A beginner guide to SEO for photographers
Search engines are the bridge between humans and their queries and questions and the answers that they seek. Think of any question you’ve had or typed into Google… thousands of results are presented to you and it’s probably likely that you head to one of the top results for the answers to your question.
These web pages are highly ranked by Google and deemed to be the highest quality. As a photographer, you want people to be noticing your content right? You can optimise your content by using Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to show Google and other search engines that your site is worthy of being highly ranked. With this beginners guide, you’ll get to know all the basics of SEO and how you can get started so your photography website can get discovered far and wide across the web!
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation and is important for digital marketing as it helps increase your website's presence across various search engines when people are searching for specific terms or words. Algorithms are constantly in flux so it’s essential to have your website optimised so that your business can be discovered by the right people. SEO relies on organic search results and isn’t like paid advertising where you can get results almost immediately but by investing time and effort into optimising your website you can build credibility in your field and build a brilliant reputation.
Why is SEO important for photographers?
People are out there searching for photographers, and you want them to find you. SEO gives you the chance to get your business discovered by people with that search intent. People searching organically for your content are individuals who have huge potential to become your customer as there is an intent for them to be using your product or service.
Photography can be a big investment for some people and so they’ll definitely be exploring and researching a range of options before making a decision. Have you ever heard of the rule of 7? A potential customer will come across your brand at least 7 times before making a decision about buying your services so it’s vital to ensure that your website appears in search engine results and delivers valuable content.
What are the most common mistakes photographers make with SEO?
Some people jump into creating a website and sometimes don’t realise that you really need to think carefully about the way you curate the site for it to rank well in Google and people make mistakes which impacts their place in the search results. Here are a few common mistakes;
A well designed website, but no quality information: Who are you? What do you do? Where do you do it and how well? Make sure when people are coming onto your website that they’re completely aware of what your business offers, where you offer, who you offer it to, when you offer it, and most importantly why! Keep the 5 W’s in mind.
The website isn’t user friendly: A user friendly website is key for SEO. People want to enjoy browsing your site and be able to find what they want easily so ensure your website is optimised for mobile and is responsive.
Website speed: A website that loads slowly can hurt your SEO rankings, make sure any high res images are compressed so that your website loads quickly.
Important elements aren’t working: Make sure any key points that customers are interacting with are working properly so that they can interact with your brand seamlessly. No one wants a contact form that doesn’t work or unclickable links.
How to improve the SEO of my photography website?
There are a number of things you can do to improve the SEO of your photography website. Here are some easy steps to improve your photography SEO right now:
Utilise Google My Business: Optimising your business as google listing is a great way to rank on Google Maps and gain visibility in local search results. Make sure you create an account and provide as much accurate information as possible. Encourage customers to review your business and respond to reviews! You can also publish posts to your profile by using the Google My Business dashboard.
Use Google Search Console: This is a tool to help you monitor, maintain and improve your website's presence in the search results. AND, it’s free!
State your location: One of the key pieces of information for people searching your business, this is a big mistake photographers make - not informing people of the areas they shoot in. Be sure to make it clear where you offer your services and what you offer so Google can make sense of your page.
Use your Social Media Channels: Make sure your social media channels have links to your website and in local directories. Make sure your website is only listed on trustworthy websites with a good domain authority - you can use Moz’s Free SEO Tool here. Quality backlinks are important to Google in rating the quality of your site.
Ensure people can contact you: Make it easy for people to get in touch with you. See how your contact form works across multiple search engines and also on mobile. User friendly design is key to good SEO.
Ensure your creating quality content: Content shouldn’t be rushed, create useful content that gives people value and answers their problems. They’ll remember your brand and it will show that your brand is trustworthy.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, there are so many ways you can improve your SEO...
SEO for Photographers: Mentoring and Collaboration
There are so many elements to running a successful photography business. I like to call it the triangle of success which includes having knowledge, client management and equipment which are all of equal importance. If you’re at the beginning of your journey as a wedding photographer or need help, I can help you do that through mentoring where I talk to you about your business and your goals so we can tailor the sessions around your requirements.
Do you need help with SEO?
I offer SEO Mentoring sessions for wedding photographers and others in the creative industries - local businesses, interior designers, dress designers, you name it! Everyone is welcome. I offer help and guidance with a large range of SEO issues from technical to content strategies and planning, keyword planning and analysis, website audits and analysis, backlink creation, internal link structure, redirection and website migration to any other queries you might have!
