Finding it difficult to be discovered?

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D4BV2

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Hey guys and gals!

So over the last 8 odd years, I've found it increasingly difficult to be discovered for new opportunities. Business is slowing and the only way I seem to get hired as a photographer is through word of mouth. That's great I know, but sometimes it's just not enough is it ! :(

I enlisted my web designer friend (Matt) to redesign my website and now it's all swanky and sexy! It's great, but still getting drive to it can be quite challenging. I'm wondering if any of you have experienced the same kind of issues and what you've done to help them? Are you paying to advertise perhaps?

On a side note, Matt saw an opportunity here to build a photographers directory for people like me who are struggling to get out there. It's called Photographers Base and you simply create an account for free, add your business listing with imagery and contact details, and then it adds it to this cool interactive map. (http://www.photographersbase). I've actually increased visits to my site by 40% from Photographers Base alone, so I recommend you doing it if it's something you're interested in! No pressure but I know how much it's helped me so far :)

If anyone has got any tips on how I can increase traffic even further, then please post your suggestions below :)

Thanks in advance!

Darren
 
Definitely not! I would have posted the URL otherwise! Figured this was a place where we all help each other out so was keen to share what has helped me... I'll edit and remove if it's an issue.

I'm more focused and interested in how to increase traffic to my site. Quick fixes and tips :)
 
How can I gain your trust after clearly a poor start?! :hug:

David, 27, UK! Mainly focus on Wedding and portrait photography :)
 
LOL no problem - forgive me for being suspicious, but... this was your first post :D

So how many weddings do you do a year, how many do you want to do? Have you tried local wedding fairs?
 
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Orangecroc said:
Is photographers base actually your site, not just your friend's site?
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You can't really tell, because whomever registered the domain in 2015 did it anonymously - which according to Nominet is really rather naughty if you are a business.
 
D4BV2 said:
How can I gain your trust after clearly a poor start?! :hug:

David, 27, UK! Mainly focus on Wedding and portrait photography :)
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Well it's easy in the 1st instance.

A pro photographer wanting to increase reach for his business would put his website in his signature.

'UK' as a location? Sounds incredibly suspicious, a town, city or county is more common.

The phrase 'if it waddles like a duck and quacks like a duck' springs...

OTOH, behaving like a photographer has a different outcome. ;)
 
He's based in London :)
 
Phil V said:
A pro photographer wanting to increase reach for his business would put his website in his signature.
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I think you have to have a certain number of posts & membership time before your sig block becomes visible. That might have changed though!

Strangely enough (or not) it's an anti-spam measure!
 
well - we know of this Indian outfit that can get the name of your website featured EVERYWHERE

(for a short while, until the forum staff get on the case ;) )
 
D4BV2 said:
How can I gain your trust after clearly a poor start?! :hug:

David, 27, UK! Mainly focus on Wedding and portrait photography :)
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So why aren't you listed on 'Photographer Base'?
There's no Darren or David listed in the UK, yet you said...

D4BV2 said:
I've actually increased visits to my site by 40% from Photographers Base alone
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So you're either
  • not called David or Darren
  • have ended your listing or never had one
  • completely fictional
none of which is great news for someone in this position...
D4BV2 said:
How can I gain your trust after clearly a poor start?! :hug:
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Jumping on the back of this though... I have found my enquiries from adwords have plummeted over the last 2/3 months. Over the last few years I would turn on and off as needed and generate enquiries, it was rare for me to go a week without at least 1 but have probably had 1 or 2 on the last 10 weeks. Nothing has changed (ads, PPC etc,...) so just don't get why?
 
Darrens shorten their name to David in that part of Kent...

He always signs his name as Darren on other sites :)
 
kendo1 said:
Darrens shorten their name to David in that part of Kent...

He always signs his name as Darren on other sites :)
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He's not a photographer is he?

Is he often a shill for paying businesses on other sites?
 
Phil V said:
He's not a photographer is he?

Is he often a shill for paying businesses on other sites?
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I've not found any evidence to show he is a photographer...

And he has taken his avatar picture down.
 
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kendo1 said:
I've not found any evidence to show he is a photographer...
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me either.:rolleyes:

I think I do know his job, he seems like a fairly nice guy, it's a shame this will reflect on his online presence forever (Google indexes this site quite well)
 
Well there is a turn up for the books, the guy has actually reported himself as a spam account :thinking:
So either he claims his account has been hacked, or he's genuinely giving us the heads up that he's a spammer....

I thought I'd seen it it all as part of the green team ... perhaps not ...
 
cambsno said:
Jumping on the back of this though... I have found my enquiries from adwords have plummeted over the last 2/3 months. Over the last few years I would turn on and off as needed and generate enquiries, it was rare for me to go a week without at least 1 but have probably had 1 or 2 on the last 10 weeks. Nothing has changed (ads, PPC etc,...) so just don't get why?
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Nothing has changed. Maybe that's the problem.
We advertise extensively on Google Adwords (not photography related) and you need to keep on top of things. New competitors out bidding you, ad rank, quality of landing page, customers using new terms to search for you.
 
ecoleman said:
Nothing has changed. Maybe that's the problem.
We advertise extensively on Google Adwords (not photography related) and you need to keep on top of things. New competitors out bidding you, ad rank, quality of landing page, customers using new terms to search for you.
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That's what I had initially thought so went into check a few things, but (I know this sounds lazy) it had been like that for 2 years and working fine. CTR if anything is a little bit better than it used to be and the landing page is my homepage which has not changed this year.
 
Cobra said:
Well there is a turn up for the books, the guy has actually reported himself as a spam account :thinking:
So either he claims his account has been hacked, or he's genuinely giving us the heads up that he's a spammer....

I thought I'd seen it it all as part of the green team ... perhaps not ...
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that's the best one I've seen all year!
 
Cobra said:
Well there is a turn up for the books, the guy has actually reported himself as a spam account :thinking:
So either he claims his account has been hacked, or he's genuinely giving us the heads up that he's a spammer....

I thought I'd seen it it all as part of the green team ... perhaps not ...
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I normally go very strongly for cock-up over conspiracy but ... I saw this earlier today and it just stuck me that it seems just a bit too incompetent for a website that seems reasonably well put together. Could it could be an attempt to sabotage the Photographers Base site, after all no one who finds this thread is going to sign up with someone who can't use the same name two posts in a row.
 
sirch said:
Could it could be an attempt to sabotage the Photographers Base site,
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Not sure TBH Chris but its a good point.
 
sirch said:
I normally go very strongly for cock-up over conspiracy but ... I saw this earlier today and it just stuck me that it seems just a bit too incompetent for a website that seems reasonably well put together. Could it could be an attempt to sabotage the Photographers Base site, after all no one who finds this thread is going to sign up with someone who can't use the same name two posts in a row.
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I wouldn’t worry about it. Nobody in there right mind will bother signing up anyway. Who searches for a photographers database so that they can search for a photographer?

As online retailers we get all sort of invites to signup to shopping site promising loads of traffic and improved conversion. some free, some paid but nobody uses them, ever.
 
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