SEO For Photographers: Proven SEO Tips for Photographers to Rank Higher on the Search Engines

Are you a photographer? If yes, SEO for photographers can get your business skipping, hopping and running. Most people search for photographers online, whether it is for a wedding, reception, or birthday occasion.

Hence, there are two things you must do. First, get hold of a website (preferably akin to the name of your practice), and second, implement SEO practices on the website to make it rank better.

You may ask, What happens when a photography website ranks better?

Well, for starters, more people who browse for photographers online will be able to come across your page. And, if you keep your website elements on point, then there is a good chance that you will get more calls from people seeking your services.

What is SEO for Photographers?

SEO for photographers implies a comprehensive set of website practices that are aimed at ranking your photography website better on the search engines. Search engine optimization is one of the most effective marketing tools that can help your website earn more traffic and better online reputation.

Photography SEO includes image optimization, elaborate blog posts, creating albums, checking mobile responsiveness, website loading time, canonical tags, guest posting, backlink profile building, etc. We can broadly categorize photographer SEO into three types, — on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO.

If you are new to these terms, don’t worry; we shall get into details on each of these topics going forward in the blog.

Is SEO Really Important for Photographers?

Photographers require SEO for their websites to increase their online visibility. SEO is practically the boosting force of these websites to come to the forefront of the Google search.

While there are many other ways to expand the reach of your business out there, deep down we all know that in the era of digital marketing, brands get created/made online. So, SEO for photographers can help you go the extra mile.

Digital marketing is proven to be one of the most affordable forms of advertisement with maximum customer engagement and conversion rates across the globe. According to a recent study, an average man spends about 6 hours and 58 minutes on the Internet per day which is ¼  of his day.

Now, if you join the dots, you will see a clear picture of where you want to invest your money. One of the main ways to make and bake a social presence online is to use search engine optimization services for photographers.

After reading this article, you will know what you need to fix on the website of your photo studio to increase relevant traffic.

Without further ado, let’s dive in:

17 Best Practices to Boost Photography Website Ranking

The process of SEO is complex and comprises a lot of elements. If you are new to SEO, you can adopt some simple seo strategies to make a difference in your search engine rankings.

Let’s take a look at top 17 SEO best practices for photographers.

1- Optimize The Title Tags

Title Tags are displayed on search engine ranking pages as clickable titles. They tell users and search engines what the web pages are about.

As title tags help search engines understand what a web page is about, you must optimize all the title tags of your photo studio website.

Here are some points to help you write good title tags:

• Keep your title tags around 50-60 characters
• Load up your title tags with your target keywords
• Write a unique title for each page to get users to click on it

Title tags optimization is the first step in improving the search visibility of your photo studio website. Skipping this factor can confuse the search engines about what a particular page is about.

2- Write Descriptive Meta Descriptions

Meta descriptions are brief snippets of your web pages. In around 155 characters, meta descriptions summarize what visitors will find if they open those pages.

Follow these best practices to write click-worthy Meta descriptions for the web pages of your photography website:

• Keep the length strictly limited to 155 characters
• Include a call-to-action
• Don’t forget to include your focused keyword
• Make your Meta description unique for each of your web pages

The best way to write meta descriptions for your photo studio website is to think less about SEO and more about click-throughs.

3- Content With Targeted Keywords

Google itself has said that content is perhaps the most critical ranking factor. The search engine giant looks out for its users and constantly takes updates so that it can put forth the best search results that are relevant for the users.

Google detsets spammy or irrelevant content. With its core focus on NLP (natural language processing) and EEAT (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness), this search engine only likes websites that are rich in content that is written in simple words. 

Although targeting keywords in the content is important, keyword stuffing is a strict NO-NO. Making your language natural in weblogs and service pages should be the goal. 

In fact, if you search with top photography keywords like best wedding photographer or best birthday photography, you will come across landing pages that have a keyword volume not exceeding 0.8% of the entire content.

To improve the visibility of your photo studio website, you should optimize the content of your website.

SEO for photographers will not yield optimum results without unique, optimized content including important keywords (however don’t overstuff it).

4- Use Heading Tags And Keyword Phrases

Heading tags are used to create headings in your web content. They are h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, and h6.

