Need Help

JRSEEJRSEE Registered Users Posts: 19 Big grins
edited February 21, 2009 in SmugMug Pro Sales Support
Well the time has come. I'm not sure if this is the right forum to post this but I need some help with my website. I have been thru the help files and found an enormous amount of info. I have key worded most of my pictures and some of them are showing up on Google now. My website also shows up but usually on the 3rd page. The website is pretty basic right now but functional. I need help from the pros that are "actually" getting sales. I have had one sale in 3 months (from my daughter). I was hoping I could at least make enough to pay for the website. Is there something I am missing? Is there a problem with my pictures? I think sales of fine art prints are probably pretty slow right now due to the economy. In your expert opinions what is actually selling right now

I would also appreciate if Andy and rest of the forum could take a look at my website and make sure everything is working correctly. I may be too close to the forest to see the trees. I am wide open for suggestions and critiques
My website is www.a-jimages.com

Jay

Comments

  • catspawcatspaw Registered Users Posts: 1,292 Major grins
    edited February 8, 2009
    Most of my sales come from word of mouth from those I take photos of, but I do more events than fine arts type of sales so that definitely helps.

    Have you seen this thread? http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=45537 <-- Maximizing your findability <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/thumb.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >
    //Leah
  • JRSEEJRSEE Registered Users Posts: 19 Big grins
    edited February 9, 2009
    catspaw wrote:
    Most of my sales come from word of mouth from those I take photos of, but I do more events than fine arts type of sales so that definitely helps.

    Have you seen this thread? http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=45537 <-- Maximizing your findability <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/thumb.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >

    Hi Leah
    Thanks for your suggestion.

    Yes I have been through that thread a 100 times. It seems like each time I read it I find something more that might help. My pictures are showing up on Google now and the website shows up also. I'm not sure why the pictures are not selling. I was on a Jeep tour in Aruba and took over 100 pictures of the people on the tour and handed out my card. I didn't get one sale. What do you think of the photos I am trying to sell? Are they too common or not good enough?

    Its very frustrating.............

    Jay
  • AndyAndy Registered Users Posts: 50,016 Major grins
    edited February 9, 2009
    Jay, I'm traveling right now, but on Wed/Thurs I can spend some time on your site - email me ATTN: Andy at our help desk with a reminder pls and I'll get on it as soon as I'm back :)
    Andy

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  • jfriendjfriend Registered Users Posts: 8,097 Major grins
    edited February 11, 2009
    Here are some things for you to consider:
    1. On anything other than a pretty large screen, your home page is a tiny bio photo and a lot of text. I think you want people to see more photos without having to scroll to even know they are there and I think you've got way too much text. Besides, you've got nice photos - show them off.
    2. Your logo gets kind of lost in the header area. If I were you, I'd get rid of the Smugmug header and spruce up your logo by making it a larger graphic in a nice font and perhaps use some color.
    3. Do you need the title "Jay and Ann Seeley (A-JIMAGES)'s Home". That makes it sound to me more like this is a hobby site rather than a serious photo business.
    4. Do you need the "Map This" button on the homepage? It looks a little out of place to me.
    5. The text you do have would benefit from some HTML formatting. Put the list of different types of photography into a bulleted list. Highlight the guarantee in a different font/style/color, etc...
    6. Do you need the "updated Feb 10, 2009 6:08pm GMT" by your galleries? While there are some uses for that, it would look a lot cleaner without it.
    7. You have a mix of watermarks even within the same gallery. For example in this gallery, there are some images with the large watermark that crisscrosses the image, some with the small watermark only at the bottom and some with no watermark.
    --John
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  • Cygnus StudiosCygnus Studios Registered Users Posts: 2,294 Major grins
    edited February 11, 2009
    catspaw wrote:
    Most of my sales come from word of mouth from those I take photos of, but I do more events than fine arts type of sales so that definitely helps.

    Totally agree. The service end usually is far more profitable than the sales of the photos. The images that you have will be important for landing jobs, but not for making a living.
    Sure some photographers make art and those prints sell for good money, but this seems to be the exception vs the rule.
    Most of us make our living shooting weddings, portraits, products, that sort of thing.
    I have been lucky enough to sell a couple of prints through Smugmug, but not enough to justify the expense. On the other hand, I have gotten a few dozen "jobs" through Smugmug and even a couple through Dgrin. That has paid for the website many times over.
    Steve

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  • JRSEEJRSEE Registered Users Posts: 19 Big grins
    edited February 21, 2009
    jfriend wrote:
    Here are some things for you to consider:
    1. On anything other than a pretty large screen, your home page is a tiny bio photo and a lot of text. I think you want people to see more photos without having to scroll to even know they are there and I think you've got way too much text. Besides, you've got nice photos - show them off.
    2. Your logo gets kind of lost in the header area. If I were you, I'd get rid of the Smugmug header and spruce up your logo by making it a larger graphic in a nice font and perhaps use some color.
    3. Do you need the title "Jay and Ann Seeley (A-JIMAGES)'s Home". That makes it sound to me more like this is a hobby site rather than a serious photo business.
    4. Do you need the "Map This" button on the homepage? It looks a little out of place to me.
    5. The text you do have would benefit from some HTML formatting. Put the list of different types of photography into a bulleted list. Highlight the guarantee in a different font/style/color, etc...
    6. Do you need the "updated Feb 10, 2009 6:08pm GMT" by your galleries? While there are some uses for that, it would look a lot cleaner without it.
    7. You have a mix of watermarks even within the same gallery. For example in this gallery, there are some images with the large watermark that crisscrosses the image, some with the small watermark only at the bottom and some with no watermark.

    Hi John,

    I appreciate you taking the time to look thru my website. I agree with all your recommendations and
    have went back and made some changes. With the format I have now I think I need a navbar at the top so I'm still working on that.

    Thanks again,

    Jay
  • JRSEEJRSEE Registered Users Posts: 19 Big grins
    edited February 21, 2009
    Cygnus Studios wrote:
    Totally agree. The service end usually is far more profitable than the sales of the photos. The images that you have will be important for landing jobs, but not for making a living.
    Sure some photographers make art and those prints sell for good money, but this seems to be the exception vs the rule.
    Most of us make our living shooting weddings, portraits, products, that sort of thing.
    I have been lucky enough to sell a couple of prints through Smugmug, but not enough to justify the expense. On the other hand, I have gotten a few dozen "jobs" through Smugmug and even a couple through Dgrin. That has paid for the website many times over.

    hi Steve,

    Both you and Leah said basically the same thing. I agree. This website just opens the door.

    Jay
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