Titles And Seo

Thank you Abbie for a great post. Very informative but I have one question. You said on our own site we can analyze metrics. Does this mean we will be able to add the new Google analytics thingy to our premium sites soon? Unless I missed it...

So is it ok to go back and change your titles?

Hi KS,
personally I would not change any titles on work that has already been indexed ( meaning the search engines have already crawled it) or that I have promoted anywhere with links otherwise it goes back to when it was just posted and breaks all the links.

you have to decide if that matters to you or if you want to put them all back to square one again.

Thanks for the advice. I struggle with titles as well. One question, can we use a dash in a title here or is that going to be one of those things that shows up as a weird character?

MM - I use a dash in most of my image titles, and as far as I am aware, it does not cause any problems (it always shows as a dash and not anything different).

Good info. With over 6,000 images, titles is the hardest thing to come up with. I try to be descriptive but there are only so many ways to write some titles to keep them short. I get so discouraged sometimes trying to think of a title. I never thought about starting it with something like "British countryside artwork - " Thought dashes messed up titles?

I thought we were not supposed to use the words art, artwork, painting, etc in the titles or keywords? Is this a new thing we should do?

Another great and pertinent posts, thanks Abbie.
@Shelli, your response to KS answered my question too about going back to change. Thanks :-)

Thank you, Abbie. This is interesting and it does make sense.

The only fly in the ointment is that the image title we use here is permanently embedded in the URL for the image, so once you choose a title you're stuck with it unless you want to break all the previously generated links.

I suggest not changing old titles but do this for new ones in. That's what I'm doing. I'm actually going to start taking my own advice. Unfortunately I've been very much "Do as i said, not as i do".. And i don't sell. I have done 3 marketing courses and i know what to do and have helped many people make sales with personal help... and so am a little ashamed at myself. And annoyed. I have been arty first. I'm in with everyone else now, actually following through with my own advice and the advice i learned years ago.

So... Keep it simple. Keep it descriptive but keep your own arty self in there. Good luck all xx

Abbie, I had the same thought as Val Arie (post higher up). Could you say something about that?

Nobody said not in titles .

Keywords, on here, no as you're wasting time, space and they are stripped from our search.

Thanks Abbie. I would have thought that the category assignment takes care of that, as on the site here works are already displayed as e.g. "Something something bridge Photograph" or "Beach Day Painting" etc.

Great advice, Abbie - Thank you! :)

Thanks, Abbie!

I have been confused.

Were the older images with titles, descriptions, and keywords all in metadata?

Or is the metadata a new addition for the titles, keywords, and descriptions?

Or is the only change for all of these topics the new AI system?


BTW it is a great set of topics. I am not knocking it. You and FAA are very helpful.

Abbie

"Keywords, on here, no as you're wasting time, space and they are stripped from our search."

Yes, but the new AI keyworder often adds them.

Can Sean please add an exclusion list to the AI so we don't have to do it manually?

And, can we get a list of excluded words, so we don't have to guess?

David... I agree they shouldn't add those words

The words not to use are very easy. Anything that's a product or category here. Like photograph, art, tapestry.... You know, all that stuff that's already on the site.

Thanks for the useful information. I also try to do a search of my titles to see if I've used it before. If so, I can add a number or change title of the new work.

Thank you Abbie. I have been needing some motivation to fix up my site, and images. Making art, and selling art, are so drastically different that I have a difficult time with it.

I have a difficult time even thinking about it!

Fantastic informational post, Abbie. So appreciate this!

Thanks Abbie for the thought provoking post. I had never even thought of SEO when creating titles. I will now...but I'll probably let artistic expression win out if the two are in conflict. Like Val said above making and selling art are very different and animals. I understand what it takes to sell art and I guess I'm just not motivated enough...or perhaps I'm afraid of the possibility I could do all of the right marketing things and have to face the fact that my stuff is just average and not in much demand. But that's a topic for another discussion thread.

I don't think you have to worry about that, Ira

Ira

Your work is definitely above average.

However, that still doesn't mean it will be in demand.

Finding the right audience to put it in front of is always the biggest problem.

I do try to think about my images titles. Some are so similar, like the name of our mountains I photograph often. Terrific advice, Abbie, thank you. Makes me think more about how to word the titles.

Thank you David and Abbie. Your comments mean a lot to me.

