SEO for Photographers: A Guide to Getting Found Online

As a photographer turned SEO strategist, I understand firsthand how challenging it can be to master marketing strategy and get consistent inquiries. 

You’ve probably heard this three letter acronym thrown around a ton in the photography community–SEO. So, what the heck is SEO? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is simply the process of making your website easy for search engines to understand for the purpose of ranking higher in relevant search results to increase website traffic.

SEO is that missing link between a website that gets zero visitors and one that shows up when potential clients search for a local photographer. 75% of people never scroll past the first page of Google results. If you fail to optimize your site for search engines, there’s a good chance you’re not making it into the right search results.

The good news? In this guide, I’m breaking down SEO for photographers in simple terms so it’s not as complicated as it seems!

Why SEO Matters for Photographers

When I started my photography business over 6 years ago, I was making $20,000/year and struggling to find consistent clients. I was relying on word of mouth referrals and social media, and it just wasn’t cutting it! I was desperate to make it full-time as a photographer, and I hired a coach to teach me what she knew about search engine optimization and learned everything I possibly could about SEO. By leveraging SEO, my business was transformed, I started ranking on page one for several local search terms, I tripled my income, and am consistently booking clients through Google. It changed my business and–not to sound dramatic–my life!

So, how did SEO change my life? 

When I worked on my SEO strategy, it allowed me increased rankings and visibility for search terms like “Spokane Newborn Photographer” that my ideal clients were searching for. Because I was showing at the top of search, I had more people viewing my site, more client inquiries, and therefore more bookings! I was able to raise my rates and stand out in my competitive market and area.

Common Photography SEO Challenges

Photographers have a special kind of website–and I’m speaking from experience here. Our websites are meant to both sell our services and showcase our images. This can lead to some unique issues when it comes to SEO that many other service provider’s don’t have to think about.

1. Image-heavy sites: photography websites are often filled with high-resolution images for the purpose of sharing your best work. This can lead to slow page speed, which can impact rankings significantly if left unchecked. Optimizing images is so important! Keep reading and I’ll share how to do this.
2. Balancing visuals and content: one of the biggest website SEO mistakes photographers overlook is having a low content to html ratio, which means there is way more code and images on your site than actually content (aka words). Not only is this an SEO issue, it also makes it harder to convince ideal clients to take that next step to reaching out. Luckily, it’s an easy fix!
3. Portfolio pages: to have one or not to have one? This is always a question when it comes to photography website seo, and there’s no one right answer. For SEO and conversion-purposes, I personally have found that forgoing a portfolio page and having landing pages instead is the better option.

It’s truly about finding a balance between what humans will respond best to, and what it takes for search engines to understand your site better! 

Click here to download my Free Guide: 10 Common SEO Mistakes & How to Fix Them.

Choosing the Right Photography Website Platform for SEO

When choosing a website platform with SEO in mind, photographers need to think about the SEO-friendly tools the platform offers, design flexibility and ease of use, and mobile responsiveness. There are platforms that are known to be better than others when it comes to SEO, but it’s not one-size-fits all!

The most popular website platforms for photographers include Showit, Squarespace, Wix, WordPress, and Pixieset. Platforms like WordPress offer more customization and full control over SEO settings, while Showit is great for design flexibility, though its SEO features need extra effort to set up. Wix and Squarespace are user-friendly with built-in SEO features but may have limitations on customization. Pixieset is optimized for photo galleries but lacks advanced SEO tools. 

Choose a platform that balances ease of use and SEO potential to help your photography website rank well. Check out my full breakdown into the best website platforms for SEO.

Technical SEO

In order for your site to be findable online, you need to focus on the technical SEO of your website, which deals with the behind-the-scenes elements that help search engines crawl and rank your website.

Page Load Speed

Page speed is a confirmed ranking factor according to Google, and if Google cares about it, so should we. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to test your website’s speed and identify areas of improvement. Compress image files without sacrificing quality using tinypng or tinyjpg, and minimize animations on your site.

Sitemaps

Ensure your website has an XML sitemap (most of the above website platforms provide them) that lists all pages on your site in a map that makes it easier for search engines to understand your website structure. However, just because your domain has a sitemap provided by your platform doesn’t mean Google can find it, so submitting your sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tool helps them crawl and index your site.

Structured Data (Schema Markup)

Use schema markups on your website to provide search engines with additional information about your content and your business. For photographers, adding local business schema, person schema, portfolio schema, and image schema can help search engines display your information more effectively in search results.

