Author Topic: Does keyword spamming even work? (Read 5527 times)

davey_rocket · « **on:** September 04, 2009, 11:39 »

I've spent some time sifting through the illustrations on DT and IS lately trying to find some unapproached angles to the more popular themes. In doing so I have found how horrible spammed keywords are, even at a site like IS that really cracks down on bad keywords.

What is the motivations for this. Do some sellers really think that a buyer searching for education icons is going to buy your illustration of a bear because it's just that cute?

Keywording is my least favorite part (as is probably of most or us) of submitting. I've found my files need a max of ten to fifteen keywords, beyond that the keywords become so tangential to what the file is that even if some one was searching for that term my file wouldn't be that interesting.

So while I doubt anyone would come out an claim that they spam, does this method actually increase sales or just frustrate buyers?

Randy McKown · « **Reply #1 on:** September 04, 2009, 22:38 »

I think common sense would say it not only frustrates buyers it probably down right pisses them off. They are not searching images for fun. They got a job to do and they want to get what they need and get it done. Spamming the categories is just as annoying too.
People complain about rejections now .. be glad I'm not in charge LOL .. I'd be cracking a whip !!! You would figure out not to spam keywords pretty quick or you would be permanently banned from the agency. Would I pay a reviewer to take the time to make an extra click explaining why an image was even rejected? No way. I wouldn't hold any hands. I'd make the submitters actually use their brains and figure it out for themselves. If they were not capable of figuring out why a picture was rejected on their own .. well they wouldn't be uploading much.
What would be the result of this? The most massive forum of complaints the world has ever seen ... oh yeah and a well polished agency that buyers loved to use, faster review times for contributors, killer image selections without wading through a ton of garbage .. paradise .. except for the newbies and point n shooters would hate it with a passion.

fotografer · « **Reply #2 on:** September 05, 2009, 00:01 »

I have also seen buyers many time on various forums say that they often blacklist people that abuse spamming and refuse to buy their images.

Microstock Posts · « **Reply #3 on:** September 05, 2009, 03:14 »

I've never understood why someone would want to spam, I doubt that they would get extra sales because of it. I do add a lot of keywords to my images, some of which have vague connections to my images, but I often find that buyers buy my images from these keywords. Today I had a download of an aerial shot of the city of Doha in the country of Qatar, however the buyer found the image using the keywords "Saudi Arabia". I've written clearly however, in the title and the description of the image that this is Qatar.

a.k.a.-tom · « **Reply #4 on:** September 05, 2009, 13:32 »

Quote from: xposurepro on September 04, 2009, 22:38

I think common sense would say it not only frustrates buyers it probably down right pisses them off. They are not searching images for fun. They got a job to do and they want to get what they need and get it done.

Amen, bro. With all the nonsense going on lately about pix showing up on "partner" sites that none of us were even aware of.... I've been doing a lot of searching for my pix...
Using specific single word searches... I COULD NOT believe, the slop I had to wade through that had NOTHING to do with the keyword!! Pure lunacy and a complete and utter waste of my time... and I wasn't doing it for a living. Example, looking at 'livingroom'.... I had to push through countless pix of headshots of girls on telephones, gray cats, bathroom sink fixtures, guys wearing headsets...... the list was ridiculous, images that didnt belong. I'd have complained to the site... but even today, I don't know if half these sites are legit anyway!!! Obviously they dont care in the first place what is on and how it's logged...
But I get ticked when some moron takes a headshot of their pet skunk and keywords it 'livingroom' because that's where the animal was sitting when they took the 'snapshot'.

... those found to be chronic spammers should be warned once, twice, kicked off. At the very least, rejected and forced to reduce the keyword file to relevancy.

=tom

stockastic · « **Reply #5 on:** September 05, 2009, 14:09 »

I think the microstocks all came to realize that spamming was hurthing them, not helping, but by then they had millions of images and wouldn't spend the money necessary to clean up the mess.

They tell us to look at the 'best sellers' to see what they want, and when I do that I see outrageous spamming - by today's standards.

I think in time this situation will be an opportunity for new stock sites that can start fresh with a keywording scheme that makes more sense.

madelaide · « **Reply #6 on:** September 05, 2009, 14:14 »

There are two things: stretch and spam. "Love" and "valentine" in any illustration of a heart is a stretch (yet I sold many exactly due to these keywords). "Maldives", "Fiji" and "Caribbean" are spam in an image of a generic beach shot in Rio, but even if there is nothing that shows this image was taken in Rio - a very generic beach shot - it is not spam to use "Rio". "Diamond", "topaz" and "emerald" in an image of an aquamarine ring are spams.

There are also cases in which a word looks like a stretch or even a spam, but it isn't: it's just a double word split in two by the site.

