A Guide to Blogging for Photographers
Blogging for Photographers: Everything you need to do to get the most out of your posts.
So, you are considering blogging for your photography business (or already do and want to do it better). I am going to spill all of my best tips on blogging for photographers and how to get the most out of your blog posts.
As a photographer, ranking on google is huge. You want your website to pop up when someone searches your niche and locations. Blogging is how you get that to happen.
Blog marketing is an excellent avenue to market your photography business. The best way to blog for photographers is definitely dependent on your business, your goals and strategies, and what works for you. BUT, here are my general tips for making the most of your posts.
Before we dig in, I know this can be a LOT of information. It can be a lot to take on. Start little by little, edit some of your old posts if you have them, and always remember that you CAN hand this off to someone else. You CAN pay someone to do it all for you. You don’t have to learn all of the ins and outs if it isn’t the right way for you to spend your time. I love being able to support all of my clients in this way! I am a huge advocate for a work/life balance that allows you to live your life and own your business. Sometimes, the only way to keep that is to have a strong team to back you up.
Before You Create Your Photography Blog Post
Conducting keyword research for Photography Blogs
There are loads of tools out there for researching keywords. There is a lot that goes into keywords, way more than I could possibly go over in this post. One of the most accessible ways to start with keyword research is with a simple Google search. You know how Google will auto suggest searches when you start typing? The things that pop up are things that are often searched. You can also look at the related searches at the bottom of a search page!
Ubersuggest is also a great tool and one that I use often! They have a free Google Chrome extension that allows you to see search volume numbers and other stats. Unfortunately, there is a limit on how many searches you can use per day. They also have a free tool on their site that allows you to see allllllllllll the stats for 3 keywords per day. I use their paid tool to conduct research for my clients and I which is probably the easiest way, but is definitely not needed.
Using keywords will ensure that your blog and website will be connected to searches with those keywords and (hopefully!) rank higher for that specific search.
DON’T add keywords just to add them. They should flow naturally with your writing. If you add to many keywords or keywords that aren’t relevant, it might end up having the opposite effect and make your post seem like spam. Keep it natural, keep it relevant, and keep it valuable.
While Creating Your Photography Blog Post
Use your keywords in the right spots on your blog post
There are certain places within your blog post that using keywords will particularly help. Here is a list of places you want to hit. Note that you would ideally use 2-7 keywords per post.
Heading/title
Heading 2
Heading 3
File Names
Alt Text
SEO/Google Meta Descriptions
1-2nd Sentence in the first paragraph of copy (text)
Throughout your copy where it sounds natural
Yes, even the different heading sizes are taken into account. In case you haven’t noticed, search engine optimization is complicated. I know I found it super difficult to wrap my mind around. Figuring out all of the ins and outs definitely isn’t for everyone.
Heading/title—this is the most self explanatory. It’s the title of your blog, the Heading 1.
Heading 2—your H2 is a heading to label your broader ideas that get narrowed down with H3 headings. You don’t necessarily need keywords in everyone, but Google will use the text here (as well as the other spots) to narrow down what information your blog post is about and what to file it under.
Heading 3—use H3 headings to explain what the following paragraph or paragraphs talk about. Think about what you would want to know if you were scanning the page in a rush trying to find the answer that you need (mayyyybbeee like you with this post? Most people scan blog posts rather than reading them anyway. And for the purpose of SEO, so does Google).
File Names—this one is something that gets skipped over a ton. Instead of using photos with file names like IMG_2133 and DSC_7073, use something more like Smiths-Lake-Superior-Elopement-17. It’s another thing that Google looks at.
Hot tip: You can rename your photos in bulk! If you are on Mac that looks like Select all Files (hold down shift to select within a range or command to select one by one)> File> Rename… and I usually use the settings Format, Name and Index, (your new title goes in the Custom Format box), after name, and start numbers at 1. If you are on Windows (make sure you are in details view), Select all Files(hold down shift to select within a range or ctrl to select one by one)> Home> Rename> Type your new file name> Enter.
Alt Text—Google and other search engines can’t read images. Alt text tells them what an image is. You usually find this in the photo block settings on your website. Type a quick description of your photo and if you can naturally add in a keyword, that is great! Don’t add more than 2 per photo, it may start to look spammy to search engines.
SEO/Google Meta Description—this is what shows up on a Google search under the title of your page. It’s a quick summary (ideally 155-160 characters) that sums up what your post is about. You should be able to find this in your post’s SEO settings.
1-2nd Sentence—Google probably isn’t going to take the time to thoroughly read your post, it can usually get the gist of what is going on in the first couple of sentences and the headings.
Throughout Copy—again, don’t use too many. You want to write for your post to be read by humans, not robots. What the robots think is important, but what people think is even more so. And the robots will probably label you as spam anyway.
Provide Value Through Blog Marketing
Ultimately, this is the goal. Having a post that is valuable is the most important part of optimizing your blog post. Whether that means you are showing your work, giving insider tips, gathering helpful lists, or encouraging your ideal client, the content has to be something worth viewing.
If you are looking for ideas, I have a few blog posts full of ideas, just for you.
Write article blog posts AND session recaps
The goal of your photography blog is to show your work to potential clients, reach a larger audience, and provide value to that audience. In order to do all of that, you cannot just throw your photos into a post and let it sit—and honestly, those beautiful images deserve more than that.
I don’t see many photographers taking advantage of this strategy. Gallery posts are going to show off your work and help Google to understand your location and what you regularly post about. Article posts are going to pull in people who need an answer to their specific question (and are probably also looking for someone just like you, or at least will be). I can’t tell you how valuable article posts are for SEO and to expand your pool of potential clients.
