Here’s the thing, they don’t really teach SEO in school do they? You can read about SEO until you drop, but the actual learning? This happens when you’re actually in the trenches, optimizing websites, figuring out which clicks and which fail.
You’ve probably heard things like “do this for SEO” and “do this for SEO” all the time, right? And there you are, trying it out, but kind of wondering, “Does this actually do anything? Why am I even doing this?” Trust me, you’re not the only one who thinks this.
The best way to master SEO? Start your own website. Build it from the ground up, try to grow it organically. This is the real deal.
guess what Been there, done that. I’ve grown a bunch of sites: an EDM site, a candle site, and even a streetwear site. In fact, I rank #1, if not top five, for many photography-related keywords.
That being said, I wanted to share 7 simple SEO tips for photographers that you can implement on your photography website today.
7 SEO Tips for Photographers
Here are seven SEO tips for photographers.
1. Use HTTPS
Ok, first the SEO tips for photographers: make sure your website is using HTTPS. So what is HTTPS? It’s Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, which basically means it’s a more secure version of the old HTTP, thanks to SSL/TLS encryption and authentication.
Now, let’s skip the geeky stuff. The key is that HTTPS makes your site more secure, and guess what? Search engines love it. If they are happy, your site is more likely to rank well for you photography keywords. Wondering if your site already has HTTPS? easy Just switch to one SSL Checker website, enter your URL and check if you have an SSL certificate. Here is a screenshot of my site when I checked it. As you can see, I’m all set.
If your site needs one, you’ll need to chat with your web hosting provider. Most photography websites use popular hosts like SiteGround, Bluehost, or GoDaddy. If you need to get an SSL certificate, here are some helpful links based on who is hosting your site:
If you don’t use one of these hosting providers, go to a search engine and type in your web hosting provider plus “SSL instructions” and you’ll find an article on how to add it.
2. Check for CDN
The next SEO tip for photographers? Check if you have a CDN, which stands for Content Delivery Network. Here’s why it’s a big deal: A CDN can seriously increase your photography website’s page speed, and that’s SEO gold. Think of CDNs as a bunch of servers working together. They are great for SEO because:
Deliver content to your visitors very fast Accelerate your website’s performance Protect yourself from cyber threats
Curious if your site uses a CDN? There’s an easy way to find out. Just use a CDN Verification Tool. When I did this for my site, you can see that I’m using Cloudflare’s CDN:
And speaking of Cloudflare, they are like the favorite to get a CDN. All you have to do is go to the Cloudflare website, sign up, add your domain, and then redirect your domain name to their name servers. They have one tutorial this makes it very simple, and it’s free too.
3. Optimization of image file names and alt text
Tip number three for photographers looking for SEO is to optimize image file names and alt text. As photographers, our websites tend to be filled with images. This is actually a great opportunity to up our SEO game by including our target keyword in both image file names and alt text. The name of the image file? This is the name you give your image when you save it:
Alt text, or alt text, is a short description of the image on your site. It’s crucial for both accessibility and SEO because search engines can’t “see” images. Alt text explains what’s in the image.
So, when naming your files and writing alt text, try to include your target keyword. Let’s say you’re targeting “portrait photographer in Miami” and have photos of you taking photos of clients. Instead of naming a generic image like “image1.jpg” or “DSC1002.jpg”, look for something like “portrait-photo-in-miami.jpg”. And for the alt text, instead of just “photo”, use something more descriptive like “Portrait photographer with a client in the city of Miami on a sunny day.” This approach makes your content much more search engine friendly, helping you rank better for the keywords you’re targeting.
4. Using keyword-rich titles
Fourth SEO Tip for Photographers: Get Those Keyword Rich Titles! Your page titles, also known as meta titles, are HTML elements that define the title of a web page. These are the bits you click on in search engine results: the clickable headlines:
They are written like this in HTML:
Here’s what you should focus on with your title tags:
Make sure your target keyword is there. Avoid duplicating title tags on your photography website. Watch the length to avoid truncation.
