Hi, I’m a wedding/family photographer. I’ve been doing this since 2012 and blogging since 2009. I used to keep up with SEO when I had more time, but as my business grew and life got busier, I stopped focusing on it. I’ve recently moved to a new country, and now I need to start fresh. Even though I have a strong portfolio, no one knows about me here.
Social media isn’t working out for me anymore; no matter how much I post or how often, I keep losing followers. So now, I’m hoping SEO will help. I’m struggling with keywords, though. I have SurferSEO and Ubersuggest, but it feels overwhelming.
SurferSEO gives numbers I don’t really trust, and I’m not sure what keywords will work best for me. I just want to know what people around me are typing when they search for a photographer. Can anyone help me with this?
SEO isn’t a quick fix. I’ve been doing it for years for clients all over, and honestly, unless you have a larger photography business, it’s better to keep it simple.
If I were you, I’d focus on finding engagement tags on apps like Instagram, specifically for your local area. Look for posts from people who don’t seem to have hired a professional photographer yet. It’s tough, but it’ll get you more clients than stressing about SEO.
If you’re set on SEO, though, look into local tools like Google Business Profile and Apple’s version (forgot the name).
@PixelPioneer
Thanks a lot! Just to clarify, what do you mean by ‘larger photography business’? Most of us work alone or in small teams. And yeah, I’m definitely going to focus on Google Business Profile too!
@Franky
By ‘larger business’, I mean that it’s not worth spending too much time on SEO if it’s just you or a small team. Focus more on showing your portfolio and having a contact form. The perfect keywords only matter if there’s zero competition in your area.
Instead, reach out to people directly and show them your work. Website optimization is something you can worry about later.
There are a lot of tools you can try. SEMrush, Google Keyword Planner, and more. I’d start with Google Keyword Planner since it’s free when you sign up for Google Ads.
You can search by keyword or put your website in and get suggestions. Feel free to DM me your site, and I can help you with some keyword ideas to start with.
@TechTitan
Thanks so much! I’ll definitely use Google Keyword Planner and send you my website. I think where I went wrong was I was working in a country where the main language isn’t English, but many of my clients were English speakers. So my website ended up in multiple languages. Now I’ve moved again, and it’s a mess with three languages. I need to clean it up and figure out what clients I want to focus on.
@Franky
No problem! If the different languages aren’t set up right, it can hurt your SEO. Look into something called a hreflang tag or try using a multilingual plugin.
I just hired a wedding photographer recently, and I found them on Instagram, not Google. I used the geolocation feature where I’m getting married and looked through the photos until I found a style I liked.
@J.cole2
That’s a smart way to go about it. I keep telling myself not to get caught up in the numbers and just keep updating my feed with good hashtags. Clients will come eventually, right? But it’s tough to stay positive when I see followers drop off all the time…
@Franky
Just focus on doing good work. If your photos stand out, people will find you. If your clients are happy, word of mouth will do a lot for you too. Do you have a specific style or location you specialize in? The more specific you are, the better. SEO is tricky and only really worth the effort if you’re already good at it.
Not all keywords are the same. When I do SEO for clients, I focus on two types of keywords. The first are the ones that will directly bring you leads or customers—those are your main ones.
The second set is for building your brand and increasing awareness. These won’t necessarily lead to sales but will help with your website’s overall authority.
If you want, I can walk you through my process. I’ve worked with other wedding photographers before, so I know a bit about what works in this industry. No strings attached.
Using SEMrush or tools like that can help with ranking, but SEO isn’t just about keywords. You also need to focus on things like on-page SEO, link building, and making sure your site is technically sound.
Franky said: @Freeman
Yeah, that’s why I’m feeling so overwhelmed right now.
Content writing can be easier with AI, but Google still prioritizes trust and authority through things like backlinks and how well your website is set up.