A simple way to add this into your normal blogging schedule is to put together lists. They are effective and so easy to add all of that SEO goodness. Again, I have a few blog posts to give you some ideas to base your photography blog posts about, like 7 Blog Post Ideas for your Photography Business.
Don’t be afraid to google it
As a classic overachiever, grade school valedictorian, multi-medium artist, and college 4.0 lady, there is one thing that I stand by. No one is naturally smarter or more capable than anyone else at anything. No one is naturally better at drawing or painting. The people who do well in academics get really good at researching things. They have a drive to learn. They get good at figuring things out on their own. Taking the time they need to understand something. The only thing different between an artist and everyone else is the desire to create.
Artists take their time learning their skills. They put in the work to improve their skills. They do what they need in order to create in the way that they want to. Some may be faster or slower at gaining those skills or being able to understand something, but that does not make them any more naturally gifted than the next person.
You did the same thing. You weren’t a professional photographer after one photo. You spent time understanding aperture, ISO, manual settings, composition of a shot, lighting, editing, the list goes on and on.
All of this to say, if you aren’t sure of how to do something, chances are someone else has been in your same spot and posted something on the internet about it. You have everything you need at the touch of your finger. If you have to Google “how to blog for photographers”, do it. If you have to Google “what is a meta description”, do it. If you have to google “how to add alt text in Squarespace”, do it. If you have to google “SEO for photographers”, do it. If you have to Google “what does SEO stand for”, do it (btw it means search engine optimization). Even if it feels silly. Ask away.
Compress your Photos
Something that is HUGE for SEO is your site’s load speed. You want to make sure that your photos are as stunning as when you hand them off to your client—but the problem is those larger files are slowing down the load speed of your site.
Compressing your photos allows them to retain all of that beautiful information without taking up quite so much space.
Blogging for photographers is all about showing potential clients the kind of value that they get with you. Keeping those files optimized will allow them to more easily find you while still being able to see the wonderful work that you do.
After Creating Your Photography Blog Post
Promote Your Blog posts
You have invested too much in your blog post to let it just sit there. Of course, even if you do let it sit there, it will be better than nothing, but the point is that you will get so much more out of it if you proclaim to the world that it exists.
Pinterest is a blog post’s perfect match. Pinterest is a search engine that feels fun. People go to Pinterest intending to buy (whether it’s tomorrow or years from now—there is research to back this up) and using Pinterest to promote your blog is a long term strategy for getting inquiries on autopilot.
Put a link on your Instagram stories, copy and paste your blog post intro into a Facebook post with a graphic. It can be simple. You can repurpose the content into a reel or carousel post and direct people to your website to read more. Something is essentially always better than nothing.
Indexing Your Blog Post (and Web Pages)
You may want to make sure that your post gets indexed with Google. Google has quite a lot on their plate, and sometimes they just need a little nudge. I have found, especially with Squarespace sites, that it's best to request indexing after posting a new blog post.
All you have to do is make sure you have Google Search Console set up for your website, then navigate to URL inspection. Paste your blog post’s URL and hit enter. If you get that green checkmark, it is good to go. If you are shown a message about your URL not currently being indexed, hit “Request Indexing” and it will nudge google to take your new page into account.
Sometimes this takes time. A lot of times, Google will find your new pages on its own (especially if your site is linked on a lot of other websites). I find it’s best to add this to my to do list after posting a blog post because if Google hasn’t indexed each of your pages, they aren’t showing up in a search.
You can also check at any time which of your web pages are showing in Google by searching site:yoursite.com (ex: site:marameismer.com).
So, sometimes you just have to say “Hey Google!! I made something!” and then they will roll their eyes and take your new content into account (not really, they will do it happily) and sometimes show your stuff in a search. Maybe, potentially.
Social Media is NOT the Only Way to Market Your Photography Business
Like I said, it’s kind of a lot. I know. It will pay off. The value of showing up in searches is incredible. It’s a wildly different type of marketing than social media marketing. You can use all of the hashtags, keywords, make your videos this many seconds long, with that trending sound, whatever whatever to get your post seen on IG or Tiktok, but you can’t target who will see it. Instagram isn’t going to listen when you say “I would really like you to show this to these people”. Adam Mosseri himself can say this is what you should do for the current algorithm and the next day it won’t work. It isn’t reliable.
Google and Pinterest are solid. Sure, they evolve with trends and make updates but at their core they are built to show people exactly what they need to see. They are built to answer questions and connect information to the people who are looking for it.
I know you have felt the pressure to post all of these reels and push video content out into the universe (or void). I have felt it too. Here’s the thing that gets lost.
Social media wasn’t built for marketing. It was built for connection.
Social media is supposed to be fun. Let me say that again. Social media is supposed to be fun. It is supposed to connect you to your audience and allow them to see you, to build trust with you, and to know more about you.
That is why I believe so strongly in what I do. I have seen photographers from all over the world feeling worn down by social media. They are taking hiatuses and sharing that it can be really difficult and frustrating. Leaning into blog marketing and Pinterest marketing can allow social media to be fun again. You can create content that is authentic to you without the pressure to perform. Without the pressure to bring in more sales. You can get inquiries from Pinterest and from your website organically and anyone that sees you on social media is a bonus.
If you are feeling burnt out from social media, and trust me I know how frustrating it can be, know that you don’t have to do it all alone. I want to support you. Look over my services and see if we are the right fit. This could seriously change everything.
Still on the fence? Check out what my clients have to say!
