Things I've been learning on increasing gallery traffic...

[yippee2000]

Since this stuff is fresh in my mind, I thought I'd pass it on for any newbies. Some stuff I've figured out to increase traffic in your galleries are...

make your stylesheet attractive when combined with your photoes. Depending on the type of photoes, nature photoes for e.g. often do not look good with a stark black stylesheet. Of course there are exceptions, but I don't think some folks realize how much of an impact on your photoes the stylesheet can have. If you look at a bunch of different artists/galleries, you will see that some are just more visually attractive, and others are not, and in many instances it all has to do with the stylesheet (or color background) they have chosen.

Many people, if they come across you in the Recently Updated Galleries, will then go right to your profile, and glance down at the four random sample images shown on your profile. If those particular images are not compelling or "strong", they may close out of your profile right then and there and not open any of your galleries, even though your galleries may have many other photoes that are strong. So if you have galleries with even one "weak" photo, it's best to get rid of those photoes, since you have no way of controlling which of your gallery photoes will be shown in the random sample photoes shown at the bottom of your profile. This is something I myself have to work on.... sifting through my galleries and eliminating the weak photoes.

Of course, if you don't care about traffic, then these would not be issues for you...

[lord_of_the_badgers]

also:

post on Show & Tell

join other camera forums - post on them

tell your friends & colleagues..!

[yippee2000]

in addition to what lord said, also.... the placement or order of the photoes in each gallery can also make a difference.... I try to make the order of the photoes visually interesting.... I'll mix up portrait style photoes with landscape. I also consider the overall lightness/darkness of each photo. I don't lump all light photoes together, or all dark, but try to intersperse them within any given gallery...

[ilanphoto]

The easiest way to gain trafic is, sad for sure, to post pictures of girls in bikinis or less.
It works every time

Bu yhe way thanks for your tips above

[matiasasun]

make your stylesheet attractive when combined with your photoes. Depending on the type of photoes, nature photoes for e.g. often do not look good with a stark black stylesheet. Of course there are exceptions, but I don't think some folks realize how much of an impact on your photoes the stylesheet can have.

I understand what you´re saying but I don´t agree... I know a well done gallery has a great impact (Could even give you ideas about how to improve your own), but the fact is the design of a gallery don´t make you arrive to a page; the pictures do.

So, as explain, having a pretty designed gallery could make people to see it (and then; to stay more time in your gallery), but would not have an effect in traffic because traffic measure amount not time.


I would agree with you: Visitors DO HAVE a racional behaviour when visiting galleries; they will see what they think could be the best to see. For instance I don´t like flowers... So, if you have a site full of great flowers, I´ll say ok, not for me, and I´ll leave.

So, if you think about it, the "weakness" of a picture is in most casses a matter of subjects; a poor picture of a girl in bikini (Ilan´s true idea) will have more visitors that a great picture of a cow in a green field. As a test please look at http://www.pbase.com/image/1076318 nude gif animation; not even a real girl and more than 16.000 visitors.

And, as a matter of fact good galleries (creative, with good technique, well designed) do have more attention. If you look at the most popular galleries you´ll see galleries that do have all these characteristis, but some will have only one; Humor. Others will have only girls in bikini, others will have a subject issue... There the good/bad quality of a gallery is a complex mixture of all these ingredients.

To finish I would probably say: To have a nice site is more an obligation.
Good to see you. Guys, try to visit yippee1999 galleries; they worth a look
bye


Ps 1. I´ve no problem with girls in bikini BTW.
Ps 2. As a matter of fact posting messages has an impressive impact inm a galleries traffic.

[matiasasun]

Ha.. now that I think about it I can understand why there are so many pictures of girls... I live in Chile and it is raining today. That means most PBase users are enjoying summer.

Ha, Ha. I´ll have my revenge in a few months

[lord_of_the_badgers]

... if only i knew some nice girls willing enough to get their..

no no i can't ...






tis sad but true, the nude galleries tend to do rather well. having said that, had ppl been visiting my pages becuase i put some young nudey lass in there, i'd feel a bit bad as it wouldn't really been because of my ability as a photographer.

not that i'm knocking it per se.

[ilanphoto]

... if only i knew some nice girls willing enough to get their..

no no i can't ...

You don't have to know any girl just go down to the beach and snap away

As I have said this are usually snaps not works of art

[tommybureau]

It's true that naked girls are far more popular than anything else. I created my first gallery recently and the only nude picture I have in there got more than twice the hits of the other pics... I know I'm a total beginner, though, so maybe it's that my other pics are not so good

http://www.pbase.com/tommybureau

Edit: Since I posted in this thread the picture in question got ten times the hits of my other pics, but I got no comment on it ! If you guys go to see this picture, please leave me comments!

[uese]

is to have reasonable gallery titles: I had my gallery on the European Championships called "Euro 2004 Portugal" and had hundreds of hits a day after the final - lots came over google or pbase search.

another thing: get into most popular gallery... make good pictures and get your visitors voting for them... how? vote and comment on others' sites! this helps a lot and keeps pbase alive!

cheers to all! blu

ps: and no go and VOTE for my galleries (all of them)