Search Engines and site promotion

hankfannin@adelphia.net

:dunno Just wondering: Is Smugmug registered with all the big Search Engines and use CPCs',( Cost per Click) to ensure that anyone looking for photos will find the site? I've tried doing a search several times on Google, Yahoo, Altivista, etc. looking for photos and have yet to see SmugMug's site come up and that's looking through over a dozen pages. If no one can find our site then no one is going to purchase any photos! Is this something that we individuals do on our own, meaning- promote our own site.

Andy

hankfannin@adelphia.net wrote:

Just wondering: Is Smugmug registered with all the big Search Engines and use CPCs',( Cost per Click) to ensure that anyone looking for photos will find the site? I've tried doing a search several times on Google, Yahoo, Altivista, etc. looking for photos and have yet to see SmugMug's site come up and that's looking through over a dozen pages. If no one can find our site then no one is going to purchase any photos! Is this something that we individuals do on our own, meaning- promote our own site.

Hi Hank welcome to Dgrin

You'll find lots of tips for google searchability in the MYOB forum, here on Dgrin.

Try searching for

tappan zee bridge photos
or
westchester senior portraits

You'll find that if you do some things, like

* keywording the heck out of all your photos
* captioning
* gallery descriptions
* blogging
* cross-linking

You'll get search engine results. Yes, SmugMug does the Google dance very well, and I constantly see page one results. What were you searching for?

Sheaf

hankfannin@adelphia.net wrote:

Just wondering: Is Smugmug registered with all the big Search Engines and use CPCs',( Cost per Click) to ensure that anyone looking for photos will find the site? I've tried doing a search several times on Google, Yahoo, Altivista, etc. looking for photos and have yet to see SmugMug's site come up and that's looking through over a dozen pages. If no one can find our site then no one is going to purchase any photos! Is this something that we individuals do on our own, meaning- promote our own site.

That's actually my primary responsibility here at Smugmug (as well as my passion!). We mainly use Google and Yahoo! and their content networks.

WARNING: Boring content ahead.

We are at least somewhat competitive on most major keywords for the industry ("photo hosting," "photo sharing," "online albums," etc.). We usually aren't in the top position for those search terms because we focus mostly on ROI rather than simply grabbing up as many customers as possible. For example, the top bidder for "photo sharing" on Yahoo! at the time I am writing this is paying $2.01 per click. We are currently paying $0.30 per click for the same search term, but we are farther down on the page. We get fewer clicks, but we have a much better cost/conversion than if we were to bid $2.02.

Smugmug is not a typical dot-com business. We have nothing against the companies that go into debt in order to get huge market share or get bought out. It's just not our business model. Our focus is on being the best photo sharing site on the web. That doesn't mean we have to be the biggest.

However, as far as your personal site on Smugmug goes, we don't advertise for you. Sorry!

hankfannin@adelphia.net

Andy,

Thanks for the reply. I did a couple of searches using: Commercial Diver Photos, Commercial Diver and ROV etc., also tried :Manatee, Manatees, etc. I have one of the few sites online, ( that I can find anyway) that has Commercial Divers and ROV's and Manatee photos and thought I'd at least have something show up, but no luck. Just wondering if I'll need to sign up for a Cost per Click provider to get any hits.

Hank Fannin

Andy wrote:

Hi Hank welcome to Dgrin

You'll find lots of tips for google searchability in the MYOB forum, here on Dgrin.

Try searching for

tappan zee bridge photos
or
westchester senior portraits

You'll find that if you do some things, like

* keywording the heck out of all your photos
* captioning
* gallery descriptions
* blogging
* cross-linking

You'll get search engine results. Yes, SmugMug does the Google dance very well, and I constantly see page one results. What were you searching for?

Andy

hankfannin@adelphia.net wrote:

Andy,

Thanks for the reply. I did a couple of searches using: Commercial Diver Photos, Commercial Diver and ROV etc., also tried :Manatee, Manatees, etc. I have one of the few sites online, ( that I can find anyway) that has Commercial Divers and ROV's and Manatee photos and thought I'd at least have something show up, but no luck.

Hank, I looked at your site, http://hankfannin.smugmug.com/keyword/ you have one photo tagged with the keyword "manatee" and 2 with "commercial diver" and none with "diving" or "commercial diving" etc etc

Keyword the HECK out of your photos, follow the great advice in the links I gave you, too

Just wondering if I'll need to sign up for a Cost per Click provider to get any hits.

Hank Fannin

No, that really isn't necessary.

brandofamily

keywording is definately the way to go. I see several hits a day from google to my site. Depending on the search terms I have seen my site be #1 on the list a few times and on the 1st page numerous times....
Try "Civita, Italy" or Viola Elkins (a professional dancer I did some work for).

hankfannin@adelphia.net

Andy,
I've keyworded the heck out of those two gallerys. I think I'm catching on. Actually all the info I need is posted already. I just need to spend the time and effort to find and comprehend all of it. Now- if I could figure out how to make my site look like yours, especially the Nav. bar, I'd be set. I've got lots more gallerys and photos to add. Just wanted to get the site looking professional first. I even bought " CSS for Dummies" book I'm wading through as I find time. Thanks again for the help.
Hank

Andy wrote:

Hank, I looked at your site, http://hankfannin.smugmug.com/keyword/ you have one photo tagged with the keyword "manatee" and 2 with "commercial diver" and none with "diving" or "commercial diving" etc etc

Keyword the HECK out of your photos, follow the great advice in the links I gave you, too

No, that really isn't necessary.

Andy

hankfannin@adelphia.net wrote:

. Now- if I could figure out how to make my site look like yours, especially the Nav. bar, I'd be set.

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=31647 read this thread, and then follow the navbar links.

I even bought " CSS for Dummies" book

:nono we don't charge for our Dummies Books

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=25441

hankfannin@adelphia.net

Andy wrote:

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=31647 read this thread, and then follow the navbar links.

:nono we don't charge for our Dummies Books

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=25441

Andy,

I think I'm getting somewhere now. I added my keywords, and did a search and, I got a Google hit. A few pages back but that's OK. One question: reading several threads I'm not sure of the exact way to enter the keywords. Do I use a comma to separate each word and phrase? I used spaces, no commas or semi colons and it seemed to work but I'd rather do it correctly. Would this be the best method: diver, "commercial diver", "ROV and diver", Manatee,..... etc. I've been reading the links you provided and feel that, slowly but surely , I'm catching on. Thanks so much.
Hank Fannin

pat.kane

Go with whatever works. Apparently there is some different behaviour in a few of the boxes, e.g., the bulk keyword box at the top of the page requires quotes to separately add keywords in bulk, but the boxes below don't.

Wow, I get to get on the soapbox twice in one night. I just posted this in another thread in the support forum -- ...people should really be doing their keywording prior to uploading to smugmug. In doing so, the keywords stay with your image regardless of where you host them. See my post at this thread for a discussion of the IPTC standard.

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=35616

devbobo

pat.kane wrote:

Wow, I get to get on the soapbox twice in one night.

pat, you need to put this in your signature :soapbox

pat.kane

Busted. That is too funny.

I guess I'll finally have to learn the list of smilies

I get accused of this one every now and then as well :deadhorse