SS or have insider knowledge I don't know that its just a theory. I find it hard to believe though that SS sets about "punishing" authors for no good reason.

Quote from: Pauws99 on October 21, 2017, 15:07
I find it hard to believe though that SS sets about "punishing" authors for no good reason.

I agree - that would be a huge waste of resources for no benefit.  SS is there to make money and I can't believe they would go to the trouble of altering the search search rankings of a contributor for deleting less than 3% of their portfolio.  If your sales are down it is probably coincidental and reflective of the general drop that everyone has been noticing.  October used to be one of the best months of the year but that no longer holds.

Quote from: increasingdifficulty on October 21, 2017, 14:52
I'll jump in with the facts before the conspiracy team arrives:

• If you delete photos, your sales will be capped and/or lowered by Shutterstock.
• If you don't delete photos, your sales will be capped and/or lowered by Shutterstock.
• If you add photos, your sales will be capped and/or lowered by Shutterstock.

You forgot time zone blackouts, favoring low earners and new files don't sell, alternate version, old files don't sell. I can say for certain that SS is watching you and your search rank will probably drop because you posted that information. 

What do you think about probability that inspectors at the moment of file approving give them score or weight or value or whatever that influences the file search process?
May be according to some rules or may be according to their taste.

Quote from: photorobot on October 23, 2017, 19:02
What do you think about probability that inspectors at the moment of file approving give them score or weight or value or whatever that influences the file search process?
May be according to some rules or may be according to their taste.

Given the number of submissions and the probable amount of time inspectors have I doubt they do much more than sift out the obviously awful or copyright infringing images.

I had the same weird situation - after I deleted around 50 files in May my sales have fall down a lot. Maybe just coincidence, maybe not...

Quote from: Ariene on October 24, 2017, 09:00
I had the same weird situation - after I deleted around 50 files in May my sales have fall down a lot. Maybe just coincidence, maybe not...

Have your sales recovered ? There must be something like portfolio ranking. Similarly they punish the contributors who stop uploading. It must be some automatic algorithm.

Quote from: niserin on October 24, 2017, 13:39
Similarly they punish the contributors who stop uploading. It must be some automatic algorithm.

No, it's called common sense.

Its quite probable if you don't add new work you will slip down the search results but its not really punishing its a natural consequence.

Quote from: Pauws99 on October 24, 2017, 14:05
Its quite probable if you don't add new work you will slip down the search results but its not really punishing its a natural consequence.

Yes, and it's true for any business in the world.

I would like to know too, as I am more and more thinking of deleting my small portfolio of photos from Fotolia.
Since I had the stupid idea of uploading photos my number of downloads remained the same, but before they were video sales (at $28 each, sometimes $70), now they are photo downloads, at ridiculous prices

I deleted som 600 images at SS! they were HCV content with MR's and PR's. Many of them had over 1000 dls. About 10 months back when many woke up to an overnight 40-50% reduction in earning I pulled them out and uploaded them as RF in a smaller type boutique agency. So far they have earnt at least twice if not three times more then these pics earnt in 4 years time.

Quote from: Brightontl on October 25, 2017, 15:22
I would like to know too, as I am more and more thinking of deleting my small portfolio of photos from Fotolia.
Since I had the stupid idea of uploading photos my number of downloads remained the same, but before they were video sales (at $28 each, sometimes $70), now they are photo downloads, at ridiculous prices

I just deleted a couple of dozen images on Fotolia and my Acceptance rate dropped 1%, so if the Acceptance rate contributes anything to the search algorithm I guess deleting files would have a detrimental effect, but we will never know will we.

Quote from: obj owl on October 25, 2017, 18:11

Quote from: Brightontl on October 25, 2017, 15:22
I would like to know too, as I am more and more thinking of deleting my small portfolio of photos from Fotolia.
Since I had the stupid idea of uploading photos my number of downloads remained the same, but before they were video sales (at $28 each, sometimes $70), now they are photo downloads, at ridiculous prices

I just deleted a couple of dozen images on Fotolia and my Acceptance rate dropped 1%, so if the Acceptance rate contributes anything to the search algorithm I guess deleting files would have a detrimental effect, but we will never know will we.

By acceptance rate dropped do you mean that you get now more rejections?

Quote from: obj owl on October 25, 2017, 18:11

Quote from: Brightontl on October 25, 2017, 15:22
I would like to know too, as I am more and more thinking of deleting my small portfolio of photos from Fotolia.
Since I had the stupid idea of uploading photos my number of downloads remained the same, but before they were video sales (at $28 each, sometimes $70), now they are photo downloads, at ridiculous prices

I just deleted a couple of dozen images on Fotolia and my Acceptance rate dropped 1%, so if the Acceptance rate contributes anything to the search algorithm I guess deleting files would have a detrimental effect, but we will never know will we.

Blimey!  sounds more like you got punished for deleting.

Quote from: Brightontl on October 25, 2017, 19:03

Quote from: obj owl on October 25, 2017, 18:11

Quote from: Brightontl on October 25, 2017, 15:22
I would like to know too, as I am more and more thinking of deleting my small portfolio of photos from Fotolia.
Since I had the stupid idea of uploading photos my number of downloads remained the same, but before they were video sales (at $28 each, sometimes $70), now they are photo downloads, at ridiculous prices

I just deleted a couple of dozen images on Fotolia and my Acceptance rate dropped 1%, so if the Acceptance rate contributes anything to the search algorithm I guess deleting files would have a detrimental effect, but we will never know will we.

By acceptance rate dropped do you mean that you get now more rejections?

The Acceptance rate is the percentage of images accepted by Fotolia, if you delete files these reduce your Acceptance rate as if they had been rejected if that's what you mean.

Quote from: BaldricksTrousers on October 21, 2017, 13:40
the bigger hit has been a lack of higher-priced sales recently.

This

Quote from: obj owl on October 25, 2017, 20:40

Quote from: Brightontl on October 25, 2017, 19:03

Quote from: obj owl on October 25, 2017, 18:11

Quote from: Brightontl on October 25, 2017, 15:22
I would like to know too, as I am more and more thinking of deleting my small portfolio of photos from Fotolia.
Since I had the stupid idea of uploading photos my number of downloads remained the same, but before they were video sales (at $28 each, sometimes $70), now they are photo downloads, at ridiculous prices

I just deleted a couple of dozen images on Fotolia and my Acceptance rate dropped 1%, so if the Acceptance rate contributes anything to the search algorithm I guess deleting files would have a detrimental effect, but we will never know will we.

By acceptance rate dropped do you mean that you get now more rejections?

The Acceptance rate is the percentage of images accepted by Fotolia, if you delete files these reduce your Acceptance rate as if they had been rejected if that's what you mean.

Well, in that case I don't think you should worry too much