Great Escape Publishing

Posted March 18th, 2016 by Bonnie Caton & filed under Travel Photography.

Often, a reader says something like this:

“Ok, I got a bunch of photos accepted into stock agencies, but nothing is happening. Now what?”

Of course, there are many possible answers to this question, but one of the biggest ways to make your stock photos sell has nothing to do with your photography at all.

And that thing is keywording.

The quality of your keywording can absolutely make or break whether an image gets seen by buyers.

Keywords are how your photo gets found among millions of images in stock photo agencies.

So let’s look at a couple of Sarah’s shots from last week. Here’s how she might keyword these photos if she were going to upload them to stock agencies.

Grapefruit, citrus, fruit, orange, juicy, ripe, red, blood orange, round, circles, row, healthy, fresh, organic, natural, overhead, above, food, half, colorful, health, ingredients, breakfast, snack, vibrant, nutritious, closeup, cleanse, table, tabletop, ripe, vitamin C, vivid, sour, sweet, tart, summer, raw, wooden, design, similar, pattern, circle

When you’re keywording your images, think of words that you would type into a search engine to find a photo like yours. That’s what a buyer is going to be doing.

If you get stuck, it helps to think of the who, what, when, where, and why. Make sure your keywords cover these basics. Then add in other important descriptors and feelings your photo portrays.

Make sure you are only using keywords that are relevant to your image. Notice I didn’t include words like “farmer’s market” or “fruit salad,” because they aren’t represented in these photos.

Shoot for somewhere between 20-40 keywords per photo.

BONUS TIP: Some agencies ask that you put your keywords in order of importance. So start with the most relevant keywords. This can help your image in searches, too.

I use Adobe Lightroom to keyword all my images before I upload them. If you do this, then when you upload to each agency, the keywords will automatically come in with your photo. (Note: If your keywords get rearranged by alphabetical order, simply move them back into order of importance when they get to the agency.)

Taking the extra minute to thoroughly keyword your photos could literally be the difference between a photo that sells, and one that doesn’t.

So don’t forget to keyword thoroughly.

Editor’s Note: Learn more about getting started selling your photos online in stock agencies – no matter how much or little photography experience you have – in the Breakfast Stock Club e-newsletter. It’s once a week, and it’s free to join, here.