The keywords of your prints play an important role in how your artwork is discovered using our Print Shop's search feature. This will enable you to search through the prints available on deviantART using their keywords. Here are some tips for using keywords that will help people find your work:

Use as many words as you can

The more words you use, the more times your print will be viewed. Let's say, for instance, you are posting an image of some lovely roses. Some keywords you may use are "roses, flowers, plants, nature, Valentine's Day, romance, love, gift, bouquet, red, bloom, blossoms..." and anything else you can think of (while keeping it relevant, of course).

Keep them on topic

Sure, putting in "Harry Potter" and "hot girls" will get you more hits; however, there is a very slim chance the people searching for those words are going to buy your print if it doesn't have to do with the subject they've searched for. Try to keep your keywords relevant to the content of the image.

Username

Many deviantART Prints artists promote their artwork in the real world through word-of-mouth, gallery showings, etc. Adding your username (or real name, depending on how you promote yourself) will enable non-dA members to find your artwork quickly and easily. While it makes perfect sense to dA members to view the artists gallery or store, non-members may very well take the easiest route to finding the artwork.

Description

The deviantART Prints Search function will also search the contents of your print's description. There is no need to list the contents of the description as keywords as well.

Title

The title of your artwork will not be queried in the search process. If you'd like people to be able to find your work based on the title (again, possibly from real world promotion), you will need to add the full title in the keyword or description.

Putting it to the test

Let's look at a print and create a list of keywords using the tips above:



This is a field of canola situated just outside of Calgary, Alberta. From viewing the image and knowing a few details about the subject, we can come up with the following keywords:

• calgary, alberta
• canola field
• blue sky
• clouds
• farm
• prairie
• landscape
• yellow
• plants
• godofodd

There are probably more that could be used. We could even go as far as entering our keywords in multiple languages. Remember, deviantART is world-wide and there are most probably a lot of members and visitors who would use their native language for searching art.
It is up to the artist to use the keywords they feel will be most effective in achieving two things: 1) Bringing up their artwork in a search and 2) having their print match the desired subject of the person performing the search.

Applying these tips to your current prints

You can access your current prints in several ways to edit them. You can do that by clicking the 'Edit Print' button on a deviation of yours or by clicking 'Edit Print Information' right on a print's page of yours. Alternatively you cna get there from a complete list of your prints by using the Update my Prints link in the "My Account" options down the right-hand side of your Message Centre. Once in your store management, you will want to click Your Products to view your currently active prints. Click the 'Edit' link on the print you wish to change and you can then edit your keywords and description.

FAQ #70: What is the format for the Keywords in deviations and what are they for?

Using these simple tips, you can assure that your prints will appear in the appropriate search results, gaining you exposure, sales, and fans! Good luck!


_{This is a slightly updated re-post of %godofodd's article from Jun 4, 2005. We thought it should be re-posted as a reminder for all old and new deviantART artists.}