I run a website for a tattoo shop. Recently some of the artists asked if they would be able to add some of their “over 18” type of pictures to the site. Pictures such as nipple or genital piercings, etc…things they can’t add to their facebook portfolios.
The owner posited that we would need to have some sort of link to click verifying that the user is 18 or older. Is this true?
Would it be sufficient to simply add something to the homepage stating that the site does contain some pictures of nudity intended for an adult audience.
Anyone have any experience or advise in this area?
Although I hate talking about SEO in this forum, another thing the owner might consider is that his site will lose visibility in many searches. Many people use “safe search” and that completely rules out adult-oriented sites.
Thank you so much for your help everybody. After considering your advice - I don’t think having these pictures up is important enough to justify potentially being blacked out in safe search…especially since it is the default setting for Google and most of the general public has no idea about it.
I have a couple of very artistic pictures of tattooing and if I had a child, I wouldn’t want the child to see them. I think you have made the right decision.
If the artists in question are really that talented, they must have other examples of their work that express their talents.
I think you might have issues with your host like @SpacePhoenix; mentioned, and more importantly, you might get demoted on the search engines (sorry Linda), as your results would be hidden from safety filters.
I think if you really must show these images, it would be better to have a completely different site, one geared for the adult market. Be sure not to give it the same domain name, mention your company, but do not make it obvious for Google to group your site as an adult website. When you link to this website from your existing website, ensure that you have a no follow link in their (so you don’t get demoted by Google), and have a strong disclaimer, informing the clients that the new website will contain strong images.
Prior to actually linked your site submit your mature website to K9 web protection and other web filters, to actively increase the safety for children. I am sure there are some cool tattoes in the marketplace, but I am sure that no parent would want their children to watch these kind of images.
No need to be sorry, Sega. There is no problem discussing web content that keeps SE listings visible to visitors. That is part of what we must do to help our visitors find us and become interested in our sites. The problem with talking SEO here is when the conversation degrades to discussions of ranking and back link building. Then we are no longer discussing content. We are discussing numbers and marketing strategies.
US law says that you only need to post that age verification / custodian of record notice for images that are SEXUALLY EXPLICIT. However, the US Supreme Court said in its Miller decision that obscenity is a local issue. Since local standards vary (how do you define “local” on the Internet when it can be accessed globally?), I suggest you comply with Sec 2257 requirements and post that info. Get the content from a reputable source who has all the necessary paperwork.
First of all, that isn’t going to solve the problem of safe search. Second, any 10 year old can push a button that “says” he or she is 18. Is that really what you want for your kids? Finally, from a site-owner’s perspective, it just takes one half-savvy angry parent to find your web host and bring down your site. Although it might be rare, do you really want to take that chance?
