seo for photographers
why ranking on page one matters
Less than 1% of searchers click on the second page of Google results.
This statistic truly shows the critical role of search engine optimization (SEO) strategies in ensuring that a website (aka your business) ranks prominently. It is a necessity to strive to be on page one with your online presence to achieve higher visibility and attract organic, targeted traffic.
As such, it’s important to priorizie SEO efforts to secure a competitive edge in the digital landscape and capitalize on the vast opportunities presented by search engine rankings.
Failing to land on the first page severely limits the potential for exposure and significantly diminishes the likelihood of user engagement and conversions.
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Before good SEO, I was:
Quick Intro: I’m Dani!
I've been shooting all across the globe for the past 7 years -- from Yosemite, to Hawaii, to Utah, to FRANCE, to Norway, and even Iceland. I'm excited to be teaching about a topic I'm so passionate about -- because it's changed my business inside out!
- Posting to instagram everyday
- Struggling with mental health to keep up
- Wearing all the hats in my business
- BURNT OUT.
After good SEO:
- I didn’t feel pressure to post to social media because I didn’t need to!
- I felt mentally better, confident in my business and skills
- I wasn't worrying about my next paycheck
Adventurous Elopement Photographer
Here are 5 reasons being on page one of google matters
What we will cover (click to jump):
Visibility
Traffic
Credibility
Competitive Advantage
Cost-Effectiveness
Visibility
Ranking in the first position translates to a 39.8% organic click-through rate
The more exposure, the more likely you are to get increased amounts of inquiries.
It’s truly a fact that the majority of users rarely venture beyond the first page of search results. So, being on page one increases the likelihood that users will see and click on your website, thereby increasing your visibility to potential customers. And visibility gives you more exposure, and more people finding your business – translating to more potential inquiries (woot woot!)
Pro tip to getting visible: Have a specific SEO TITLE of your page that is EXACTLY what your potential client is searching. If you aren't sure what they are searching, using Google's Keyword Planner Tool is a great tool. Just make a free account with Google Ads, and use the Keyword Planner Tool to see search volumes, and phrases that you can turn into pages on your website!
traffic
More Traffic Improves your Domain Score!
more traffic increases your overall domain authority, giving you more pages to likely be on page one.
Organic traffic to your site not only INCREASES your domain authority because of how many people are coming to your site, but it also exposes more people to your business. It’s an overall win for your SEO game because Google likes to put websites with lots of monthly traffic closer to page one, because they have more authority. That said, higher rankings generally result in more organic traffic to your website. Studies have shown that websites listed on the first page of search results receive the majority of clicks, with the top three positions receiving the lion's share.
Pro tip: Posts that contain target keywords or similar terms in the URL have a 45% higher click-through rate compared to those that don’t (Backlinko, 2023). Consider putting keywords in everything - your Titles, Headings, and even in your URL. If you can be extremely targeted with what you know your potential clients are searching, you're more likely to receive targeted inquiries, like a my "How to Elope in Yosemite" webpage.
Users trust top results more than the bottom ones.
credibility
big ticket services like weddings and elopements require expertise & trust. being on page one accomplishes that.
Ranking on the first page can therefore enhance your credibility and trustworthiness in the eyes of potential customers - and when it comes to booking weddings and big ticket items for photography (join our SEO for Photographers Facebook group if you’re a photographer!), you definitely want to be trustworthy and seen as the expert. By fact, being seen as an expert increases your chances of booking immensely - and also allows you to charge higher prices for yoru services. So it’s a win-win, and another reason why ranking on page one truly goes beyond just Google!
Pro tip: A GREAT way to make yourself an expert is by increasing your domain authority. The best way to that quickly is to make sure you have backlinks set up within your site -- meaning you are linking to other websites often, and other sites link back to your website as well. Being featured in blogs, having guest writers, and posting to social media really helps boost this!
competitive advantage
Beat your competition by studying them.
study what the top spots for your desired search is, and make better pages.
Outranking competitors on the first page can give you a significant competitive advantage. Users are more likely to click on your website over your competitors' if you're top ranking, leading to more conversions and sales for your business. So how exactly do you get above them in rankings? Well, essentially, study what they are doing and then do it better. More on this in our discussion groups with our SEO for Photographers facebook group, so be sure to join! Essentially, make sure you follow all good SEO practices, like including backlinks, keywords, targeted messaging (so your traffic stays and clicks around on your website), and gaining that domain authority over your fellow competitors.
Pro tip: Use Google Chrome's Incognito Window to help you see what top results come up for a search you'd like to be found on. Study what those top pages include, and ask yourself how you can do better with your SEO practices!
cost-effectiveness
Yeah, you could pay for ads. Or you could get leads for free.
being organically on page one requires no money from you, as opposed to paying for ads which can cost upwards of $1,000+ per month to be successful.
While achieving and maintaining a high ranking on the first page of Google may require initial investment in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) efforts, the long-term benefits can be highly cost-effective compared to other marketing strategies. Once you achieve a top ranking, you can continue to benefit from increased visibility and traffic without ongoing advertising expenses. Good news to you, meaning you don’t have to have an extremely high marketing budget to keep up with ads - you can just stick to your organic traffic! And, Organic web listings get 73% of clicks (BrightEdge, 2022). So most traffic isn’t even clicking on ads anymore!
Pro tip: Start applying your SEO strategies to all of your pages. This will increase your domain score, and make you more credible with Google, allowing you to show up on page one for more pages on your website!
Quick recap on tips for getting on page one:
- Have a specific SEO TITLE of your page that is EXACTLY what your potential client is searching. And be sure to use Google's Keyword Planner Tool!
- Consider putting keywords in everything - your Titles, Headings, and even in your URL.
- Studies show that the quickest way to get to page one is to make sure you have backlinks set up within your site.
- Study what those top pages include, and ask yourself how you can do better with your SEO practices!
- Start applying your SEO strategies to all of your pages to increase your domain score and get on page one for more of your webpages!
