Riya: Photo search can be simpler

Riya is one of those sites that impressed me with their idea and at the same time has been devastating me with their execution. They make photo organizing simple and photo searching seamless. Unfortunately, from a usability and optimization standpoint the concept of missing the boat is an understatement. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with Tara Hunt leaving, but there is some interesting speculation to be done there. Ever since she left, Riya seems to have taken a turn for the worst in terms of usability and optimization and although these events may not be directly linked the end result is that Riya has just taken one large step backwards. I do understand that they are going through some "strategic shifting" that is yet to be revealed, so I will try to focus on usability and optimization, instead of marketing.

Old Design

For reference, here is a screenshot of an older design of Riya, formally known as Ojos.

Ojos

This design was simple and to the point. One single image is the focal point and a clear tagline sits right there, "the best way to search for people in photos". Looking below the photo, the whole point of the business is explained and they clearly identify what they do for you as well as how much it costs (nothing). This design clearly differentiates Riya from the other photo sites and captures interest immediately.

New Design

In the last couple days Riya launched a new design.

Riya Redesign

The new design clutters their website as well as their position in the marketplace. They used to differentiate themselves well, but with the new design it's almost like they wanted to be seen as "just another photo site". This is incredibly surprising because one of the most difficult things is to differentiate in this marketplace and prior to the new design they had some significant advantages. Looking deeper, the problems start to become even more apparent.

Here are a few design elements that scream amateur:

Next to the search button, there is a link to the CEO's blog. Why would you put a link to a blog right next to a search button? I am going to make an assumption here, but most people that come to this site are looking to do something photo related and not read the CEO's blog.
They put a RSS subscription icon next to the term "view all". Makes me think that view all and the RSS icon are related, but they are not. The other weird thing about the icon is that it is not next to all of the "view all" links. If you are going to do something, keep it consistent.
They have a browse location option, but what does that mean? Does it mean that you search for pictures about a specific location or is it pictures that were taken in a specific location?
There are a lot of pictures in different categories on the home page. Is this supposed to be a photo search site or a photo portal?

What happened to the clear message on what Riya is? This new site confuses me and others who don't know about Riya. It does not tell me what Riya is or what it's actually good for. As Leonardo da Vinci said, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication".

Optimization Folly

The "interesting" things Riya has done to "improve" their site seem to say a lot about their marketing and are a clear indication of a "strategic shift" that they are making. My issue is that if you take a look at their site from an SEO perspective it's like taking a leap back in time. It's possible that optimizing for traffic and getting pages indexed is not one of their highest priorities, however they can greatly benefit from improving these few things:

Dynamic URL's need to be change to static URL's
Title tags need work
They need unique meta description tags
Better use of heading tags
Site needs to be Section 508 compliant
Add a sitemap
Clean up the code
Increase link popularity through creating viral widgets as well as generating more buzz and partnerships.

Finally, they are not fully leveraging what their site can do in order to draw traffic. They could be ranked for celebrity names, amongst other things and virtually become a search engine magnet. They have a ton of potential and I don't see them even coming close to tapping it.

Overall, Riya is a hot idea and great business, so it's disappointing to see that they aren't making the most out of it. The direction they are taking the design is backwards and when it comes to optimization, it seems like they are not interested in organic traffic. This is especially frustrating to me because I see what can be done from all angles and their unique business is a goldmine for optimization strategies. I just hope that they get things back on the right track.

Update: Munjal Shah, Riya's CEO, has just revealed their strategic change from photo uploading to photo search.

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