These tags tell the search engines that the content has several headings. In fact, without heading tags, your content can seem like a big block of words to Google crawlers and fetchers.

H1 is the most important heading tag. It is usually used to create a page title of web page content.

Now comes the question how will you plan heading tags in your content?

Ideally, you should use the h1 tag as the title of your content and the h2 tag as the subheadings of your content. The h3 tags are used for the subheadings of h2, h4 for the subheadings of h3, and so on.

Also, you should not forget to include focused keywords or key phrases in your headings. In fact, it is a mandate to incorporate the focused keyword in the blog post titles for better Google ranking.

5- Internal Page Linking

For powerful SEO, you need to make sure that your photography web pages are properly linked.

The thumb rule of interlinking is, You should try to maximize the number of internal links between the pages of your own website. 

Let’s give you a live example. 

Right now, you are reading about photography SEO for better online visibility. Now, there are a few of you who might be interested in social media marketing for your photography business. You are likely to click on the link we have given here. 

It would increase the on-page time of our page and add positively to the visitor behavior pattern. It is the same with Google bots. 

Suppose a Google spider has reached page A of your website. Now, if page A has an internal link to page B of your website, the spider will also index page B.

6- Use Image ALT Tags

According to Yoast, the alt text describes what’s on the image and the function of the image on the page.

It is a matter of common sense that Google’s programming language cannot read an image. You should use alt tags to tell the search engines what an image is about. These tags are similar to the meta description of a web blog.

As title tags tell search engines what web pages are about, alt tags inform search engines what images are about.

So you should never use images on your web pages without alt tags. Doing so can affect your rank on the search engine results pages.

7- Use Canonical Tags

You should use a canonical tag if the same content appears on the different URLs of your photography website.

“A canonical tag (aka “rel canonical”) is a way of telling search engines that a specific URL represents the master copy of a page. Using the canonical tag prevents problems caused by identical or “duplicate” content appearing on multiple URLs,” explains Moz

As copied content affects SEO for photographers, use canonical tags to avoid it.

8- Check Indexing

Google may temporarily or permanently remove sites from its index and search results if it believes it is obligated to do so by law, if the sites do not meet Google’s quality guidelines, or for other reasons, such as if the sites detract from users’ ability to locate relevant information.

So you should check indexing from time to time and fix index coverage issues if you find any.

9- Ensure Mobile Friendliness

Mobile friendliness is very important for SEO for photographers. Why?

Now, people are using more mobile phones than desktops to conduct online research. If your photo studio website is not optimized for mobile devices, you will lose a significant number of users.

I have written a detailed guide on Mobile SEO. It will certainly help.

10- Promote on Social Media

According to Statista,

It is estimated that there will be around 2.77 billion social media users around the globe, up from 2.46 billion in 2017.

If you want to grow as a photographer, you cannot ignore social media. Aggressive social media marketing will not only build your reputation but also generate leads.

Therefore, photographers should make aggressive social media marketing plans.

Will it help with SEO? Yes, it will. The more relevant social media traffic will eventually improve your ranking.

11- Build Broken Links

Backlinks are trust votes. To improve the search visibility of your photo studio, you should not only try to build backlinks but also build broken links.

Broken link building is one of the most scalable link building tactics around.

Here is a complete guide to broken link building published here.

12- Write Guest Post Blogs

No matter what people say, guest posts still rock when it comes to building PR and creating authority.

Guest posts not only drive relevant traffic to your website but also help increase lead generation.

“I’ve tried many different inbound marketing strategies, but guest blogging has remained my most treasured tool,” says Neil Patel.

However, not all guest posts bring the same glory. You will have to pick high-authority websites in the photography niche if you want to achieve lasting success.

Guest posts on high authority relevant websites are extremely good for SEO for photographers.

13- Get Interviewed

It is true that people want to hire experts. So you should try to build authority in the market if you want more people to know you.

And one way to do so is searching for opportunities to get interviewed. Approach bloggers and local journalists if they can take your interview.

And once you are successful in securing an interview, you should promote it aggressively to amplify its reach.

Does it help with photographer SEO? Yes, it does. Google will definitely love you if people love you.

14- Optimize GMB Listing

Optimizing Google My Business (GMB) listing is a must for SEO for photographers.

