SEO for Photographers: How to Go About it in [2024]

As a photographer, do you find it challenging to draw more customers to your website? Are you of the opinion that your extraordinary pictures are not receiving sufficient recognition? If so, then it’s essential to prioritize search engine optimization (SEO).

The aim of this article is to assist you in creating a successful SEO content plan for your photography website. From choosing the right keywords to creating engaging content, we will cover everything you need to know to attract more clients and grow your business. Let’s begin enhancing the SEO of your website by taking out your camera and initiating the process.

What makes SEO crucial for photographers and videographers?

Photographers and videographers encounter multiple challenges in drawing and retaining clients due to the fiercely competitive nature of the contemporary creative sector. Due to the advancements in digital marketing, SEO has become an essential technique for enhancing your website’s online presence and augmenting its natural web traffic. Whether you choose to perform SEO on your own or enlist a specialist, outranking is a viable option. SEO involves optimizing your website and online content to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) when relevant keywords are searched. Photographers and videographers need to prioritize SEO due to the following factors:

1. Improving Online Visibility: SEO helps photographers and videographers to update their online visibility by ranking higher in SERPs.The score for on-page SEO evaluates the level of optimization a page has undergone in order to rank well on search engines. When potential clients search for photography or videography services, they are more likely to find your website if it appears on the first page of search results.
2. Increased Organic Traffic: SEO can help photographers and videographers to increase their organic traffic, which refers to the number of visitors who find your website through browsers. Attracting more visitors who are interested in your SEO services can be achieved by optimizing your website and online content for appropriate keywords.
3. Better User Experience: SEO involves optimizing your website for both search engines and users. By improving the user experience of your website, you can increase the likelihood of visitors staying on your website and ultimately converting into clients. This can include optimizing website speed, improving website navigation, and ensuring that your website is mobile-friendly.
4. Targeting Relevant Keywords: SEO allows photographers and videographers to target relevant keywords that potential clients are searching for. By creating content that is optimized for these keywords, you can attract more visitors who are interested in your services.
5. Measurable Results: With SEO, photographers, and videographers can prioritize tasks and see measurable results. This means that they can allocate their time and resources more efficiently and improve their bottom line. By tracking website traffic, leads, and conversions, photographers and videographers can see the impact of their SEO efforts and make data-driven decisions to improve their online presence and client acquisition.

SEO KPIs for photographers: How to Measure the Success of Your SEO Strategies

As a photographer, having a strong online presence is crucial in attracting potential clients. By optimizing your website with relevant keywords and location-specific information, you can increase your visibility on search engines like Google. However, it’s important to track your progress through SEO Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to ensure that your efforts are paying off.

One important KPI is client booking. By tracking the number of clients who book your services through your website, you can determine the effectiveness of your SEO strategy. Another KPI to consider is appointments. By monitoring the number of appointments scheduled through your website, you can see if your SEO efforts are leading to increased engagement from potential clients.

Lastly, your position in Google Business is a crucial KPI to track. By optimizing your Google My Business listing with relevant information and keywords, you can increase your chances of appearing in the coveted “3-pack” of local search results. This can lead to increased visibility and ultimately, more clients.

How to implement SEO for photography and videography websites

With millions of competitors in the same niche, it can be challenging to stand out and be noticed by search engines. This is where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes in. By implementing organic SEO best practices, photographers and creatives can differentiate themselves and increase their online visibility. Outranking offers onboard resources which will assist you to optimize your page step by step.

Step 1:Develop the structure of your website

Step 2: Make a List of Keywords Services that are in line with the offerings of your business.

Step 3: Cluster Keywords in each service area to determine what topics to create

Step 4: Create a Content Calendar and prioritize your photography and videography SEO efforts

Step 5: Establish a Content Production Process, SOPs, and Content Briefs, Or Hire an Agency to help

Step 6: Create SEO-optimized content for service pages and blogs

Step 7: Optimize Internal Linking

Step 8: Acquire links (backlinks) and local references for your photography and videography website

Step 9: Optimize page speed and website experience

Step 10: Track rankings Using Google Search Console

Step 11: Optimize your photography and videography Local Google My Business account

Step 12: Step 12: Invest in the right SEO content optimization tool to set up the structure, create a process, and optimize content

Step 13: Focus on the ultimate goal: leads/conversions

Step 1: Develop the structure of your website

The first step to implementing better SEO for a photography or videography business is understanding its core areas. This means identifying the main services or products that the business offers and breaking them down into specific areas that connect with the core offering. By doing this, the business can focus on the most relevant keywords and create a content plan that targets those website domains. AI helps with keyword research, SEO writing checker, SEO content marketing, and many more.

