I am by NO MEANS an expert at SEO - I really just know the basics - but I've gotten some photographers asking questions about it so I thought I'd share what I know here in case it can help anyone. Feel free to get a conversation going in the comments -- I'm sure there will be many of you who know more and can add to what I share.
Let me say up front that I don't think SEO is super-helpful for booking wedding clients. At least it hasn't proven to be for me. In my seven years of shooting weddings I think I've booked 3 weddings due to google searches. I think, like print advertising, it could be helpful in lower-end markets but if your prices are on the higher end, most people aren't looking for their photographer on Google - they're asking their planner and friends for recommendations. But SEO has its place. It's been great for my album design template sales. My Album Design Template Website comes up 1st in Google for the search term "album design templates" and I know from my Google Analytics that SEO is responsible for 50% of the traffic to that site. So yay for that!
Like I said above, I'm by no means the expert and many of my friends who are photographers here in Arizona come up ranking higher on key search terms than I do. I've never paid anyone to optimize my sites for SEO - everything I've done has been due to the simple tips I'm going to share with you. And I wouldn't recommend that you pay a hefty price for a SEO service that promises to get you to the top of page 1. It's too expensive for the return and if you just put a little work into it, you can get to page 1 or 2 of your local market yourself.
First you need to decide which key word searches you want to be optimized for. These are mine and also where I rank when they are typed into Google:
"Phoenix Wedding Photographer" - 1st on page 1
"Arizona Wedding Photographer" - 9th on page 2
"Scottsdale Wedding Photographer" - 3rd on page 4
Once you've decided on your keywords, try using this tool to quickly find out where you currently rank:
Let me say up front that I don't think SEO is super-helpful for booking wedding clients. At least it hasn't proven to be for me. In my seven years of shooting weddings I think I've booked 3 weddings due to google searches. I think, like print advertising, it could be helpful in lower-end markets but if your prices are on the higher end, most people aren't looking for their photographer on Google - they're asking their planner and friends for recommendations. But SEO has its place. It's been great for my album design template sales. My Album Design Template Website comes up 1st in Google for the search term "album design templates" and I know from my Google Analytics that SEO is responsible for 50% of the traffic to that site. So yay for that!
Like I said above, I'm by no means the expert and many of my friends who are photographers here in Arizona come up ranking higher on key search terms than I do. I've never paid anyone to optimize my sites for SEO - everything I've done has been due to the simple tips I'm going to share with you. And I wouldn't recommend that you pay a hefty price for a SEO service that promises to get you to the top of page 1. It's too expensive for the return and if you just put a little work into it, you can get to page 1 or 2 of your local market yourself.
First you need to decide which key word searches you want to be optimized for. These are mine and also where I rank when they are typed into Google:
"Phoenix Wedding Photographer" - 1st on page 1
"Arizona Wedding Photographer" - 9th on page 2
"Scottsdale Wedding Photographer" - 3rd on page 4
Once you've decided on your keywords, try using this tool to quickly find out where you currently rank:
Pretty nifty! Definitely easier than paging through organic Google results!
You may want to make note of your rankings on Google for your keywords so that you can see how they improve over time after implementing some of the following tips.
1. Pick your URL strategically
More than likely you've all already committed to your URL, but in the future, if you start a new site, pick your URL strategically. It makes a big difference for SEO. I was lucky enough to get the URL "photojunctiontemplates.com" for my album design template site - a term that is highly searched by people who are looking for exactly what I'm offering.
2. Change your website title
When you pull up your website in a browser, what does it say on the title tab?
You may want to make note of your rankings on Google for your keywords so that you can see how they improve over time after implementing some of the following tips.
1. Pick your URL strategically
More than likely you've all already committed to your URL, but in the future, if you start a new site, pick your URL strategically. It makes a big difference for SEO. I was lucky enough to get the URL "photojunctiontemplates.com" for my album design template site - a term that is highly searched by people who are looking for exactly what I'm offering.
2. Change your website title
When you pull up your website in a browser, what does it say on the title tab?
Have it changed to your top keyword. And if possible, change the titles of different pages on your site. These are my website titles:
Wedding site - "Phoenix Wedding Photographer | Melissa Jill Photography"
Blog - "Wedding Photography Blog"
Workshop site - "Photography workshops with Melissa Jill"
The title is important for SEO so why waste it by just using your business name?
3. Website description
Your website description is what appears below your website title in organic Google results. Pack it full of keywords that you want to be found by. Here is mine:
Wedding site - "Phoenix Wedding Photographer | Melissa Jill Photography"
Blog - "Wedding Photography Blog"
Workshop site - "Photography workshops with Melissa Jill"
The title is important for SEO so why waste it by just using your business name?
3. Website description
Your website description is what appears below your website title in organic Google results. Pack it full of keywords that you want to be found by. Here is mine:
4. HTML content
Websites that are heavy in Flash content are not as searchable as those created in HTML. So check with your web programmer or company to see if the text content on your site is done in HTML. If possible, try to get as much of your text content created in HTML. For those of you using ShowIt Sites, one of the things I love about them is that even though they are a Flash-based program, every page of their sites also contains an HTML mirrored page so the sites are fully searchable.
5. Incoming and outgoing links
One of the biggest things that determines SEO ranking is who you are linking to and who is linking to you. The more you can build up your web of interconnectedness with other sites that are related to your field, the more you will be deemed relevant by Google to searches made in that field. So become a linking fiend. Whenever you mention anything on your blog that is linkable, link to it. And make sure you use descriptive words in your link. "Click here" is much less effective than "super-cool Arizona photographer Melissa Jill" for instance, as link verbiage. You also might consider doing some web advertising on some local or national sites that are used by brides to search for photographers. Not only may you end up booking brides through them, but you will benefit from the power of their incoming link for your SEO.
6. Blog frequently
If your website is your blog or you blog resides on your website, blogging consistently can drastically maximize your SEO. Honestly, I believe this has been the most powerful thing I've done to increase my ranking. Search engines are constantly checking the web for new content and the more you update your content and keep it fresh, the more weight the search engines will give your site.
That's the basics! I hope you find some of it helpful. Feel free to share more in the comments! And if you're interested, you can find out about other resources I offer photographers by clicking here!
Websites that are heavy in Flash content are not as searchable as those created in HTML. So check with your web programmer or company to see if the text content on your site is done in HTML. If possible, try to get as much of your text content created in HTML. For those of you using ShowIt Sites, one of the things I love about them is that even though they are a Flash-based program, every page of their sites also contains an HTML mirrored page so the sites are fully searchable.
5. Incoming and outgoing links
One of the biggest things that determines SEO ranking is who you are linking to and who is linking to you. The more you can build up your web of interconnectedness with other sites that are related to your field, the more you will be deemed relevant by Google to searches made in that field. So become a linking fiend. Whenever you mention anything on your blog that is linkable, link to it. And make sure you use descriptive words in your link. "Click here" is much less effective than "super-cool Arizona photographer Melissa Jill" for instance, as link verbiage. You also might consider doing some web advertising on some local or national sites that are used by brides to search for photographers. Not only may you end up booking brides through them, but you will benefit from the power of their incoming link for your SEO.
6. Blog frequently
If your website is your blog or you blog resides on your website, blogging consistently can drastically maximize your SEO. Honestly, I believe this has been the most powerful thing I've done to increase my ranking. Search engines are constantly checking the web for new content and the more you update your content and keep it fresh, the more weight the search engines will give your site.
That's the basics! I hope you find some of it helpful. Feel free to share more in the comments! And if you're interested, you can find out about other resources I offer photographers by clicking here!
Comments