What is truncation? This is when your title is too long and search engines truncate it with ellipses (…), which can affect your click-through rate. That means potentially less traffic, less revenue, less of all the good stuff:
If you have a custom website, you can modify the HTML directly. But, if you’re like most people and use a CMS like WordPress or Squarespace, it’s a little different. At Squarespace, they have configurations so you can edit the meta title of each page. In WordPress, you will need a free SEO plugin to edit HTML elements. i use RankMath myself.
5. Use proper heading structure
Fifth on the list for photographer SEO: Make sure your headings are well structured.
Your heading structure refers to the heading tags on your page, such as your H1, H2, H3, etc. These are HTML tags that define the headings and subheadings of your content. They’re like road signs, guiding both visitors and search engine bots through your page, making it easier to follow your content and letting bots know what your page is about.
Here’s how they look in HTML and then how they look on the page:
This is the H1 header
This is the H2 header
This is the H3 header
Here’s a key tip: Each page should only have one H1 tag, and it’s a good idea to include your target keyword in it.
For example, if you search for “New York headshot photographer,” that should be your H1 header. This isn’t the only thing that will get you to the #1 position, but having your target keyword in your H1 definitely helps.
Now, what about H2 and H3? This is where you are secondary keywords come into play These are the keywords they support and are related to your main keyword. Say your main keyword is “New York headshot photographer.” Your secondary keywords could be “fashion headshot photographer new york”, “headshot photographer new york”, “headshot photographer new york” and “headshot photographer of New York for actors.” Each photographer will have different secondary keywords that are a better fit. Find out which one photography keywords they’re ideal because you need a consultation to tailor your keyword strategy to match your business goals.
6. Mobile Responsive Website
SEO Tip Six for Photographers: Make sure your website is mobile friendly.
It is very important to have a mobile optimized website. Here’s why: nearly 60% of all global web traffic comes from mobile devices. Also, search engines like Google use mobile indexing. This means they look at your website as if they were using a mobile browser and use that version for indexing and ranking.
In simple terms, your site needs to look great on mobile, maybe even more so than on desktop. If it’s not up to par on mobile, it could be hurting your rankings and your ability to drive traffic.
Wondering how to check if your site is mobile friendly? Use Google Chrome DevTools. Just open Chrome, go to your site, right-click and press Inspect. Then click the Change Device toolbar icon and select a mobile device to simulate. This allows you to see how your site looks on mobile.
For example, I checked how one of my articles looks on an iPhone 12 Pro. If things look weird on mobile, such as padding, margins, images, or text, you may need to modify them or have a developer help you.
7. Local SEO
Seventh and final SEO tip for photographers: Harness the power of local SEO.
For photographers serving local clients, local SEO is crucial. In fact, it is vital for any business that customers tend to visit locally, such as restaurants, contractors, salons, shops and stores. Local SEO is a specialized niche within the broader SEO landscape, focusing on search results in a specific area. You’ll often see local results when you add “near me” to your search or when you search for services that generally require local providers. Here is a screenshot of the “local map pack” where you can appear with proper local SEO:
Here are the key factors to achieving local SEO:
Google My Business optimization
This free tool from Google allows your business to appear on Local Map Pack and Google Maps. If you are a local photographer without one Google My Business profile, it’s time to set one up. Fill in all the details such as services, images, contact information and website link.
Local citations
It’s all about getting your business listed in popular online directories and citation sites with a consistent name, address, and phone number. For photographers, being on Yelp is a great start. As with Google My Business, make sure your Yelp profile is complete and consistent.
Getting online reviews
The third important part of local SEO is collecting reviews on your Google My Business profile and other local directory listings, such as Yelp. A good practice is to ask clients for a review right after a successful photo shoot when their satisfaction is high and the experience is fresh in their mind.
That concludes my guide to SEO for photographers. Hopefully, you’ve found some valuable ideas here. If you find yourself missing out on any of these optimizations, now is a great time to start implementing them!
Do you have questions? Leave a comment or send me an email.
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