To break down the website architecture of a photography or videography business into core offerings and its extended list of sub-areas, the business should start by identifying its main services or products. For example, a photography business may offer services such as wedding photography, portrait photography, and event photography. A videography business may offer services such as wedding videography, corporate videography, and promotional videography.

Once the main services or products have been identified, the business can create a table that lists the core service areas and their extended list of sub-areas. Here is an example of how this could look for a photography business:

Core Offering Areas	Extended List of Sub Areas
Wedding Photography	1. Engagement photos 2. Bridal portraits 3. Ceremony coverage 4. Reception coverage 5. Album design
Portrait Photography	1. Family portraits 2. Senior portraits 3. Headshots 4. Pet portraits 5. Newborn photography
Event Photography	1. Corporate events 2. Conferences 3. Parties 4. Fundraisers 5. Sporting events

As shown in the table, the core offering areas for the photography business are wedding photography, portrait photography, and event photography. Each of these areas has an extended list of sub-areas that can be targeted for SEO purposes. For example, the wedding photography area includes engagement photos, bridal portraits, ceremony coverage, reception coverage, and album design. The business can enhance its SEO and draw in a larger pool of potential clients by aiming at these particular sub-areas through the use of appropriate keywords and content.

Step 2: Make a List of Keywords Services that are in line with the offerings of your business.

When performing keyword research for a photography or videography business, there are three key things to keep in mind:

1. Identify the core areas of your website: Before starting the keyword research process, it’s important to identify the core areas of your photography or videography website. This includes the different types of photography or videography services you offer, such as wedding photography, portrait photography, corporate videography, etc.
2. Use a keyword research tool: Once you have identified the core areas of your website, you can use a keyword research tool such as Semrush or Outranking to gather a list of relevant keywords for each area. For example, if you offer wedding photography services, you can plug in “wedding photography” as a keyword in the tool and it will generate a list of related keywords such as “wedding photographer”, “bridal portraits”, “engagement photos”, etc.
3. Refine your keyword list: After gathering a list of keywords for each core area of your website, it’s important to refine the list by eliminating irrelevant or outdated keywords. This will help you focus on analyzing the most important keywords more efficiently.

Here are the logical steps to do the keyword research for a photography or videography website using Semrush or Outranking:

1. Identify the core areas of your photography or videography website, such as wedding photography, portrait photography, corporate videography, etc.

Use Semrush or Outranking to gather a list of relevant keywords for each core area such as; Portrait photography. Click on the keyword overview and enter the keyword.

3. Exclude irrelevant or outdated keywords using the keyword research tool’s filters or options.

4. Download the CSV file for each core area’s keyword list and combine them into single filenames for easier management.

5. Refine the keyword list by eliminating any remaining irrelevant or outdated keywords.

Once the keywords for each sub-group in a core service area have been collected, the next step is to move on to the keyword analysis process. This involves analyzing the search volume, competition, and relevancy of each keyword to determine which ones are most valuable for your photography or videography business.

Step 3: Cluster Keywords in each service area to determine what topics to create

Keyword clustering is a process of grouping keywords into semantic terms and similar intent groups. This process is essential for photographers and videographers’ websites because it helps to identify the most relevant and valuable keywords to target for SEO and content creation. By grouping keywords into clusters, photographers, and videographers can create a more effective content strategy that targets specific headings or topics and audience interests, leading to higher search engine ranking factors and increased traffic to their URLs.

For example, let’s say a photographer has a keyword list that includes terms such as “wedding photography,” “portrait photography,” “family photography,” and “event photography.”

To pick a primary keyword for each group of clusters, photographers and videographers should consider several factors such as the competitiveness of the keyword, the number of backlinks their competitors have, and their topical authority. Analyze their rivals’ topic coverage, and evaluate both their and competitors’ expertise in the subject matter by utilizing a tool such as Outranking. Additionally, review the minimum backlinks of the competition. By doing so, they can identify keywords that are less competitive and have a higher chance of ranking high in search engine results pages (SERPs). It’s important to hire someone who knows what they are doing if the photography or videography business doesn’t have an in-house SEO team because SEO is a complex and constantly evolving field.

Step 4: Create a Content Calendar and prioritize your photography and videography SEO efforts

To prioritize keywords for creating and optimizing content for a photographer or videographer’s website, it is important to first create a list of primary keywords and groups. This can be done by brainstorming and researching the most relevant and popular keywords related to the business. Once this list is created, the next step is to use Outranking’s keyword “strategy topics and planner” page to map out a plan and schedule for the content.

Outranking can help with prioritization by providing a priority-setting feature that allows users to set priorities for keywords from high to low.

