Every wedding photographer’s dream is getting all the dates booked during the marriage season. But are you doing enough to make that happen? SEO for wedding photographers can help you chart to the top of the organic search to help you get more clients through online portals.
Wedding photographers earn handsome when they get a booking. But the catch is there is a season for weddings. Typically, in the USA, wedding season is between late spring and early fall.
The popular wedding months are May, June, and October. You have to ensure you get all your slots booked because the off-season is coming soon.
As a photographer, you would know that having a happening portfolio and being visible on the SERPs is equally important. When your photography website appears on the first page of the organic search results, several people can see your work at once.
If you are a shutterbug waiting for your talents to be discovered, we are here with a blog post just for you. We shall delineate the most important SEO techniques to help your wedding photography services ace the organic search results.
However, before that, let us address a few important questions;
What is Wedding Photographer SEO?
SEO is important for your business. Simplistically, wedding photographer SEO means online activities that will enhance the organic footfall on your website.
SEO for wedding photography businesses comprises local SEO, website audit, technical SEO setup, and off-page SEO.
Let’s break it down.
As a photographer who specializes in taking pictures of wedding ceremonies, where do you go when you want a second shooter as a helping hand? Most likely Google!
Similarly, when someone is searching for the best wedding photographer in their area, they would ask Google first before making any binding decision.
The reason why you are seeing the second shooter on top of the search results is because he/she optimized their website for search engines.
Hence, as a wedding photographer, if you want to come on the first page of the search engine results for any particular location., SEO is imperative!
4 Key Benefits of Wedding Photography SEO
SEO is a time-consuming process. However, it is worth it as it gives sustainable results.
But before you take the odyssey, you might want to know the benefits search engine optimization can give to wedding photographer websites.
- More Organic Footfall: SEO would improve your rankings on the search results and drive more organic traffic to your website.
- Cost-Effective Marketing: Even with professional help, SEO remains to be a cost-effective marketing measure for photographers. SEO is a more affordable solution than PPC or other marketing methods.
- More Customers: A good level of SEO optimization means higher ranks on the search engines. Better online ranking is synonymous with more customers who seek your services.
- Better Recognition: Although there is no dearth of wedding photographers, the market is dominated by a handful who get recognition. SEO can help you reach the top of the list with better rankings and more customers.
Steps-by-Step Guide on SEO for Wedding Photographers: Do It Yourself
If you aspire to show up at the top of Google search results yet and don’t want to spend much on SEO services, we’re here to help. SEO is a slow-cooked roast. You would have loads of time to improve your SEO skills (if you are not in a hurry) by experimenting with your own website.
Here are 7 simple steps that will help you set foot on the journey of optimizing SEO for your own website. If you want quicker results, you can always call a professional for help. However, we will discuss that later.
First, let’s take the cost-effective way of DIY SEO method for your photography business:
Step 1: SEO Audit is Always the First Step
Before you go ahead with an elaborate SEO campaign, it is necessary to understand your photography business website’s current level of optimization.
While there are a myriad of website audit tools, nothing can be better than Google Search Console, especially if you are looking for one for free.
As an artistic person, you might think that entangling in the technical hassle of an SEO audit is pointless when it seems like a perfectly skippable part!
Well, no. A website audit is crucial for understanding the current level of optimization your website has. The insights give you a thorough idea regarding the SEO issues that are obstructing better ranking.
This first step will set you miles ahead of other wedding photographers who are trying to make their mark in the industry.
Why is SEO Audit Important for Photographers?
Let’s further delve into why an SEO audit is an important first SEO in the SEO journey of photographers:
- Gives you insight into the current SEO strategy
- You can tweak the campaign with the available data.
- Identify untapped markets for more leads.
Step 2: Rule the Roost with Local SEO
Photographers should target the local audience as their primary base because this is where most bookings come from. Even the best wedding photographers who travel the world for their work rely on SEO to give them a steady stream of clients.
To put things in plain terms, you cannot survive as a wedding photographer without the help of local SEO.
Why?
To answer you, suppose you have a wedding photography business in Denver, Colorado, and you are targeting national SEO. The chances of a couple calling from Nebraska for your services are slim. Why again?
This is because most people want their wedding memories to be picture perfect but within their BUDGET! Booking a professional photographer from Colorado would mean paying a higher price, as the wedding photographer costs would include airfare, food, and lodging.
In cases like this one, most couples would settle for someone local who provides exceptional photography services.
Tips to Boost Local SEO for Wedding Photographers
- Google Business profile: This is the first step to good local search engine optimization. Claiming your GBP account will ensure that your business name is enlisted with Google under a certain address, phone number, and business type.
- Google 3 Pack: Optimize your webpages so that your business appears on the top three searches on Google Business.
