SEO for photographers
I’m all about keeping things simple — simple processes, systems, workflows — including SEO.
SEO stands for search engine optimization and it’s how you get found on google.
Here’s the kind of SEO that I like…
Simple SEO.
Uncomplicated SEO.
Free SEO.
Today I’m going to show you how to DIY your SEO so you can show up in search results and get found by your dream clients.
At the end of this post, you’ll know…
How much your site is worth
SEO tricks that will work for you
How often you should blog
If you really need to blog consistently anymore
How to get on the first page of google
How to use Instagram to help your SEO
What do you say we get you on the first page of google?!
Oh, wait! Before you click play… make sure you watch until the end of the video for extra tips and to hear about how blogging used to result in… crickets for me.
But don’t worry. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen to you.
Click play and I’ll teach you how to SEO.
Do’s and Don’ts of SEO for photographers
SEO didn’t always work for me
For 5 years, I blogged and it didn’t work at all. I did all of these things and it still didn’t work (aka don’t do this)…
Blog consistently, blog consistently, blog consistently
I blogged every wedding
I did the SEO for every blog post
I never marketed my free content because I thought that was humble
My thought: if I build it and it’s good, they will come
These things are great, but they aren’t going to get you found unless you know what kind of keywords you should be targeting.
You know… that way when your dream client is searching for a photographer in your area, you show up.
And they click to go to your site.
And book you because you’ve obviously got what they’re looking for. You want to tell your dream clients exactly what to do on your site (tip 2 at the end of the video above) so that you actually get inquiries.
Related Post: How to plan a styled shoot
Blogging consistently will bring back the people who are currently reading your blog.
But how do you get found by new people?
What I changed about SEO to make it work for me
This is what I changed and this is what to do…
I kept blogging consistently
I kept blogging all of my weddings, sessions and everything I was shooting in my photography business. But I created a workflow and started launching each wedding like you would a new site or a product. If you think about it, your photo work is the product and it deserves to be launched.
I kept doing SEO for every blog post, but I started targeting the right keywords (step 3 in the video above)
I started sharing my blog posts on social media and with my email list so they weren’t missing my free content
I stopped assuming that my photography blog posts would naturally find people and I started sharing them everywhere — Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, my email list (which was made up of guests from weddings) and I boosted facebook posts for a little more traffic to the blog post.
I started asking the people who were reading my blog post to do something with it. I asked them to share the post, comment on the post or even share their favorite facebook image when I launched the wedding.
SEO for photographers 2018
Step 1: Find your alexa ranking
Go to Alexa.com/siteinfo and enter your site URL. This is how your site is ranked and it’s based off the traffic you have on your site right now.
The truth is that you don’t need a lot of traffic to your site if you’re a photographer, but you do want to make sure that the traffic you’re getting is the right kind of traffic.
That’s why you want to target the right keywords (more on that in a bit).
The lower your Alexa number, the higher your ranking power.
The higher your Alexa number, the lower your ranking power.
But don’t worry if you have a high Alexa number — that’s exactly where I started, too! I’ll show you how to get on the first page of google so you can build your ranking power.
More ranking power = showing up in more search results
More ranking power = show up for highly searched topics
When you have more ranking power, you won’t just rank for “Waco Texas Photographer,” you’ll rank for “Texas Photographer” as well.
Step 2: Use rankank.com
Next up, go to RankAnk.com and enter your URL. This is going to put a dollar sign on your site.
This is so helpful!
If rankank.com says that your site’s value is $x and you’re not making that much in revenue each year, then you have earning potential.
Here’s what you should do…
Open a print shop online
Raise your prices (start small)
Go through a copywriting course so that your site as a clear message — I love StoryBrand for this
Grow a team of photographers under you
Blog everything you photograph to continue to build your site
If rankank.com says that your site’s value is $x and you’re making more, then you have a site or system that is working for you. If you’re finding that your revenue isn’t where you want it, then it’s time to drive more traffic to your site.