A table can be utilized to determine the most important keywords for a photographer or videographer’s website.

Priority	Keywords Containing	Why
High	Wedding photography, Portrait photography, Event videography	Can define the business as a thought leader and support important pages for the flow of information
Medium	Commercial photography, Product photography, Real estate videography	Can place the business among many competitors
Low	How-to guides for photography and videography, Photography and videography equipment reviews	Can define the business as a thought leader and support important pages for the flow of information

Step 5: Establish a Content Production Process, SOPs, and Content Briefs, Or Hire an Agency to help

For a photography or videography business, implementing SEO is crucial to attract potential clients and increase visibility. However, it is not enough to just have a bunch of keywords and ideas floating around. To successfully implement SEO, it is important to have a well-defined process and create detailed SPOs or content briefs. Here are three expert SEO tips to ensure you note down a thorough content creation and optimization process:

1. Creating solid SEO content briefs: A content brief is a document that outlines the goals, target audience, tone, and messaging for a specific piece of content. It helps the writer to stay focused and on track while creating content. To create a solid content brief, you should identify your target audience, define your goals, research your topic, and outline the structure of your content.
2. Setting up the proper content calendar: A content calendar is a schedule that outlines when and where you will publish your content. It helps you to stay organized and consistent with your content creation.
3. Setting up an SEO workflow for the tasks: A workflow is a sequence of tasks that need to be completed to achieve a specific goal. It helps to ensure that all jobs are completed in a timely and organized manner.

Step 6: Create SEO-optimized content for service pages and blogs

Creating SEO-optimized content for each service page URL and blog article is crucial for ensuring that your photography or videography business is spending money on content that will yield results. This is because SEO optimization helps your website rank higher on search engines, making it easier for potential clients to find you. By optimizing your content, you can attract more organic traffic to your website, which can lead to more inquiries and bookings.

Outranking’s SEO content optimization and writing platform can help busy photographers or videographers with limited time to write SEO-friendly blog posts to ensure the highest possible organic exposure. The SEO content editor evaluates your writing and recommends ways to enhance your SEO title and meta description, generating greater organic outreach. Additionally, it offers a thorough outline analysis and proposes specific keywords to include in your piece for comprehensive coverage of all concepts related to the main keyword as well as its surrounding entities. Moreover, it checks whether common NLP terms or topics used by competing web pages have been incorporated into your work and shows how often each term has been employed through an easily understandable term map.

Step 7: Optimize Internal Linking

Enhancing the internal linking of current pages can boost a website’s traffic by leveraging the influence of well-positioned pages and transferring some to the desired page for increased keyword ranking. By analyzing the positions of existing pages, you can find pages ranking between 1 and 10 (top 4-14 positions) with keywords that can be optimized for better internal linking.

For a photography or videography website, pages with keywords related to specific services or types of photography/videography (e.g. “wedding photography,” “portrait photography,” “corporate videography”) would be good pages to optimize for better internal linking.

Step 8: Acquire links (backlinks) and local references for your photography and videography website

For a photographer or videographer’s website to improve its local SEO, it is essential to obtain backlinks and citations from nearby sources. When a business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) are mentioned on other websites, it is known as a local citation. On the other hand, links to a photographer or videographer’s website from external sites are called backlinks.

Acquiring local citations can help with local SEO by increasing the legitimacy and trustworthiness of the business in the eyes of search engines like Google. If numerous reliable and pertinent websites display identical NAP data, search engines become more assured of the existence and operation of the business as well as its authenticity. This can enhance the local search query ranking for that business. In fact, according to a survey by Moz, citations are the fifth most important ranking signal for local queries.

There are two types of citations: structured and unstructured. Structured citations list the NAP information of a business and are commonly found on directory listings and social media profiles. Unstructured citations are contextual mentions of a business and are usually found in blog posts, forum posts, or press mentions.

To build citations, businesses should follow these four steps:

1. Get listed with the ‘big three’ data aggregators: Acxiom, Infogroup, and Localeze. Business data is gathered and dispersed by these aggregators to numerous websites and directories.
2. Submit to other core sites: This includes popular directories like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and Google My Business.
3. Submit to popular industry and local sites: This includes websites that are specific to the photographer or videographer’s industry or local area.
4. Pursue unstructured citations: This involves getting mentioned in blog posts like photography blog posts, forum posts, or press mentions.

According to BrightLocal’s Local Citations Trust Report, businesses with more than 80 citations have 23% more clicks to their website than those with fewer than 80 citations. Additionally, businesses with more than 100 citations rank 2.5 times higher in Google Maps than those with fewer than 100 citations.

