Photographer SEO: How to Get Found Online

Have you ever typed your name or your business name into Google and sighed at the depressing reality of not seeing your photographer website on the first page? 

In a world saturated with photographers, it’s become more challenging than ever to stand out. Today, if you’re not easily found online, it’s like you don’t exist. 

Here’s the deal: You can be the Ansel Adams of the digital age, but if your potential clients can’t find you on Google, all that talent goes unnoticed. 

This is where photographer SEO comes into play.

The story of Alice: A cautionary tale

Let’s take a moment to picture Alice, a passionate photographer from Portland. Alice has an impressive portfolio filled with breathtaking landscapes and poignant portraits. 

She invested in a top-notch website, showcasing her best work. Yet, months pass, and the number of inquiries she gets is dismally low.

Why? Because Alice didn’t prioritize her photographer SEO.

Unraveling the mysteries of photographer SEO

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for photographers isn’t some mystic art. It’s a strategic approach to making your website rank higher on search engines. 

Let’s dive into some foundational elements.

Content is king

It sounds cliché, but content really is the backbone of photographer SEO. Search engines love fresh, relevant and quality content. 

Regularly updating your blog with posts that target specific keywords related to photography can vastly improve your visibility online.

For instance: If you specialize in wedding photography, writing a blog post on “Top 10 wedding photography tips for brides-to-be” could attract potential clients preparing for their big day.

Backlinks: The online word-of-mouth

Backlinks are simply other websites linking to yours. Google sees these as a vote of confidence in your site’s credibility. 

Think of it like this: Every time someone else references your work or your articles, it’s like they’re saying, “Hey, this person knows their stuff!”

But not all backlinks are created equal. Quality matters more than quantity. A link from a renowned photography site has more weight than a dozen links from unrelated, low-traffic sites.

User experience is crucial

Ever visited a website that took ages to load, and you quickly closed the tab in frustration? 

Speed is a vital part of photographer SEO. If your site is slow, not only will visitors bounce off, but search engines might also rank you lower.

And let’s not forget mobile optimization. With most people browsing on their phones, if your website doesn’t display correctly on mobile devices, you’re losing out on a large chunk of potential clients.

Keywords: Speaking your audience’s language

When a soon-to-be-married couple searches for “best wedding photographer in New York”, they’re using keywords. 

Your job? To predict the terms your potential clients might type into search bars and incorporate them into your site. 

Tools like Google’s Keyword Planner can help you find these golden nuggets of phrases.

Social signals matter

While the direct impact of social signals (likes, shares and comments from social media platforms) on photographer SEO is still a topic of debate among experts, there’s no denying that they play a role in boosting your online presence. 

Active social media profiles can drive traffic to your site and amplify your content’s reach.

The importance of local SEO

Most photographers get their business locally. Imagine a couple in Chicago looking for an engagement photographer. They’re more likely to search for “engagement photographer in Chicago” rather than just “engagement photographer.”

This is why optimizing your site for local searches by claiming your Google Business Profile and Top Rated Local® listings. Plus, gathering positive reviews can put you on the map, literally and figuratively.

The takeaway

Imagine a world where Alice knew about photographer SEO. She wouldn’t be just another talented photographer lost in the vast sea of the internet. She would be visible, booked and recommended.

Every artist deserves to be seen. And in the digital age, being seen means being found online. 

SEO isn’t just for tech geeks or big corporations. It’s for the passionate photographers, the storytellers, the dreamers who want their work to shine in the digital spotlight.

Ready to step into the light? Learn more and sign up for your free trial.

​​How to Get More Photographer Leads With Online Reviews

Photography is a competitive field, and it can be difficult to find enough leads to keep your business going. Fortunately, there are a number of ways for a photographer to get leads and increase your business. 

Some of the best ways to drive photographer leads include networking, social media, email marketing, content marketing and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, just to name a few.

But, regardless of how effective your lead-generation strategy is, it will do you no good if your reviews send the wrong message about your services or business.

Online reviews — if they’re positive — can be an incredibly powerful tool for photographers. People are more likely to trust reviews from other customers than they are to trust what a photographer says about themself.

In this blog, we’re going to cover five ways you can get more photographer leads with online reviews:

#1. Start asking for reviews

The first way to get more photographer leads with online reviews is to simply ask your customers for them.

Your customers can write reviews on platforms, such as Google, Yelp, Facebook and Top Rated Local®. Reach out to your customers after they’ve had a good experience with your services and ask them to write a review.