Here’s what you should do…
Go back through your old posts and optimize them for search engines
Network with other people in your industry — write blog posts interviewing each other, set up shoots and work together
Blog everything you photograph to continue to build your site
Also, rankank.com is here to tell you exactly what your site is worth.
So if you were to quit your business today, this number is the number you should ask for when you sell your site.
Not a bad retirement bonus, right?!
Step 3: Install Whats my serp
This is a free Chrome/Firefox extension and it will pull up keywords for you everywhere.
Once this is installed, go to google and type in the following: City, State Photographer
Click enter and you’ll see a list of additional keywords you can target over on the right as well as info about that specific keyword underneath the google search bar.
I want you to look at 3 different areas…
Results — This is found directly underneath the keyword you just entered. This is how much content is on the web about your keyword
Competition — How competitive this keyword is
Volume — The number of times that your keyword is being searched for each month
To learn which keywords you should be targeting, watch my YouTube video all about SEO for photographers! You can also just scroll back up to the top of this page and click play.
In the example in my video, I typed in “Branson Missouri Wedding Photographer” and discovered that this wasn’t nearly as popular as “Photographers in Branson MO.” So instead of targeting the first search term, you should target the second.
I’ll show you exactly how to do this for your own business in the video below.
Step 4: Blog your work
Blog everything you photograph.
Create a quick checklist/workflow in Asana and decide that you’ll publish your blog post 5 days after your shoot. 7 days, 14 days or on the 1 month anniversary work well, too!
How often do you want to blog?
At least once a week. Google (and other search engines) will love you for this. You want consistent traffic to your site.
Blog every wedding/shoot/session you do and if you don’t have a shoot to blog for that week?
Well, it’s time to write a blog post that will attract more of your dream clients.
Use the SEO tricks I taught you above and soon you’ll get paid to blog just because you’re bringing in clients every time you blog.
Here are some ideas…
Top 25 wedding venues in city, state
Venue tours — go photograph your favorite venues and blog about them
Interview your favorite wedding venues and don’t forget the caterers.
5 unexpected things to have with you on your wedding day
Jimmy Choo shoes vs Kate Spade shoes
Heels vs flats for your wedding day
Top 8 dress designers for your 2019 wedding
Related post: Lightroom to Instagram export settings
Blog at least once a week and blog every single session.
Step 5: Drive traffic
Now it’s time to put your marketing hat on and drive traffic, drive traffic, drive traffic.
How many times did I put out free content and not share the post anywhere? Too many times. [facepalm]
Share your post on every social media outlet — your business facebook page, instagram, pinterest, twitter and create a Lightroom slideshow and upload that video to YouTube for your video porfolio.
Related Post: Tools for your IGTV episodes
Use the same SEO strategies for YouTube (it’s a search engine) and you’ll start to get bookings from YouTube as well!
Love pinterest?
You and me both! Pin this image so you can use this post as an SEO checklist! Just name your board “Blogging Tips” and pin away!
BONUS: How to use Instagram for your SEO
You already know that Instagram isn’t a search engine.
It’s a social machine.
So get social and launch your blog post.
Did you work with other vendors on this shoot? Take the lead (since you’re the one with the images) and let them know the date your post will go live.
Related Post: Starting a Photography Business Checklist
Make sure you mention all of the vendors in the blog post and they will share your post… everywhere.
Share the blog post on your own Instagram.
Update the link in your bio to drive traffic to that post and create an instagram caption to tell people about your post.
Don’t just say “new post up! Link in profile!”
Tell a story about that photo. Tell them your favorite part of the shoot.
Your job when it comes to getting people to go to your blog post when they’re on Instagram is to make them curious!
Whew! That was fun!
Comment below and tell me — was this helpful? Can you see how SEO will pay off in your business?
Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll answer them down below. I’ll see you next week on YouTube and don’t forget to follow along on Instagram if you’re not already.
Chat soon!