Thanks Everyone

Excellent thought provoking ideas Abbie. Good discussion, all. Thank you!!

"Despite the emphasis on SEO, don't sacrifice the artistic integrity of your titles."
Agreed. Never alter any aspect of human art for the sake and convenience of machines. Never.

Titles are a mixed bag for me, depending how quickly a new title comes to mind, so I have some with artsy titles, some more basic to type, color, location, etc.. If I don't have one by the time I am ready to upload it usually will be more generic.

I suggest if you are uploading a small set of themed/alike images, vary the titles with those needed keywords instead of 1, 2, 3 at the end of each title. Example, 'Pet Bed' for one, 'Cat Nap' for another and 'The Kitty Cozy Place' on another.

"This is really important....while it's essential to include relevant keywords in your titles, avoid keyword stuffing at all costs. Search engines penalise websites that engage in this practice, and it can also deter potential buyers who may find such titles off-putting or spammy."

Could you explain what you mean by keyword stuffing, please?

Certainly

The image is a room in an old house. It has in it a bed, dressing table, long gothic curtains

The keywords say

Disney, Disneyland, bed, bedroom, gothic, Marilyn Monroe, brad pitt, sexy, xxx, love, ocean, indoors,

At least 7 of those keywords are keyword stuffing

@Abbie “So… keep it simple,”

Ah, Yes, the old, “K I S S” .

Keep It Simple Sunshine.
Applies for most things in life. 🙃

The title is not the art. As they say, the art should speak for itself. In the world of photography, the best known photographers Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus etc. would use factual rather than fanciful titles.

You have to go back to the early pictorial work of Alfred Stieglitz (American, 1864–1946) and images like Equivalent, 1923 - which was basically a photograph of a cloud - to see more poetic titles.

This early work tried to mimic painting but later photography was simply accepted as its own artform and titles became more informative rather than "artistic".

The worse example I've seen was a photograph of poor African children and the old white guy on a cruise had titled the photograph of the smiling children as "Know a good dentist?" The title gave more information about the photographer than it did the subject.

No fancy, poetic title is going to make a bad photograph better. Give it a straightforward title and if it is any good the photograph will speak for itself.

Nice post, Edward!

People should also realise, even with paintings, this is a selling site, not a gallery. Flowery names (like even i have used) are useless to get people to the work. Artistic names should be added if needed, not the whole

Thanks a lot for alle the helpful informations, Abbie.

Thank you for the clarification, Abbie!

Abbie, I asked Copilot to summarize your original post, I hope this does not offend you. I come back to this post often (too often) and thought a summary might help.

Balancing artistic expression with SEO effectiveness in artwork titles is crucial for online platforms. Here are key points to consider:
1. SEO-Friendly Titles:
○ Include relevant keywords to improve discoverability.
○ Think about what potential buyers or art enthusiasts might search for.
○ For example, if your artwork is a Lake District landscape painting, use keywords like “Lake District landscape painting” or “British countryside artwork.”
2. Title Length:
○ Avoid overly lengthy or confusing titles.
○ Search engines display only a certain number of characters (typically 50-60) in results.
○ Keep your title within this range for full visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs).
3. Relevance and Compelling Information:
○ Include the most relevant information: keywords, descriptors, and unique selling points.
○ Engage users quickly as they scan search results.
4. Avoid Keyword Stuffing:
○ Include relevant keywords, but don’t overdo it.
○ Search engines penalize keyword-stuffed titles.
○ Balance SEO with readability.
5. Artistic Integrity:
○ Use flowery or evocative language while incorporating keywords.
○ Example: “British countryside artwork - Mystery In Spring” (45 characters).
○ Appeal to users while optimizing for search engines.
6. Experiment and Analyze:
○ Try different title lengths and formats.
○ Analyze metrics (click-through rates, impressions, rankings) to refine your approach.
Remember, finding harmony between artistic expression and SEO optimization maximizes visibility and appeal for your artwork online. Be both artistic and a master marketer! 🎨🌟🔍 -Abbie Shores

I agree with all of this, but one or more groups insist that you include your town, state and possibly country in the title of your photograph. (in the past we only had to include in in our remarks section). What would you say to this admin that insists on this in order to post your photo in that group?

@Marilyn - what to say to the admin of a group where you do not agree with "their" rules?

That's easy. "Goodbye."