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I can't wait for you to hear this week's podcast! There are so many other experts in our industry that have a lot to offer and today we have a special guest, Emily with By Emily Jane. She is a Squarespace web designer and strategist who's talking all about how to use SEO to get more eyes on your website. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. This is basically how you get found on Google. As photographers we really need this. It should be something we're doing right from the start and she's going to break it down and tell us how to get more eyes on your website!

Why SEO Matters

SEO is like the “secret” language for Google. If you want to get clients from your website, you need to be able to speak that language and essentially play the game. And in this way Google is making sure that you're really a business. It's verifying that you're still in business and you're not a scam! When your site is properly optimized, Google rewards you. Your site levels up in the playing field and that gets you more eyes on your website. This is HUGE for photographers. You need something that will help you stand out from a crowd. Learning how to use SEO does just that!

Must-Have Keywords

Keywords are what people are typing into Google. This is what your client is searching for. If you don't match those keywords or use them in your SEO then you're missing out on potential clients. There are some keywords that play a significant role in your business. Most people think if their business name is part of their logo that they don't need to include it… WRONG! Google needs you to tell us your business name. How else will people find you?! Including your personal name is helpful too! Just think, if a potential client is trying to find you without knowing your name they may end up finding someone else. As “smart” as google is you really need to make it clear. State your business, your full name (first and last) and say what you do! Are you a photographer? Google only knows what you put in writing!

Location, Location, Location

So we know keywords help our SEO significantly. But where do they go? It's not enough just to have the right words, but they need to be in the right places. Three of the big areas that you want to make sure you're inserting your keywords are in your headings, page descriptions and image names. A good practice is to have your h1 Heading at the top of each page to get the point across for that specific page. Maybe it's the main idea or purpose of that page. Then place keywords to describe your pages. On your services page, it could have an h1 Heading that says “legacy portraits for your family.”  Next would be in your image names. This helps your images pop up in Google image search – which gets more exposure! For example, instead of your photo being labeled “Robinson's family 198,” name it something like “Dallas studio family portrait.” Lastly, use these in page titles and descriptions. Really, it's the back end of your website.

Blogging Adds Value

In all our efforts to have a good SEO we still may be coming up short if we aren't active. Blogging is a perfect way to create more content about your service and topic of expertise. Blogging is basically a way to put more entries into the raffle. If you have keywords in the right places, you're still just using them in your page titles, images and description. So what adds the icing on top? Or how can you have extra places to use keywords? Blogging! It's amazing for SEO purposes, but also repurposing content to better serve your clients and create a better client experience for them. If you're interested in all the reasons I believe you should be blogging, go ahead and check out my blog post “Why I Still Blog Every Week.”

And there you have it! Learning how to use SEO to get more eyes on your website is KEY to growing your business. My team and I do these exact things for our business, and you should too!

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