- NAP SEO: It stands for Name, Address, and phone number. Ensuring your NAP SEO is the same on all platforms is another superb local SEO strategy.
- Local keywords: Upgrading local photography SEO for wedding season bookings would require you to focus on the local keywords. The inclusion of these search phrases helps your website chart up at the top of the search results when someone from the target locality searches for a wedding photographer.
- Geo-targeting: Target the locality of your choice with the help of Google’s audience targeting feature. It will help you narrow down the search and attract potential clients.
- Acquire Local Links: Acquiring local links will help establish that other similar businesses from your target locality endorse your business. It builds a trust factor in the eyes of the search engine that can boost your ranking on the search results.
- Ask online Reviews: Online reviews play an important role in elevating the trust quotient for future clients. It would be wise of you to ask for reviews from your previous customers.
Step 3: Shed Some Bucks for Keyword Research
The words ‘SEO’ and ‘keywords’ go hand in hand!
There was a time when SEO would not have survived without the inclusion of relevant keywords in the content. However, even now, keyword research is imperative.
If you are starting off new, you can be prone to keyword research mistakes. Hence, it is best to invest a bit in premium tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, etc.
In case you are tight on budget, use Google Keyword Planner, along with some other free keyword research tools, to get the job done.
Although Google Keyword Planner is the best free keyword research tool you can get your hands on, browsing through some options can be well worth your time.
Most photographers stick to the bare minimum. Be daunting in this arena and find the best keywords with premium tools to boost your website’s online presence. Some of the best tools for keyword research are SemRush, Ahrefs, Moz keyword research etc…
The Ideal Keyword Set Should Include:
Not every keyword you find with a high search volume is useful. You have to analyze the keyword in context with the competition. The ideal keyword set of keywords for a professional photographer is:
- Keywords with high search volume
- Keywords with moderate search volume and low competition
- Use relevant longtail keywords for addressing specific search queries
- Use negative keywords to rule out ending up with the wrong audience
Step 4: Create Separate Landing Pages
As the owner of a wedding photography business, maintaining a structured website is essential. One of the words on-page SEO mistakes photographers make is to skip designing separate landing pages for specific services.
Take, for instance., someone who is searching for engagement photography services; they don’t want to end up on a page that is all-inclusive. They would prefer exclusivity instead. Hence, designing a service page that features amazing engagement photos of couples can boost lead generation for your photography website.
List down the photography services you offer and create service pages accordingly.
Essential Landing Pages for A Photographer Website:
As a photographer, it is essential to have different landing pages for separate services. You should also get some business pages designed to render your website with a professional look.
You should have the following landing pages:
- A webpage for wedding photography
- Separate webpage for engagement ceremony photography services
- Landing page for bachelorette and bridal showers
- Photography for destination wedding services
- Family photographer services in marriage events
- Separate page for the Contact Us page
Irrespective of the landing page you are designing, each page should mention the cost.
Remember, wedding photography cost is one of the major determining factors in service selection. Hence, another lead-converting tip we would suggest to you is to mention the wedding photography packages right on the home page of your website.
Step 5: Write Content that Wins Hearts
Content is King!
Google has called quality content the number one ranking factor. Hence, if you want your SEO business to flourish, valuable content is crucial to it.
As a wedding photographer, you have to understand your audience. They are likely sweet couples searching for the perfect shutterbug who can capture their precious moments. Create content that touches the heart!
Remember, content is one of the most potent ways to convince potential clients and turn them into paying clients.
High Quality Content Checklist
- Keep the content simple and Lucid for people to understand
- Use heading tags for better crawling
- Ensure to write compelling meta description and meta title
- Punctuate the content with related keywords
- Do some external and internal linking
Step 6: Spare Some Time for Off Page SEO
Being a photographer who specializes in taking pictures of wedding ceremonies, you would know how important social media marketing is. Well, off-page SEO for wedding photographers is not just limited to SMM. It encompasses building quality backlinks, enlisting in directories, etc.
These activities are concerned with promoting your services on other platforms. Link building, which is a part of off-page SEO, focuses on increasing the domain authority or trustworthiness factor of your website.
How to get started with Off-page SEO
- Focus on promoting yourself on social media
- Mention the website URL on every social media handle
- Establish connections with webmasters for guest posting
- Acquire backlinks by claiming brand mentions
- Tap into local directories for business listing
Step 7: Never Skip Technical SEO
Technical SEO for wedding photography is one of the most important SEO techniques to leverage. It is not just about appearing at the top of the search engine result pages. Your ultimate goal is to convert leads into paying clients.
It is because, as a photographer, you need excellent web design and fast loading speed for lead conversion. Also, the importance of mobile optimization cannot be stressed enough!
Good technical SEO optimization helps visitors feel welcome on your page, while bad SEO optimization will repel them away.
