How To Improve SEO for Your Photography Business

The global photography market took a significant hit in 2020 due to the pandemic and the following social distancing rules. However, research suggests that it is expected to bounce back in 2023 with a potential Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.6%.

As economies recover from the impact of COVID-19, more businesses are expected to emerge, while the previously affected ones will restart their operations. Whether you plan to revamp your wedding photography business, or simply want to set up a new wildlife photography company, you cannot survive in this competitive market without photography SEO.

Search engine optimization has become a critical aspect of businesses in 2023. it is imperative to work on your optimization techniques as over 90% of the global traffic comes from Google. It is one of the main reasons why professional SEO services for photographers are also emerging today.

Photography SEO – Doing it right!

The core purpose of optimizing your photography is to make your business visible to potential customers online. This market is becoming increasingly competitive globally, which is why disrupting the trend with top-notch photography SEO is key to landing on the first search engine result page (SERP).

This article covers some of the best optimization techniques for your photography business, so buckle up!

#1 Begin With Optimizing Your Images

A page’s loading time is among the most critical parameters Google uses to index your website. The slower your website is, the higher its bounce rate will be. A lot of newbie photographers capture high-resolution shots and upload them as it is.

While you may not feel the difference in loading times initially, but as your portfolio increases, your site will start taking more time to load due to the immense amount of data on it. Furthermore, your audience will not search for “IMM123” to find your image, which is why relabeling an image is also a critical aspect of optimization.

Here are the steps to image optimization:

Step #1

Rename your image with a title (Alt Tag) that your users are likelier to insert into Google’s search box. An excellent way to label your images with alt tags is to talk about their subject, followed by the date it was taken on. This will help Google crawlers turn up your pictures for relevant searches.

Step #2

The second step to image optimization is resizing them since a majority of users will probably watch your images on their mobile phones.

In 2019 alone, 63% of the total Google visits were made through mobile phones. Resize images before uploading them, and make sure you maintain the integrity of your pictures – pixelated images are a big no! Here are a few top-ranking image compression tools you can use online.

Step #3

Upload your images to your website and check to see if it has impacted the loading time. In case it has, you can redo step #2 and reoptimize your images accordingly by reducing quality by a notch.

#2 Focus On Content

Writing compelling content is another critical aspect of photography SEO. Your page needs to be visible to users in order to let them applaud your skills, which means your site should land on the first SERP. This is where high-quality content will come to the rescue.

A good way to go about content is to write a brief intro about each of your pictures. This could be your thought process behind the photo or the story you are trying to tell with it.

Blogging is another great way to add content to your website. A well-optimized blog that provides value to readers can index high on search engines, driving loads of traffic to your website.

Here are the steps to optimize content

Step #1

Do your keyword research. Use tools like Ahrefs to find top-performing keywords in your industry. Use the shortlisted keywords to find LSI keywords which you can access at the bottom of SERPs. Shortlist them and make a good mix of short and long-tail keywords to be used in the content.

Make sure you use them naturally because keyword stuffing comes under black-hat SEO – it may provide you with short-term results, but will have harsh consequences for your website in the long term.

Step #2

Create high-quality, user-friendly content forms including blogs, and information about your photographs, and naturally insert keywords in them. The key is to create content that offers the reader some value! Unique content with value for readers is encouraged by Google, in turn providing greater authority to your domain.

Expert tip: Search for topics newbies want pro photographers to address, and write content on them.

Step #3

Edit the content thoroughly and publish it on your website using tools like YoastSEO. Professional SEO services for photographers can help you determine the right keywords and produce high-quality content, which is why photography SEO is often outsourced to such services.

#3 Optimize the Speed of Your Website

As mentioned earlier, a growing portfolio means you would have to resize your photographs in order to protect your website’s loading time. However, simply relying on reducing the size of your photographs will not be enough over time. You would need to take measures to optimize the speed of your website in order to continue offering fast loading times.

The loading speed of a website boils down to your hosting provider. A good hosting provider will ensure that your pages continue to lead with the same swift speeds even after they have to bear the load of a vast portfolio of high-quality photographs. Top SEO services for photographers will assist you in acquiring reliable hosting solutions.

In A Nutshell

Businesses can’t survive without putting effort into search engine optimization. For photographers, the challenge becomes a tad difficult since there is not much content around their portfolio.

However, this guide contains several ways for photographers to improve their SEO and reach potential customers online. You can also reach out to professional SEO services for photographers in order to optimize your photography website for better visibility online.