We know how important it is for your work to be seen by the right audience. Here’s a guide to help you optimize your posts and get noticed for the right reasons. Follow these best practices to help users (including potential clients) discover your work.
Focus on Quality Content
Prioritize sharing original, compelling, and distinctive design work. Quality over quantity is key. The algorithm seeks to rank Shots that are most likely to generate engagement for the user’s search query.
Do: Showcase your process. Behind-the-scenes shots or project breakdowns can engage viewers, and boost your search rankings.
Do: Leverage analytics. Use Dribbble Pro's analytics tools to track how your shots are performing. See which ones are most successful and adjust your strategy to improve your results.
Don’t: Use watermarks. Do not upload work or images with watermarks or other obfuscating markings. Watermarks detract from the viewing experience and may prevent proper appreciation of your work.
Don’t: Use Dribbble shots to advertise your product or service. For advertising opportunities, visit Dribbble's advertising page.
Don’t: Use Dribbble shots to promote job listings. For job postings, visit Dribbble's hiring page.
Create an Impactful Title
Your shot title should be descriptive, giving viewers (and our algorithm) a clear idea of what to expect when they open your work.
Do: Be intentional, describe the type of work, category and subject.
Do: Consider what search terms users might use if they were looking for this type of design.
Do: Check your spelling!
Don’t: Give your shot a generic name like 'Logo' or ‘Client Website’ - the more details you include, the more relevant your shot becomes to additional search queries. Aim for a minimum of 15-20 characters.
Don’t: Use all caps!
Don’t: Pack your name with keywords. ‘Cute Blue Dog Mascot Logo Design, Adorable Cartoon Character Illustration’ may be descriptive, but it's also just a string of keywords and not a true title. Save your keywords for tags and your shot description, and focus more on making a clear, straight-forward title.
Choose the Right Thumbnail
Choosing a thumbnail that accurately represents your work is essential for maximizing engagement with your shot on Dribbble. A compelling thumbnail will generate more clicks, likes, and other interactions which signals to the algorithm that your Shot is relevant for that search query. This increased engagement can enhance your shot’s ranking and visibility in search results.
Do: Ensure your thumbnail is well-cropped and visually showcases the work in your shot.
Do: Select an appropriate thumbnail to represent the work. For animation or motion shots, make sure your thumbnail is a video, not a static image. If a user expects motion in the shot and doesn't see it on hover, they won't click to view your shot.
Don’t: Include your logo or any descriptive text in your thumbnails. This isn’t a YouTube thumbnail - let the design speak for itself.
Don’t: Choose a thumbnail with so much detail that it's hard to see what's in the shot. Remember, thumbnails are typically viewed at a smaller size, so they should be clear and easy to view in that format.
Don’t: Don’t choose a thumbnail that misrepresents your shot. The thumbnail should provide an accurate preview of what will be seen when a viewer clicks to open your work.
Make the Most of Your Shot Description
Shot descriptions play a crucial role in your shot’s visibility. Well-crafted descriptions help the algorithm understand and categorize your shot, increasing its chances of being featured in relevant searches. Similarly, including unrelated content in your description can hurt your shot’s relevance and visibility.
Do: Describe the design work in detail - consider what search terms a user might use if they were searching for this design work.
Do: Share your inspiration and any other context that will help users understand your work.
Don’t: Include contact information, such as email addresses or social links, in your shot description. Including this information may result in your Shot appearing for irrelevant search queries which will, in turn, negatively impact your search rankings. Save this for your profile.
Don’t: Use your description to promote your agency or design services. That may result in your Shot appearing for irrelevant search queries which will, in turn, negatively impact your search rankings. If you’re inviting clients to contact you, set your account preferences to “Available for Work” and they’ll be able to message you.
Don’t: Use vague descriptions, like ‘app design concept for client’. Steer clear of generic or ambiguous descriptions that don’t clearly explain what your shot is about.
Invest your Time in Tags
Tags are your secret weapon for boosting visibility on Dribbble. Tags are crucial to help the algorithm determine what's relevant, so taking the time to select accurate and thoughtful ones will pay off. However, using irrelevant tags can hurt your visibility, so choose wisely!
Do: Choose accurate tags. Ensure your tags are very relevant to the content of your work.
Do: Aim for at least 10 tags, but ideally, use as many relevant tags as possible.
Do: Check your spelling.
Don’t: Don’t use unrelated trending tags. Don’t include tags just because they’re popular if they don’t accurately describe your work; this may result in your Shot appearing for irrelevant search queries which will, in turn, negatively impact your search rankings.
Don’t: Include your username as a tag.
Don’t: Include irrelevant tags. Misleading tags can negatively impact your search rankings and your credibility. Additionally, using irrelevant or unrelated tags will penalize your shots, causing your work to be ranked lower, even for relevant keywords.
Using tags like UI or UX on a branding shot will hide your shot from relevant searches.
Be Authentic
Authentically engaging with your community not only strengthens your network but also improves your search rankings by showing that your work resonates with real viewers.
Do: Build a network. Actively participating in discussions, responding to feedback, and engaging with other designers’ work can improve your search ranking and help you learn more about community preferences and trends.
🗣️ Your engagement should add value to the community, not just additional noise.
Do: Try to post consistently. Regularly updating your portfolio with new work maintains visibility and keeps your audience engaged.
Don’t: Resort to artificial engagement. Do not use like rings, bots, or services that provide fake likes or comments. This won’t help your Shots rank higher, and will result in your account being suspended.
Don’t: Spam the Community. Avoid excessive social gestures, shallow comments, and self-promotion on other accounts. This will annoy other users, won’t help your shots rank higher, and will result in your account being suspended.
By adhering to these guidelines and keeping current with Dribbble’s Terms of Service and Community Guidelines, you will significantly boost your search visibility on Dribbble. This proactive approach will help you rank higher in search results and attract the right audience to your work. Happy designing!