We agree that you require a certain technical skillset to wire up technical SEO on your website. If you can gear yourself up with the necessary skills, then it can be a cakewalk!
Technical SEO for Wedding Photographers Checklist
- Ensure Mobile Optimization
- Minimize the page Load Time
- Create a robust site architecture
- Submit your sitemap to Google
- Create a simple website URL
- Add structured data markup code
Step 8: Track, Monitor & Tweak
Measuring our SEO efforts is the only way you would understand how well the campaign is working. Google Search Console, a free Google tool, can assist you in understanding how it interacts with the target audience.
Monitoring the campaign will give you insights into the working SEO techniques, the ones that are not, and the techniques you need to adjust to appeal better to your future clients.
With the help of the Google search console, you will be able to grasp the key performance metrics. You can understand whether your content, website structure, and keywords are performing well with the visitors and the search engine. Once you spot a lacuna in your site, you can tweak it accordingly.
Indicators of Good SEO Performance
- Higher search rankings
- Low bounce rate
- High on-page time
- Increased organic CTR
- More number of pages per session
- Higher impressions on click-to-call icon
- Less page loading time
- More conversions
Why Choose Professional SEO Services for Wedding Photographer Website?
Being a wedding photographer who spends most of their time on a camera or laptop, you will likely be technologically advanced. There is a good chance that you know the basics of SEO and can quickly optimize with enough time to dispose of.
However, working on SEO can take away the time you would have otherwise dedicated to photo editing or something similar. You can unburden yourself with the help of professional search engine optimization services that specialize in optimizing wedding photography websites.
While you will have to spend some money to get a wedding photography package, the ROI you would get is immense.
Let’s see how professional SEO services can help your website gain traction on the SERPs.
Higher Rank on Search Engine Results
Most of them have years of experience backing them. Implementing SEO that works for your site is no big deal. With their help, you can rank higher without having to go through the trial & error of the process. A higher rank ensures that your wedding photography practice gets more attention from internet surfers. It translates to more leads coming your way.
Frees Up your Time
Photography requires time, and wedding photographers generally have a lot of editing to do, which can be more time-consuming. When you sign up for professional SEO services for wedding photographers, you free up time. You can focus on your core business instead of going around the maze of search engine optimization.
Quicker Results
Optimizing photographer SEO can take a while. A professional in this domain can help you achieve quicker results as they know the strategies that work and have better knowledge of Google algorithm updates. They also have ties with industry experts and other webmasters in the photography niche, which they leverage to build high-quality backlinks for your site.
More Conversions & Higher Profit
A well-rounded SEO team can create content that hits the right cord of your future client. Their SEO services are not just limited to backlink building, SMM, and content creation. They assist in targeting audiences who are most likely to convert. Their service area also encompasses monitoring your online reputation and building online reviews through outreach.
No Penalty Guarantee
As a newbie in SEO, you can unintentionally make a mistake or two. Google is pretty unforgiving about certain things and might strike your website with a penalty. It can result in a severe drop in the SERP rankings. However, with expert SEO services backing you, there is no scope for it. These companies ensure the use of ethical practices for sustainable results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Typically, wedding photographer SEO costs between $200 to $1500. The huge disparity in cost lies in the scale of your business. If you have multiple web pages with a poorly optimized website, the SEO agency would charge you more, and vice versa. SEO cost for a wedding photography website boils down to how much effort the experts have to put in to get results.
Absolutely yes. You can do SEO by yourself, provided you have the knowledge and the resources. In case you lack either, you can contact an SEO company to optimize your website for better rankings on the SERPs.
All good SEO agencies offer tailored SEO packages. This is not a one-size-fits-all game. The requirement varies from one person to another. Most top-notch SEO experts understand your necessity, run a website audit, and make data-driven decisions before tailoring an SEO package for a photographer’s website.
The only way to find valuable keywords with high search volume and low competition is with the help of keyword research tools. If you are a new photographer wishing to optimize your own website’s SEO, we suggest you stick to Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush. These have easier interphases and are best for beginners.
Yes, there are many ways other than SEO to boost your photography website’s online visibility. You can try your hand at paid ads or social media marketing as additional measures other than SEO. Cold calling and email marketing can also help your popularity gain mileage.
The ROI on SEO for a photography business can vary between 200% to 1500%. If you invest in a more aggressive strategy for wedding photographer SEO, the ROI would be higher. If you take it slow, the ROI will gradually roll in.
Conclusion
As a wedding photographer who is trying to make your mark in the industry, consider search engine optimization to be your best friend. While the process is time-consuming, it gives lasting results.
Doing SEO by yourself, following the steps we have elaborated. Alternatively, you can also hire an SEO agency if you have some disposable budget to spend on marketing. Either way, SEO stands critical to your online image and visibility.
Additional Resources:
