Sometimes, creatives and art buyers will come to FoundFolios to find a specific artist, but more often they will search using specialties and keywords. That’s why it’s so important for artists to choose their words carefully when creating or editing their FoundFolios portfolio.
The Right Keywords
Whenever you add or edit images, always include keywords so that it’s easier for buyers to find you. If you want buyers to find you based on clients you’ve worked for, consider adding client, product, magazine or other brand names as keywords. You do not need to enter synonyms because the FoundFolios search engine takes care of that automatically.Images that appear earlier in your galleries are more likely to appear in search results. The keywords you choose should accurately and appropriately describe what is in each image. It doesn’t make sense to use keywords that might mislead someone who is a potential new client.
Tip: Having more keywords will increase the number of searches you appear in. Having fewer keywords will make you appear higher in search results.
Specialties
Specialties are added automatically to your portfolio based on how you tag your images when you upload them to your Image Library.
Each of your images should have at least one specialty tagged to it so it can be found in the search. You can add up to five specialties for each image. Just click on any image to edit it and add a specialty. Fewer specialties per image will indicate to buyers that you are more specialized, and will improve your position in specialty search results.
It’s okay to change your specialties after you initially set up your portfolio. And, when you edit your images or add new ones, don’t forget to also update their associated specialties. If you’re not sure whether you’ve tagged each of your images with a specialty, just check the Image Library for a tag titled “Untagged Images.”
Tip: Make sure you organize your list so that your main specialties are at the top. This will help you appear higher in search results when buyers are looking for these specialties.
Galleries
Although the names of your galleries won’t affect how you appear in search results, it’s still important to put some thought into it. Creating gallery names that are humorous or descriptive, while still relevant, helps give the buyer viewing your portfolio a better sense of your personality and approach to your work.
For example, Chicago photographer Dave Slivinski, who lists Food & Beverages and Liquids among his specialties, named two of his galleries “Pours & Splashes” and “Bottles and Cans.”
Likewise, San Francisco photographer Tom Hood, whose specialties include People, Lifestyle, Fitness and Sports, created galleries with names like Get Out, Hearth & Home, and The Civics Lesson. He also branded his FoundFolios portfolio as “Hood is Good,” the same handle he uses on Twitter, Facebook and his website.
It’s a good idea to create galleries that show images with similar specialties as buyers are generally looking to see a body of work for each specialty. Doing this will also improve your position in specialty search results.
Tip: If you’ve subscribed to either a Standard or Featured Portfolio, you are able to publish “Additional Images.” This allows you to have even more images appear in search results without adding them to one of your main galleries. This allows you to keep your galleries clutter-free while maximizing your exposure.
For more information about FoundFolios, click here.