Now you must be thinking that why GMB is so important. My friend, your business will not appear on Google Search or Google Maps if you don’t create Google My business listing.

Without optimizing Google My Business listing, you cannot make the cut for local ranking.

15- Build Citations

Local citations are the mentions of your name, address, phone number, and website (NAP+W) in local directories.

For local ranking, local citation (like backlinks) work as trust votes. The more citations your photo studio has, the better chance it will have to rank on the top.

Therefore, you should keep building local citations. Also, you should find broken citations and fix them. This will help you improve your local ranking.

16- Use Google Maps Marketing

Google Maps Marketing is a must to improve SEO for photographers.

You must have noticed that Google has started to show Google Maps results on the search engine ranking page (SERP). And these results are often shown right below the search box, meaning you will have better visibility if you feature on Google Maps.

Google Maps Marketing will help you rank high on Google Maps and generate more relevant clicks. This will eventually improve the ranking of your photo studio website.

So never ignore Google Maps Marketing if you want to improve the SEO of your website.

17- Create and Share Local Content

People often prefer to hire a local photographer. So it is important that you should increase your visibility for local content. And the best way to do it is to create and share local content.

If you embrace the local community beyond selling your photography packages, you will find many opportunities to create and share local content, such as covering local events, taking interview of local biggies, etc.

Creating and sharing local content not only boost your local online visibility but also help you build authority in the local market.

A Blueprint to SEO for Different Types of Event Photographers:

As you are reading this blog, we can safely say that you are a budding photographer who is looking to amp up your SEO. Now, there are different photography fields. You can be someone who offers wholesome services or can specialize in one of the sectors. 

Either way, let’s dive into the section that tells you how to gear up photography SEO for your website.

1. SEO for Wedding Photographers

Wedding photography is one of the most sought after services. And if you are a photographer, we bet you have a really good collection of wedding photography sample pictures to show to the clients.

However, if you just want to attract people to you, uploading them on your website instead of searching for clients is perhaps the best SEO strategy.

Here are some tips to SEO for wedding photographers for better Google ranking;

i) Create a Separate Landing Page for SEO for Wedding Photographers:

A wedding is perhaps the most special occasion of a person. And frankly, wedding photography is quite the pocket pinch. If you specialize in this arena, you can be golden with the right SEO efforts to back you up.

First, you have to create a separate landing page for weddings. Instead of listing down all your services on the main page of your website, create individual landing pages.

As a wedding photographer, you can also create separate services for pre-wedding photo shoots, engagement shooting, videography, and other individual ceremonies.

ii) Optimize the Web Speed of the wedding photography website:

Every photo uploaded to your site needs to be compressed to increase the site speed. This is because larger images increase loading time. Compressed photos result in faster access to web pages.

As the attention span of humans is decreasing day by day, people will leave your website if it doesn’t load in under 3 seconds.

Besides, a faster loading time also contributes positively to your website rankings on the search engines. It also reduces the bounce rate and gives a better user experience to the visitors.

iii) Craft Immersive Blogs:

Content is the King! And while dealing with it you have to be super careful. Each blog on your website is for a target group. As a photographer specializing on wedding photos, you can write long blogs on rare tips to consider while shooting a wedding, or common mistakes to avoid as a wedding photographer.

You can also go a tad more technical and educate newbies in the field regarding the best camera lenses for weddings.

Focus on imparting value to the readers. The target of your blogs should not always be to get more clients. Instead, enrich your community with genuine knowledge that has value.

Accentuate the blog with some of the best wedding shots you have on your DSLR. Let your work speak for you for this one instance, even though your words are for the common good.

All blogs need not be non-promotional. You can talk about your own experience as well. Highlight the key performances or arrangements and how you create an immersive impact.

Google feeds on data, so don’t forget to use the necessary keywords in your blogs. Try mentioning venue names and optimizing them to improve on-page SEO and get highlighted. 

Here’s a tip for SEO for wedding photographers — make sure to include the venue name in the title of your blogs. It gives the article a realistic touch. You can thank me later!

iv) Develop an Interactive Website: 

It’s only natural since most of us use the internet from mobiles more than from a computer. But first, you must decide whether the page should be responsive or adaptive.

An adaptive design determines which version of the search engine should be displayed depending on the device’s hardware features e.g., screen resolution, software version etc.