Table of Data Aggregators and Websites for Citations:

Data Aggregator	Websites to Get Citations From
Acxiom	Yelp, Yellow Pages, Facebook
Infogroup	Google My Business, Bing Places, Yahoo Local
Localeze	Foursquare, Apple Maps, MapQuest

Step 9: Optimize page speed and website experience

Photographers and videographers need to optimize their website’s page speed and user experience for better rankings in 2024 as it can lead to increased traffic, better engagement, and ultimately, more business opportunities.

An SEO landing page can improve your website’s conversion rate by providing visitors with relevant and targeted information that encourages them to take the desired action like filling out a form. To quickly optimize page speed and website experience, photographers and videographers can use better and lighter themes available on Codecanyon, as well as Nitropack-like WordPress plugins that can help optimize various elements of their website.

Step 10: Track rankings Using Google Search Console

It is vital for photographers and videographers to link with Google Search Console and monitor their rankings in order to enhance natural traffic and exposure. Photographers and videographers have the ability to enhance their current content, discover fresh prospects, and boost low-performing pages through the utilization of information obtained from Google Search Console.

To interpret the website ranking data, photographers, and videographers can use the following table:

Goal	Action	Ranking Data
Optimize internal linking	Locate pages that have the designated keywords ranked within the top 4 to 14 positions.	Search for web pages that have keywords ranked between 4-14 and enhance their internal linking system in order to boost their Pagerank.
Find new opportunities to build topical authority	Pages with no ranking keywords in the top 20 positions that don’t align with the user’s search intent	Identify pages that have no ranking keywords in the top 20 positions and create fresh content that aligns with the user’s search intent.
Find underperforming pages	Pages with no ranking keywords in the top 20 positions that don’t align with the user’s search intent	Examine pages that have no ranking keywords in the top 20 positions and either improve them or redirect them to improve their performance.

By taking these actions, photographers and videographers can improve their SEO content strategy, increase their website’s visibility and attract more potential clients. By identifying and improving underperforming pages, they can ensure that their website’s content is always up-to-date and relevant to their client’s needs. SEO content audit tool will improve the quality of your content and make necessary changes. For photographers and videographers seeking to enhance their online visibility and draw in more potential clients, it is crucial to establish a connection with Google Search Console and monitor website rankings.

Step 11: Optimize your photography and videography Local Google My Business account

Google My Business is a free service that allows businesses to provide more information about their business when it appears in search, including business photos, videos, mobile device numbers, business hours, and hyperlinks to reservation services. To optimize their listings for local search, photographers and videographers can follow these practical steps:

1. Create a Google My Business account and fill out all the necessary information, including business name, address, phone number, and website URL. For example, a photographer can add their studio address and phone number, along with their website URL to showcase their photography portfolio.
2. Choose and click the right indexation for your business and write a concise description that includes relevant keywords. For example, a videographer can choose the category “Video Production Service” and write a description that highlights their expertise in wedding videography.
3. Add high-quality photos and videos of your work to showcase your skills and attract potential clients. For example, a photographer can add a portfolio of their favorite shots, while a videographer can add a showreel of their best wedding videos.
4. Keep your business information up-to-date and respond to customer feedback promptly. For example, a photographer can update their business hours during the holiday season and respond to positive reviews with a thank you message.
5. Use Google My Business insights to track your performance and make data-driven decisions. For example, a videographer can track how many people are viewing their listing and adjust their marketing strategy accordingly.

Personalized example:

A wedding photographer can optimize their Google My Business listing by adding high-quality photos of their previous wedding shoots, choosing the category “Wedding Photographer,” and writing a description that highlights their experience in capturing candid moments. They can also respond to customer reviews, update their business hours during peak wedding season, and use insights to track their performance and make data-driven decisions.

Step 12: Invest in the right tools to set up the structure, create a process, and optimize content

For photographers or videographers to thrive in SEO, it is essential to invest in the correct tools like Outranking. It’s an inclusive SEO platform that offers performance tracking, content optimization, and keyword research services. AI for SEO offers keyword suggestions, content optimization recommendations, and performance metrics to help optimize pages efficiently.

Photographers and videographers must prioritize assembling the appropriate team to support their endeavors, as effective teamwork and communication are crucial for accomplishing objectives and creating top-notch content.

Step 13: Focus on the ultimate goal: leads/conversions

The majority of websites prioritize organic traffic as it provides a budget-friendly approach to drawing in potential customers without the need for paid advertising. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) consultants send their clients frequent SEO reports. An example of a short-tail keyword that brings lots of unrelated traffic is “photography” or “videography”, as these keywords are too broad and can attract people who are not looking for a specific type of photography or videography service. On the other hand, a more specific keyword such as “wedding photographer in [city name]” or “corporate videographer in [city name]” may have fewer searches, but it will attract a more targeted audience who are more likely to convert into paying clients.

How to evaluate an agency to help with SEO for your photography and videography business

Expertise, Reviews, and Results

When evaluating an agency to help with SEO for your photography or videography website, it’s important to look for expertise, reviews, and results. Here are some tips on how to evaluate an agency:

1. Look for real-world SEO experience: Select an SEO agency with a minimum of 5-10 years of expertise, specifically in your industry. It is preferable to choose an agency that also has practical knowledge in photography or videography as they will have a better comprehension of the competitive environment and can approach strategy algorithms more inventively.
2. Check for reviews and testimonials: Seek out feedback and recommendations from other photography or videography companies that have collaborated with the agency. This will provide insight into the agency’s performance history and the outcomes they have achieved for similar businesses in your field.
3. Evaluate their approach: A good SEO agency will employ a proven process and customized approach. Ask the agency about their process for performing website audits and search engine optimization. Make sure they have a customized approach tailored to the unique competitive position of your business.

For example

A good agency might perform an industry analysis to determine that opportunity exists and value will be created once SEO objectives are achieved. They might also perform competitive research to assess the competitive landscape and probability of success.

Photographers or Videographers SEO services offered

When evaluating an agency to help with SEO for your photography or videography business website, there are a few key factors to consider:

1. Proven Process and Customized Approach: Look for an agency that has a proven process and principles for website audits and SEO, but also applies a customized approach tailored to your unique competitive position. Ask about their industry analysis, competitive research, strategy design, implementation, and follow-up process.
2. Creativity and Innovation: A good SEO agency should be highly creative and innovative. Ask about their unique strategies and approaches that have helped their clients stand out from the competition. Avoid agencies that rely on cookie-cutter, boilerplate strategies.
3. Real-World SEO Experience: Look for an agency with at least 5 to 10 years of real-world experience in your niche. They will better understand the competitive landscape and be more creative in their approach. Beware of salesmen who promise the world but have little SEO experience.

For example, if you run a wedding photography business, look for an agency that has experience working with wedding photographers and has developed unique strategies for optimizing wedding photography websites. Ask about their process for analyzing the wedding photography industry and researching competitors to develop a customized SEO strategy. Look for examples of their creativity and innovation in optimizing wedding photography sites, such as unique keyword targeting or content strategies that have helped their clients rank higher in search results.

Contract duration and flexibility

When evaluating an agency to help with SEO for your photography or videography website, it’s important to look for expertise, reviews, and results. Here are some tips on how to evaluate an agency:

1. Look for real-world SEO experience: Choose an agency that has at least 5-10 years of experience in SEO, preferably working with websites in your niche. An agency with hands-on experience in photography or videography will better understand the competitive landscape and be more creative and innovative in its approach to strategy design.
2. Check for reviews and testimonials: Look for reviews and testimonials from other photography or videography businesses that have worked with the agency. This will give you an idea of the agency’s track record and the results they have delivered for other businesses in your industry.
3. Evaluate their approach: A good SEO agency will employ a proven process and customized approach. Ask the agency about their process for performing website audits and search engine optimization. Make sure they have a customized approach tailored to the unique competitive position of your business.

For example

A good agency might perform an industry analysis to determine that opportunity exists and value will be created once SEO objectives are achieved. They might also perform competitive research to assess the competitive landscape and probability of success. Based on this analysis, they should develop a unique strategy to help your photography or videography business achieve a sustainable competitive advantage within your niche.

Need an SEO Strategist to set up the plan and answer all the pressing questions?

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the concept of SEO and unsure of where to start, it may be worth considering hiring an SEO consultant to guide you through the process. An SEO consultant can help you develop a solid SEO plan and ensure you have a thorough understanding of the ins and outs of SEO before you even think about hiring an agency.

If you are struggling with SEO, you can hire an SEO copywriter, don’t leave your online success to chance – contact Outranking today to learn more about our SEO consulting services. Collaborating with an SEO consultant can be advantageous as it helps you steer clear of costly errors and guarantees that your endeavors in SEO are directed toward the appropriate domains, ultimately saving you time and money. Additionally, having a specialist by your side provides reassurance that all possible queries related to SEO will be answered and guidance provided during every stage. So if you’re ready to take your SEO to the next level, consider hiring an SEO consultant today.We’ll also help you with local SEO, mobile SEO, and the use of SEO analytics and tools to track your progress and make adjustments as needed.