Fix Broken Links

Make sure to check your website regularly for broken links using this free broken link checker or Screaming Frog Free Tool. Because links are like roads connecting place to place, broken links can hurt your SEO by making it harder for search engines to find and crawl your site. They also provide a poor user experience which can impact your sales and rankings. 

Create a Mobile-Friendly Website

Google literally says “mobile-friendly sites show up higher in search results” and make up over half of all searches. It’s important to ensure your website is responsive on different screen sizes, which helps user experience and can improve your SEO rankings.

Internal Linking

A great internal linking strategy is important for navigation and to help search engines crawl your site and pass on authority between pages. This can also increase the time users spend on your site, improving engagement and SEO.

Keyword Research

One of the biggest SEO mistakes I see photographers make is choosing random keywords and skipping keyword research. This is a BIG no-no, as the keywords you target are foundational to your SEO strategy and can be the difference between reaching your ideal clients or your website flopping.

Here are the three things I look at when it comes to finding those golden keywords to target.

Searchable Terms

Focus on terms your ideal clients, not you as a photographer, would actually search for. Don’t use vague or industry-specific buzz words like “moody” or “lifestyle,” because these are often not words your ideal clients would be searching. If you’re a local photographer, be sore to use location-specific keywords to attract local clients who are looking for a photographer in your area.

Search Volume

When keyword research, make sure the terms you’re targeting are actually being searched by potential clients. Each search term variation is its own keyword, so check the search volume for each keyword and focus on terms that have a consistent amount of traffic. You’d be surprised that some search terms are searched way more than others, you’ll want to leverage those!

For example, “gifts for matcha lovers” gets 260 searches per month while “gift for match lovers” (without the “s”) gets only 30. Big difference one letter makes! Hence why keyword research is SO important!

Competition & Difficulty

Another factor to take into account is competition, or difficulty. Just like with search volume, each search term varies in competition, which means that although two keywords could have the same monthly search volume, they could differ in competition. You’ll want to find that perfect balance between lower difficulty and higher search volume to find what I call “golden keywords.”

For example, a keyword with low difficulty, like “Spokane wedding photographer” (KD 15%), may be easier to rank for than a more competitive one, like “wedding photographer in Spokane” (KD 37%).

Search Intent

It’s also important to be intentional about targeting terms that match your ideal clients’ search intent. Think about who will be searching for these terms—ideally, your potential clients, not other photographers. Make sure your keywords are specific to your location to avoid attracting irrelevant traffic from areas you don’t work in. Focusing on the right keywords will help you bring in quality visitors to your site rather than just high traffic. 

Keyword Research Tools

Tools like Semrush, SEOmator, and Google Keyword Planner can help refine your research for better results.

On-Page SEO for Photographers

On-page SEO is about improving your website’s visibility by optimizing elements on your website that both search engines and users can easily understand. Here are important on-page elements photographers should focus on:

Optimize Your Website Structure

A user-friendly website structure is key for both navigation and SEO. Keep your navigation simple and clear to help visitors and search engines easily find and make sense of your content.

Use Keyword-Rich Titles and Meta Descriptions

Craft unique, keyword-optimized titles and meta descriptions for each page, targeting different primary keywords per page. This metadata is one of the first things search engines read, and are important in a successful SEO strategy! They also help visitors quickly understand what your photography website is all about.

Optimize Images

Since photographers use a lot of images in their websites, it’s important to optimize images so they comply with Google’s best practices and accessibility. This includes adding descriptive alt text, which search engines rely on to understand images. Use keywords in your alt text naturally, but make sure it describes your image accurately.

Content Optimization

The content on your site, or the copy, should be informative and relevant. This is essential for SEO, as Google wants to show only the most authoritative and helpful content to its users. Integrate your target keywords throughout your content, making sure not to overstuff your content with keywords—focus on relevance and readability.

Blogging for Photographers

Blogging can be a powerful SEO tool for photographers like you to grow online, attract more clients, and establish yourself as an expert in your niche. 

Reach More People Through Relevant Keywords

Using your blog to target more long-tail relevant keywords that potential clients are searching for can increase your website traffic and boost your SEO. Create content that addresses common questions or interests and be creative with your content. As you rank for more of these keywords, you can reach a broader audience.

For example, this blog post about a local park was able to reach ideal family clients in the area.

