When we first talked about SEO (search engine optimization) for photographers, we only touched on the basics. Main discussion points were page titles, keywords and descriptions. This week, we will get a bit more specific in regard to SEO and cover some things you can do within your site pages (mainly the content – or meat & potatoes of your site), that can greatly help increase your online visibility.
1) Interlinking – This simply refers to providing links within the content of your site to other pages on YOUR website. When you do this, it’s important that you use “anchor text” that coincides with the keyword phrases you’ve chosen. Anchor text is “naming a link”. Instead of saying, “to check out our photography forum, click here,” you’d say, “check out our photography forum and enjoy all of the benefits of being a member”. The link would then go to the page that you have previously titled, “photography forum”. Make sense? That anchor text actually reinforces and raises the organic (non-paid) rankings of your target terms.
2) Backlinks – These are similar in concept to interlinking, only the links come from other websites to yours. How do you do this? Well, if you know the website owner, you can simply ask. If you don’t, then you can comment on blog posts with links in your comments, submit your site to online directories and/ or write articles on platforms like Article base, Ezine Articles, HubSpot and Gather. There are dozens of other sites where you can submit original work, you just have to look. Again, anchor text is always a bonus in your links.
3) Social Media – Do you live on Facebook or Instagram? Well, you’re not alone. Having a balanced presence on social media platforms can be very beneficial. Just be sure to do it with limitations, eventually have a way to monetize your efforts and send traffic back to your website and blog. “Tagging” is something that many photographers are taking advantage of. When you “tag” a client in a photo (with their permission of course), you’re essentially opening up your work to all of their friends, who are likely of the same demographic make-up, and who are perhaps at the same stage in their life (think marriage, babies, senior photos etc.). Here’s an example of a news feed post: “John Doe was tagged in Drew Warner Photography’s Album”.
4) Blogging – This can be of huge importance to the keyword ranking of your website. So, if you have time, try to do it. Search engines see sites with fresh content as more relevant in their respective industries. The idea of a blog (or Web Log) is that you are updating followers on the latest news, photo shoots, specials, promotions and more. A good rule of thumb might be to start with 2 posts a month. Having a blog also gives you the ability to point links back to your website on a regular basis.
5) Creating Web Pages Around Relevant Industry Partners – Let’s say that you’re a wedding or event photographer. Do you have a favorite venue, an organization or company that you do consistent work for or someone that is happy to refer you to prospective clients? A nice technique is to create web pages about some of the locations and organizations you work with regularly. If you title the page accordingly in your meta-data and include some good content, it’s likely that people searching for information on these venues will find your web page in the search results. Bonus for you! Remember, getting a link from this partner is valuable so don’t be afraid to ask.
There’s a lot more to SEO than what I’ve covered above, but go ahead and get your feet wet. Feel free to reach out if you need any help!