What makes people spam? I believe it is the idea that the buyer looking for a dog image will see their cat image and buy it.

crazychristina · « **Reply #7 on:** September 05, 2009, 16:08 »

How many buyers are not professional designers, not working to a tight brief? How many are filling up their subscription with maybes? Does anyone have a clear idea of who the 'buyer' really is for microstock?

michealo · « **Reply #8 on:** September 06, 2009, 07:32 »

It's likely keyword spamming does work to a degree

PaulieWalnuts · « **Reply #9 on:** September 06, 2009, 07:50 »

If I was a buyer it would drive me nuts to need to dredge through a bunch of irrelevant stuff.

Istock's latest search seems to be doing a pretty good job of pushing down spam. It looks like the more an image is purchased using certain keywords the higher it shows up in the search for those words. If there are a bunch of irrelevant keywords and nobody buys the image using those keywords the more it sinks in the search. So if it's a picture of a dog and the image has "cat" for a keyword, the image would virtually disappear from the "cat" search. So not only is spamming getting to be a waste of time I wouldn't be surprised if they got penalized in the search for their relevant keywords.

gaja · « **Reply #10 on:** September 06, 2009, 13:22 »

Quote from: madelaide on September 05, 2009, 14:14

There are two things: stretch and spam. "Love" and "valentine" in any illustration of a heart is a stretch (yet I sold many exactly due to these keywords). "Maldives", "Fiji" and "Caribbean" are spam in an image of a generic beach shot in Rio, but even if there is nothing that shows this image was taken in Rio - a very generic beach shot - it is not spam to use "Rio". "Diamond", "topaz" and "emerald" in an image of an aquamarine ring are spams.

There are also cases in which a word looks like a stretch or even a spam, but it isn't: it's just a double word split in two by the site.

What makes people spam? I believe it is the idea that the buyer looking for a dog image will see their cat image and buy it.

DT doesn't agree with you. I got a rejection for this picture because I had the geographical location as a keyword: http://www.dreamstime.com/children-building-a-cairn-thumb10089564.jpg

People who know the area will recognize the village (Aandalsnes) and mountains, and I think it could be used to illustrate the fantastic views you have in this region. But DT doesn't agree.

madelaide · « **Reply #11 on:** September 06, 2009, 13:39 »

Quote from: gaja on September 06, 2009, 13:22

Quote from: madelaide on September 05, 2009, 14:14
There are two things: stretch and spam. "Love" and "valentine" in any illustration of a heart is a stretch (yet I sold many exactly due to these keywords). "Maldives", "Fiji" and "Caribbean" are spam in an image of a generic beach shot in Rio, but even if there is nothing that shows this image was taken in Rio - a very generic beach shot - it is not spam to use "Rio". "Diamond", "topaz" and "emerald" in an image of an aquamarine ring are spams.

There are also cases in which a word looks like a stretch or even a spam, but it isn't: it's just a double word split in two by the site.

What makes people spam? I believe it is the idea that the buyer looking for a dog image will see their cat image and buy it.

DT doesn't agree with you. I got a rejection for this picture because I had the geographical location as a keyword: http://www.dreamstime.com/children-building-a-cairn-thumb10089564.jpg

People who know the area will recognize the village (Aandalsnes) and mountains, and I think it could be used to illustrate the fantastic views you have in this region. But DT doesn't agree.

But then I think they are wrong, and maybe you could email them and explain this. People who know the place will recognize it, so that's important. If DT insists, then you should resubmit without the leywords, but say in the description where is was taken.

I sold an image of a clay tennis court because in the description I said it was the type of court you have in Roland Garros, but I did not have it in the keywords. If my image (just the corner of a court) served the buyer, it's because he in fact was not looking for players in R.G. - or at least was not looking for just players. And because my image doesn't have roland garros in the keywords, it is at the end of the search results. I do see however images of tennis players in other courts in which R.G. is a keyword, or other types of court (grass, hard) with R.G. in keywords, plus wimbledon, davis cup, atp - that is definitely spam to me.

gaja · « **Reply #12 on:** September 06, 2009, 13:59 »

Quote from: madelaide on September 06, 2009, 13:39

[But then I think they are wrong, and maybe you could email them and explain this. People who know the place will recognize it, so that's important. If DT insists, then you should resubmit without the leywords, but say in the description where is was taken.

I sold an image of a clay tennis court because in the description I said it was the type of court you have in Roland Garros, but I did not have it in the keywords. If my image (just the corner of a court) served the buyer, it's because he in fact was not looking for players in R.G. - or at least was not looking for just players. And because my image doesn't have roland garros in the keywords, it is at the end of the search results. I do see however images of tennis players in other courts in which R.G. is a keyword, or other types of court (grass, hard) with R.G. in keywords, plus wimbledon, davis cup, atp - that is definitely spam to me.

They insist. I asked in the forums. http://www.dreamstime.com/thread_17731 But I will put it in the description. Thank you for the suggestion! I will remember to do so in the future