Similarly, another blog post written for my newborn photography website is now ranking 3 in “things to do in Spokane” and reaching people in my area.

Establish Topical and Domain Authority

Consistently publishing high-quality content on topics related to photography helps build authority in the industry. My photography content SEO strategy always includes the goal of creating content to establish authority in (1) the photography industry, (2) photography niche (ex. Newborn photography, wedding photography, etc.), and (3) service location. With each relevant blog post, you signal to Google that your website is a trusted source of information related to those topics. As you establish your topical authority in these three areas, your rankings will grow across other pages of your site.

Blogging without a strategy can harm your site by confusing search engines and bogging your site down with useless content and pages. Blogging with a solid SEO strategy is key! 

Off-Page SEO

As we know, Google wants to show websites that are trustworthy and authoritative. Off-page SEO plays an important role in strengthening your photography website’s authority and driving traffic. Here are a few key strategies that can help you grow your backlink profile:

Submit Your Work to Blogs and Feature Sites

One of the best ways to build backlinks as a photographer is by submitting your work to blogs, online publications, and photography feature sites. Getting featured on industry and niche-relevant websites and blogs provides valuable backlinks that help boost your SEO. 

Vendor Gallery Features

One of the easiest ways to gain backlinks is to simply send out your galleries to relevant vendors and/or businesses that were directly or indirectly part of your shoot or event. After you send out a gallery to your photography clients, add it as part of your workflow to send galleries out to everyone involved. Make sure to ask if they can link to your site if they share any images.

Citations & Directories

Listing your photography business on popular local directories like Yelp, Expertise, and others helps increase your visibility in local search results. A well-maintained listing with up-to-date contact information, client reviews, and high-quality photos improves your chances of ranking in your area, especially when combined with location-based keywords. Any mentions of your business online are called citations, and they all help with SEO.

Client Reviews

Client reviews are one of the most important ranking factors for local SEO. Positive reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, and WeddingWire help you gain credibility and increase your chances of showing up in local search results. Request reviews from satisfied clients, vendors you’ve worked with, and add it to your workflow! Pro tip: respond to each review to boost your SEO and establish trust with future clients.

Collaborate with Other Professionals and Styled Shoots

Networking with other professionals, such as wedding planners, florists, boutiques, and venues, can be great opportunities for backlinks through collaborations. Styled shoots are an amazing way to connect with other vendors, share backlinks among the group, and get featured on wedding blogs or publication sites. These backlinks to your website can improve your domain authority and local SEO.

Red Flag Mistakes to Avoid

I would be remiss to not mention these commonly made mistakes you should avoid if you want to stay in Google’s good graces.

🚩Don’t keyword stuff

Make sure you’re not stuffing lists of keywords throughout your site, hiding text behind images or by making it the same color as the background. Google is too smart now and knows when you’re trying to outsmart it with black hat tactics.

🚩Don’t buy links

Google makes it super clear that links should not be bought for ranking purposes, nor should they be exchanged excessively. Automated services should not be used to create links, and not to mention if links are low in authority, this can negatively impact your domain authority.

🚩Don’t mass-generate content with AI

AI is currently a hot topic, and I get asked often if AI can be used to write website copy and create content. While Google believes in the use of AI to help people get useful information–after all they created Gemini AI–Google also states that using AI and automation to generate content (aka scaled content) and sacrificing helpfulness is a violation of their spam policies. In all cases, the most important factor when it comes to content, is Google’s E-A-T (expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthy) factor. Use AI with caution, and make sure your content is unique, helpful and trustworthy above all!

Needless to say, it’s important to stay up to date on Google’s spam policies, as you don’t want to get penalized by Google for engaging in black hat SEO tactics.

Click here to download my Free Guide: 10 Common SEO Mistakes & How to Fix Them.

SEO can feel overwhelming at first, but it’s the key to creating a website that works for you—attracting the right clients, filling your calendar, and giving you more freedom to focus on serving your photography clients. I know firsthand the power of SEO, and I’ve made it my mission to help other photographers with their SEO so they can experience freedom from social media and consistent photography leads. 

If you’re ready to grow your photography business with SEO but don’t know where to start, I can help! As both a photographer and SEO strategist, I specialize in SEO strategies that get photographers seen by their ideal clients on Google. Let’s make sure your clients can find you online! Schedule a free consultation with me, Taylor!