iStock First to Market with Localized Search

Posted on 12/13/2010 by Julia Dudnik Stern | Printable Version | Comments (1)

iStockphoto has been working on a way to use language and country data to deliver more locally relevant results since last year. On Monday, the Getty Images-owned microstock leader delivered on this promise. The company also launched a new editorial product offering.

The search-engine changes are not limited to localization, though this is certainly game-changing—and not just for a micro-priced provider. When iStock chief operating officer Kelly Thompson first described the notion of search localization to Selling Stock, he said: “A person looking for an image of beer in Germany will have a very different idea of what that image should look like than an American buyer.”

Consider this: Previously—and still, at most agencies—different buyers searching for “money” would get the same exact image selection irrespective of their physical location. Starting in mid-January, the new iStock search engine will deliver more targeted results, starting with photos of British pounds and euros for U.K.-based customers vs. dollars for U.S., and both will get an assortment of universally applicable choices, such as a bag of gold or assorted currency symbols. According to the company, a user’s location is the one thing that can be reliably used to help narrow a search from its beginning.

Though the iStock collection currently stands at something like 7 million files, Thompson dismisses others’ quest for the largest offering: “We’ve chosen to ignore this fight and focus instead on what matters most—the best collection with the most relevant search results. Unless you can help customers find the needle, there’s no point in giving them a bigger haystack.”

While this final language and location-specific feature remains a few weeks away, many other changes to the iStock search engine have already been implemented. The new interface offers customers an array of new tools directly on the search-results page, enabling them to tailor and narrow each search and view results in real time. Current filters include file type and size, artist, orientation, collection, upload date and music genre; audio mood and duration filters are in development as well.

Also forthcoming early in 2011 is an editorial collection, for which iStock is currently seeking content from its contributor base. The company is currently accepting images in the categories of products, architecture and landmarks, travel and lifestyle, social commentary and urban living. However, iStock cautions contributors that it is not looking for time-sensitive news images or traditional photojournalism, encouraging photographers who shoot this type of subject matter to contact Getty Images.

Other top-tier microstocks have already ventured into editorial imagery. Since these companies do not disclose revenues, either total or by image type, it is impossible to say how successful such offerings have been. Most pundits agree that micro-priced editorial content has not generated significant revenues. iStock’s entry into the niche may be significant: the company has a wealth of customers, a parent that specializes in editorial content and a focus on quality. Perhaps the combination of these attributes with the right price can make the difference.


Copyright © Julia Dudnik Stern. The above article may not be copied, reproduced, excerpted or distributed in any manner without written permission from the author. All requests should be submitted to Selling Stock at 10319 Westlake Drive, Suite 162, Bethesda, MD 20817, phone 301-461-7627, e-mail: wvz@fpcubgbf.pbz

Comments

  • Cherie Hung Posted Dec 15, 2010


Post Comment

Please log in or create an account to post comments.

Stay Connected

Sign up to receive email notification when new stories are posted.

Follow Us

Free Stuff

Stock Photo Pricing: The Future
In the last two years I have written a lot about stock photo pricing and its downward slide. If you have time over the holidays you may want to review some of these stories as you plan your strategy ...
Read More
Future Of Stock Photography
If you’re a photographer that counts on the licensing of stock images to provide a portion of your annual income the following are a few stories you should read. In the past decade stock photography ...
Read More
Blockchain Stories
The opening session at this year’s CEPIC Congress in Berlin on May 30, 2018 is entitled “Can Blockchain be applied to the Photo Industry?” For those who would like to know more about the existing blo...
Read More
2017 Stories Worth Reviewing
The following are links to some 2017 and early 2018 stories that might be worth reviewing as we move into the new year.
Read More
Stories Related To Stock Photo Pricing
The following are links to stories that deal with stock photo pricing trends. Probably the biggest problem the industry has faced in recent years has been the steady decline in prices for the use of ...
Read More
Stock Photo Prices: The Future
This story is FREE. Feel free to pass it along to anyone interested in licensing their work as stock photography. On October 23rd at the DMLA 2017 Conference in New York there will be a panel discuss...
Read More
Important Stock Photo Industry Issues
Here are links to recent stories that deal with three major issues for the stock photo industry – Revenue Growth Potential, Setting Bottom Line On Pricing and Future Production Sources.
Read More
Recent Stories – Summer 2016
If you’ve been shooting all summer and haven’t had time to keep up with your reading here are links to a few stories you might want to check out as we move into the fall. To begin, be sure to complet...
Read More
Corbis Acquisition by VCG/Getty Images
This story provides links to several stories that relate to the Visual China Group (VCG) acquisition of Corbis and the role Getty Images has been assigned in the transfer of Corbis assets to the Gett...
Read More
Finding The Right Image
Many think search will be solved with better Metadata. While metadata is important, there are limits to how far it can take the customer toward finding the right piece of content. This story provides...
Read More

More from Free Stuff