Alamy and Google Images Search: incorrect interaction

[staydry]

This is mostly to Alamy web programmers, but can be interesting to other contributors for understanding what we are loosing now. A bit technical, but it worth to be checked to be in the know.

It is obvious that Google Images Search as a leading graphics content search system is a great sales/attraction tool in case of proper use. In case of correct use for the beginning. But looks like not in case of Alamy. Below are examples of four different (!) globally observed incorrect interactions (you can find same or may be even some new with your own photos):

1.
Google Images Search query: abu dhabi international airport outside plane morning

getting result (just first somebody's photo on Alamy):
https://www.google.de/search?q=abu+dhabi+international+airport+outside+plane+morning&safe=off&client=firefox-b-ab&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjLpKSl86HTAhUJC8AKHZl5ALkQ_AUICCgB#imgrc=jxCWWBlpNjU3FM:

This result contains correct image -
http://l450v.alamy.com/450v/d38ghd/plane-of-etihad-airways-airbus-a-320-abu-dhabi-international-airport-d38ghd.jpg

and correct description (stated by Alamy contributor), but with completely non-relevant link leading to -
http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-abu-dhabi-uae-international-airport-baggage-security-check-x-ray-scanners-18549439.html
single-image selling page that has no connection to search query.

2.
Same Google Images Search query: abu dhabi international airport outside plane morning

getting result:
https://www.google.de/search?q=abu+dhabi+international+airport+outside+plane+morning&safe=off&client=firefox-b-ab&sa=X&biw=1024&bih=434&tbm=isch&imgil=eKdKsmDPaiE5-M%253A%253Bv_lx4M5jEa0Q1M%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.alamy.com%25252Fstock-photo-early-morning-at-the-abu-dhabi-international-airport-uae-29841974.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=eKdKsmDPaiE5-M%253A%252Cv_lx4M5jEa0Q1M%252C_&usg=__bJ7owPxyxaXiN9E6vM2Ko_8l504%3D#imgrc=eKdKsmDPaiE5-M:

with correct image -
http://l7.alamy.com/zooms/4e48a79532e6438e84af4cd6b3b50818/early-morning-at-the-abu-dhabi-international-airport-uae-bmfbmp.jpg

and correct description, but with completely non-relevant link leading to -
http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/non-airline.html
which now is not a wrong single-image selling page like before, but kind of generated Alamy's 'search result' page based on completely different keywords.

3.
Google Images Search query: old mercedes laos

getting result:
https://www.google.de/search?q=old+mercedes+laos&safe=off&client=firefox-b-ab&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwio0o2kgqLTAhXnKcAKHZ1WDvkQ_AUIBigB&biw=1024&bih=434#imgrc=D8IT6retr6gFLM:

with correct image -
http://l450v.alamy.com/450v/bmfpb0/retro-mercedes-benz-frontal-view-fragment-luang-prabang-northern-laos-bmfpb0.jpg

and correct description, and even relevant link leading to - surprise! -
http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-old-mercedes-benz-logo-on-classic-car-24195702.html
single-image selling page of another contributor, offering another image of this kind.

and 4.
Google Images Search query: bali barong statue

getting result:
https://www.google.de/search?q=bali+barong+statue&safe=off&client=firefox-b-ab&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwivt9jSiqLTAhXHIcAKHds2AywQsAQIJA#imgrc=U4d66OZ2GBfWDM:

with correct image -
http://l7.alamy.com/zooms/14ce9c27a79f42b18c1d37885eb09237/barong-stone-statue-bali-indonesia-hnjw8d.jpg

and correct description, leading again not to respective single-image selling page, but to Alamy's generated 'search result' page with first 100 images of partially-relevant thousands -
http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/statue-bali.html

this page is generated even not from exact keywords that were used for Google search (belonging to result image description), but from much less specific (sample: 'arjuna statue ubud bali' for Google (and for image that Google found) becomes just 'arjuna' at Alamy, etc.), so your image is even less findable there among non-relevant stuff.


These are just 4 most actual samples, so would not surprise if there are some other kinds of wrong behavior exist with same 'loosing visitor' result.

Here should be clear that Google Images search as any search engine has no imagination or ability to show one content instead of another, and it eats exactly what is offered, and when content is provided technically correctly, the result is as expected. If not - then not.

And besides a fact that this has negative impact on all individual Alamy contributors as images owners (whose images were found and then lost), it is a system problem for Alamy as a nominated seller of all these '100+ mln stock photos, vectors and videos'.

Can of course admit that Alamy same as any big stock photography agency has contributors who dedicate their content to buyers dealing only with agencies (who do not normally make search at Google or anywhere outside) but with all respect, suppose, the majority of contributors here are photographers whose activity is wide audience targeted, so to say. So any missed customer 'from outside' means missed income for them.


Thank you for your time. It would be good to hear Alamy team comments on this.

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UPD of 13 Apr 2017, in ~1.5 months: Checking this matter for any changes to good. Still no comments from Alamy team and no evidences that they aware of this problem. Points 1,3,4 from above list remain unchanged: just wrong links vary. Point 2 (this particular sample) right now works correctly, but there is no enough data to count this as permanent change.