In a responsive web page, the web design will change per the screen size of the device used.

To provide the best user experience, it is advised to choose a responsive website design for wedding photographers rather than an adaptive one due to its compatibility issue with a mobile site.

An interactive and responsive website creates a sense of joy for the people who are using it. Since marriage is an auspicious event of happiness and celebration, an interactive and responsive website will create a positive impact.

2. SEO For Newborn Photographers

Starting from pre-wedding photo shoots to baby showers, Western culture is being widely adapted across the country. Photos portraying newborn babies, however, are not something new in India. Professional photo shoots are quite trending nowadays.

To be at the top of the game, you need to play it right!

Here are some tips I will be sharing below to help you with your newborn photography website.

i) Target Organic CTR(Click through rate) : 

Click-through rate(CTR), as per Google, is a marketing metric that measures how often people click on links and mails. We need to generate organic leads through CTR keywords/images.

Now, this might not sound very clear to you. Let me narrow it down in simple words.

What happens to most people when they see a cute baby video or a newborn picture? They click on it to have a better view, right? Well, that’s it.

You need to put the cutest newborn baby picture or video on your website and optimize it so that people while navigating a photography site online, will click on it to have a better look at the baby.  We can call it image SEO.

It will land them on your website, and tadaa!! You have generated an organic lead.

3. SEO for Corporate Photographers

There is a fine line between Corporate photography and commercial photography which many photographers fail to identify and that sets the difference in the quality of work.

Commercial photography should focus on capturing a particular product or service the company offers. Corporate photography, on the other hand, should focus on telling a story about the brand and focus on the branding and where it portrays the company’s values and ethics.

To get that top Google search results ranking for your corporate photography page:

i) Use the names as keywords:

When we talk about Multinational Corporations (MNCs) the first thing that pops into our mind is the brand. You need to target these brands by using big shots in the corporate world like Wells Fargo, JP Morgan & Chase, and Goldman Sachs as relevant keywords in your blog.

This will help you get highlighted in the Google rankings to bag in your potential clients.

ii) Showcase photographs from annual reports:

In case your services include photography for annual reports, it will be a great idea to include a few of these reports on your website.

That way, potential clients in need of quality photos for their reports can easily get an idea of your work in the past and gauge whether it would be suitable for their needs. Most importantly, if they search for annual report photography on Google or any other search engine, your site is likely to pop up in the search results.

iii) Build Social Media Presence:

No one wants to be that pebble lying on the ground, but everyone wants to grow and promote their brand, but how?

You need to optimize your posts to stand out from the aggressive marketing on social media.

To that end, you can use specific keywords for uploading short videos on social media platforms to gain your audience’s attention. Another useful technique is to add quick links for personalized quotations through mail/WhatsApp.

4. SEO for Sports Photographers

Sports photography brings action, passion, drama and emotions from real life through striking images. Perfection lies in capturing all that at the perfect timing.

These pictures provide us with a sense of nostalgia whether we want to relieve the moment or commemorate players in portraits. To drive website traffic to your sports photography page, you can use the following effective practices.

i) Creating your domain:

You need to think of 4-5 words that come first to your mind when thinking of sports and write those down on paper. Then you need to think of the words an average local parent will search for when they will search for sports photography or any sports-related content more like local SEO keywords.

To narrow down the search intent of the potential clients.

Think of names which you would have used in your blog post title, this helps optimize the content of the page even more.

After selecting the name, purchase that domain from any platform and make it unique which will showcase your brand!

ii) Using Seasonal sales with SERP:

The use of a Search engine results page (SERP) in introducing seasonal sales and offers creates a cutting edge over increasing sales organically. 

A lot of e-commerce platforms use SERP data by recording and monitoring its features to promote their sales. Several third-party apps record these data historically from where you can buy these data easily to optimize your page and launch offers accordingly.

Conclusion

With so many photographers out there, it is never easy to stand out from the crowd if you don’t follow the best search engine optimization strategies.

Follow the best SEO practices explained in this article to improve the search visibility of your photo studio.

What about you? Do you want to share any tip on SEO for photographers? Please leave it in the comment section. I would love to know about it.

Additional Resources:

• SEO for Wedding Photographers: Proven Ways for Success