X Nations - View Single Post - Biz questions thread
View Single Post
Old 06-22-2007, 01:54 AM   #6
Panky
Panky is the Queen of Mean
Moderator
 
Panky's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Montréal
Posts: 4,780
xBucks: 39,892
Send a message via ICQ to Panky Send a message via AIM to Panky Send a message via Yahoo to Panky
Default

If you are submitting this gallery to TGP sites, you will be rejected far more than listed.

-You have too many links on the gallery. You should have no more than 3 links out to the sponsor. Links must be to no console tours.

-Recip links go on top of the gallery.

-Use 15 or 16 pics. Anymore than that is a waste.

-Get rid of the built by link.

- I would suggest that you make your links a different color and at least one font size larger than your standard text. Sure you can tell what is a link because it is underlined, but your links will grab more attention if they are a different color and font size than your standard text.

-Your full size images are large and heavy. Reduce them down to no larger than 800 pixels on the long side. The image should weigh anywhere between 45KB to 90KB. A minimum of 45KB passes through all the scripts. When your images are as large as they are now and heavy as they are, not only will you chew through bandwidth, but your gallery is heavier and will take longer to load. Some sites will reject you for having full size images that large. 800 on the long side is acceptable.

-Your thumbs are grainy / pixelated. You'll get rejected for poor quality thumbs. Reduce your full size images first, then crop the thumbs.

-Links on the middle and bottom of your gallery will get clicked far more than top links. Text links get clicked far more than banner links. If you use a banner, write descriptive text under the banner. Get inside the surfers head. Tell them what they will find when they click that banner. Don't rely solely on the banner to sell your surfer.

-Large thumbs work. They work because a surfer doesn't need to click every single thumb on the gallery to find what they want. They can easily scan the gallery and choose thumbs that catch their eye. Reviewers also like them because it appears as though you are giving the surfer more content. More content = happy bookmarking surfers = happy site owners and advertisers. The surfers feel they are getting more with the use of larger thumbs.

-I would consider manually cropping your thumbs. Cut some of the filler space out and focus more on the models and action. Many people run their thumbs through a batch processor. Nothing wrong with that. However, manually cropping your thumbs is well worth the effort.

These are some examples of my galleries.
Gallery 1

Gallery 2

Gallery 3

Gallery 4

Notice how the sponsor links pop? This is the quality you want to shoot for in your thumbs and full size pics. The thumbs are clear, not grainy.
Panky is offline   Reply With Quote