when you do a search these days in google, especially an image search, instead of the link going to your page, it ends up in the search on this site. (when i type it makes sense at the time..), anyway, so if you appeared on that page (as a sponsor or as a random placement), and someone clicks on that link, you may not be on that page.
which really goes against being found. i had a really hard time finding a link to an image i was looking for, it kept bringing me to the search here, and i was no where on the page.
the real trick to the sponsor is - it gives you a slight chance at being seen on the first page, that's it. it was probably fine when the site first started and there were a 1000 artists. but now with like 300,000? artists - we need more lines (considering we are increasing the rank of this site, we should have more lines). when someone does a search, the people listed first are those that sell a bunch of things, and if your new, unless you have very unique images and there are few pages, you will be in the back some place. and the sponsor allows that one chance at maybe being seen. but only if you sponsor that word.
but as mentioned, if you are on FAA and sponsor all those words, you'll find out that if someone does a search for canvas prints - you won't be in the sponsored area at all, because you did the generic form of it - landscape, or landscape fine art, or landscape paintings etc. and to make it more confusing, you won't show up on that third line in pixels, and each variation of the site waters down where you will be seen (if your relying on sponsored words).
if your going to add links to a website - put it directly to the image your pushing. otherwise that link you put on, will go right to the search - and you won't there at all. the link is sending business to someone else.
---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com