One of the best ways to reach out to request reviews is through an automated email marketing campaign. This will make asking for reviews quick and easy, and allow you to funnel negative feedback straight to your customer service team.

#2. Make it easy to write reviews

You can also make it easier for your customers to write reviews by providing them with direct links to your review pages.

You can find direct links to your review pages on each platform. For example, on Google, you can find a direct link to your reviews by searching for your business and clicking on the “Write a review” button.

This will save your customers the hassle of having to search for your business on each platform and make it more likely that they’ll take the time to write a review.

#3. Respond to reviews

Responding to reviews is also a great way to get more photographer leads.

When you respond to reviews, you show potential customers that you care about your customers’ opinions and are willing to address any issues they may have. This will make them more likely to trust your services and ultimately book with you.

Keep in mind that you should always remain professional when responding to a review, even if it’s unfair or downright false. Anyone can read your reviews, and your responses, so it’s always important to stay respectful and professional.

#4. Use reputation management software

Reputation management software is an incredibly useful tool for photographers. This software allows you to manage all of your reviews in one place and make it easier to respond to reviews quickly and efficiently.

The Marketing 360® Reputation app also allows you to track your reviews over time and keep track of your online reputation across the web as a whole, so you can see what people are saying about your services and make adjustments accordingly.

Plus, you can request and respond to reviews, all within the app.

#5. Highlight your best reviews and testimonials

You should also take the time to highlight your best reviews and testimonials on your photographer website, social media, blogs, ads and other marketing materials.

Reviews and testimonials are a powerful form of social proof that can help you to attract more photographer leads — and build the trust necessary to convert them into paying customers.

For example, you can feature a few of your best reviews on your homepage, or include customer reviews in your email newsletters. You can also share your customer reviews on social media, or even create a highlight reel of customer reviews for your YouTube channel.


Online reviews can be a great way to get more photographer leads and grow your business. To make the most of online reviews, you should start asking for reviews, make it easy to write reviews, respond to reviews, use reputation management software, and highlight your best reviews and testimonials.

The Marketing 360 photographer marketing platform has everything you need to get more reviews and build a strong reputation. Plus, you can develop a convertible website, master SEO and content marketing, connect with your community on social media and so much more — all from one place. 

Learn more and see our plans and pricing. 

The Entrepreneurs at Top Rated Local®: Blake

Top Rated Local® employees are full of entrepreneurial spirit. In fact, so much so that many of them have their own businesses outside of their day job! Last month, we talked to Brandon; now, it’s time to move on to Blake!

Blake has been at Top Rated Local for around two and a half years. Before Blake worked at Top Rated Local, he was particularly interested in graphic design and video implementation, but the more heavily marketing-focused roles called to him. Blake is a senior marketing consultant, which means he works with our clients on initial strategy development. He works to effectively diagnose the hurdles businesses are overcoming and pair it with a solution moving forward. He focuses on fostering long-term relationships with our clients and strives to “put heart in it.”

Blake started in photography while working for his dad, who owned a promotional products company when Blake was a child. He asked Blake if he was interested in graphic design work, and Blake helped him out with whatever he could. By the time he was nine or 10 on, he was already working with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

Battlecreek Photography has been in business for about 12 years or so. It started as a favor Blake was doing for his friend, and then, once his passion for photography was ignited, the business grew. At the time, Blake was working a lower-paying job. So, once he had a really good sales month, he pounced on the opportunity to buy all the photography equipment he would need to really dive in. It started as a hobby, but in his words, “The more people actually started asking me to take their pictures, the more I realized it was for me. Ten years ago, this wasn’t really a thing like it is now.”

Although Battlecreek Photography started out with simple portraits, it has become centered around what Blake really wants to do, like weddings, senior photography, and family photography.

When it comes to reputation management, Blake focuses on asking for feedback and recommendations. He told us, “I always try to do something above and beyond. Like, if I shoot a wedding, even if I get out of there at 12:00 or 1:00 in the morning, I still try to send them 10 or so edited images by that night.” He added that, after weddings, in particular, his social media pages seem to get a sizeable number of new views.

When asked about his reputation management strategy, Blake said, “The way I approach it is very transparent… One thing that business owners could really benefit from is a higher degree of transparency.”

Thank you so much for your time, Blake, and thank you for being such an integral part of the Top Rated Local family!

Want to see what Top Rated Local can do for your business? Sign up here today.