Increase Your Downloads with The Right Keywords

At Freepik we want you to be aware of the importance of classifying data and using keywords. Metadata are essential for proper localization of the resources on the Internet as it allows users to find what they are looking for. It is crucial you use keywords and titles to describe your resources. Why? Well, engine robots need keywords to retrieve content and, without them, users would not reach your content.

For this reason, it is fundamental you know how keywords and tags work to succeed in Freepik. Below, we give you some tips to streamline the keywording process and make it easier for users to locate your resources. Most importantly: a correct use of keywords translates into more downloads!

Keywords

1. Mind the user 

In order to identify which keywords are the best for your resources, it is crucial to keep the user in mind. It means that you need to think about the information your users are most likely to use for searching a particular resource. This will help you to detect which keywords are more relevant and get a general idea of the concept of your resources. 

2. Use descriptive metadata

Keywords must clearly describe the concept of the content, focusing on characteristics regarding its theme, style and what it refers to. First, identify the main elements describing the content and organize them depending on its relevance (more relevant keywords first). This way, you will make sure to use pertinent keywords.

3. Add relevant keywords

Try to focus on relevance rather than quantity. It is not a matter of including a lot of keywords but using relevant words that clearly describe the content they refer to. Besides, irrelevant tags generate several results that may not be specifically associated with the search. Examples of irrelevant tags are “background,” “image” and  “concept.”

The following image is an example of a resource with misused keywords. As it is an illustration of Cupid in a hand-drawn style, keywords, such as banner or poster, shouldn’t appear here.

Example of incorrect use: 

drawing, element, flat, graphic, sign, symbol, banner, card, greeting, flyer, postcard, poster, holiday, party, invitation, celebration, love, Valentines, day, romance, romantic, dating, cartoon, cute, character, cupid, holding, heart, shapenote, playing, harp, singing, song, music, concert, cloud

4. Optimize your tags to avoid rejection

Avoid using determiners, prepositions and strange characters when tagging. This is crucial to prevent your content from being rejected.

Example of incorrect use of tags:

#pdproject, #pdflowersetproject, @pdflowersetx, #jubjang, #pdflowersetproject3, #kwan, $illustration

5. Follow the description rules 

There are some basic but essential requirements that you need to pay attention to avoid being rejected. For instance, some key description rules are to write keywords in English, separate them with commas and always use the singular form, except for those words with irregular plural forms. Example: leaf (sing.) ⇒ leaves (pl.). 

The following image metadata is wrong because there is a word in Spanish and it uses semicolons instead of commas.

Example of incorrect use:

farmer;campo; natural; line; man; work; country; fauna; flora

6. Include conceptual features when tagging photos

There are certain differences between tagging vectors and tagging photos. In the case of vectors, tags are more descriptive. But, when it comes to tagging photos, apart from the theme and other image-related aspects, keywords must also describe conceptual features like feelings and abstract terms (“friendship,” “happiness,” “lifestyle”). In the following example, conceptual keywords appear in bold.

Example of conceptual keywords:

photo young vouple int he bed

 

love, woman, man, home, happy, couple, bed, bedroom, romantic, female, young, lifestyle, love couple, male, relationship, romance, adult, relaxation, girlfriend, handsome, boyfriend, relations, loving, lying, nightwear

7. Use filters as keywords

Try to include the keywords used in the search filters provided on our website. This way, it will be easier for users to find your resources. Some of the filters refer to the resource orientation (“horizontal,” “vertical,” “square,” “panoramic”) and others allude to the presence or absence of people (“exclude,” “include”). Paying attention to these filters when keywording is essential. For example, in the case of images without people, it is not necessary to use the keyword “nobody”; by not adding the word “people” is enough.

And the same applies to the color filters. Whenever a color prevails in an image, make sure you include it as a keyword so that users can access your resources by using the color filter of our website.

9. Don’t use the type file as keyword

When keywording, it is fundamental you exclude words describing the file type (.ai . eps, illustrator) from the data description; otherwise, your resources will be rejected. 

Example of incorrect use:

210×297, a4, ai design, ai letterhead, vector letterhead, psd letterhead, docx, word file, business, corporate, stationary, template, visual identity, paper, modern, elegant, stylish, corporate

Resources Titles

Titles should include a brief description of the image they go with, so it is crucial they relate to the resource. Avoid writing too long titles and don’t use them as self-promotion (self-promotion is not allowed in titles nor tags). Make sure they are relevant and don’t include numbers nor dates. Also, when adding the title, check that it is properly written, and there are not misspellings nor grammar mistakes.

Example of incorrect title:

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism child need unique and different learning style base on their sensory.

Correctly tagged resources

These are some basic tips we hope you put into practice! The post is almost over but, before finishing, we want to show you some examples of correctly tagged resources so that you can see what we are looking for. Keep reading and don’t miss our PikiTips at the end of the post!

Example of appropriate use of metadata:

 

Title: Dentist and dental care cartoons

Keywords: health, healthy, dental, dentist, dentistry, dental care, tooth, medical, cartoon, brush, human, equipment, clinical, orthodontic, oral, examine, orthodontist, clean, toothpaste

 

Example of appropriate use of metadata:

Title: Red japan style classic bicycle at the green field

Keywords: bicycle, bike, transport, field, meadow, landscape, nature, park, relax, background, vintage, retro, lifestyle, activity, outdoor, day, sunlight, leisure, ecological, travel, summer, hipster, basket, adventure, environment, grass, horizontal

PikiTips

→ Keep the user in mind when choosing keywords (which words they are likely to use in the search). It will also help you to identify synonyms and other useful words.

→ Use keywords that describe the resource’s concept, theme, and style (banner, background, invitation…).

→ Organize keywords by relevance: from most relevant keywords to least.

→ Use meaningful keywords that represent precisely the theme of the resource so that users can find your files and download them.

The process is quite simple: correct keywords help engine robots to reach your content and offer it to users, who will download your resources! So, when adding keywords and tags next time, remember these Pikitips to make the most out of your content. If you got some files rejected recently, don’t worry, as this tutorial also provides you with some useful info to avoid your resources from being rejected due to misused keywords. And don’t forget that succeeding isn’t all about quality, keywording also plays an important role!

 

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