I’m definitely no SEO guru, and, to be honest, before I launched my photography business I probably would have told you that SEO stands for, like, Scary Easter Octopus. But SEO (it actually stands for Search Engine Optimization and has nothing to do with an octopus, scary or otherwise) is essential for business owners who predominantly advertise online. This is the way you make sure that, when Becky searches for a local wedding photographer, your name is the first one she sees.

Sometimes, it feels like your ranking on Google is determined by the whim of tricky Lady Luck, but there are tons of things you can do today to improve yours! Here are four changes I made in my biz that have significantly impacted my SEO.

1. Build your SEO toolkit

Because the world of SEO can be all kind of confusing, it’s a great idea to get help from some of the great tools out there designed for people just like us. One of my favorites is BrightLocal, an all-in-one platform for mastering your local SEO rankings. It has all kinds of crazy features you can dabble in, but I especially love their citation tracker and citation builder. They help you to identify local search engines where your website doesn’t appear and gets you all fixed up! Pro Tip: For the max SEO boost, make sure your web address appears exactly the same as it does on Google.  

2. Set up a Google business account

If you haven’t already, snag a Google business account and make sure the address you enter is in the area you want to target for new clients, or just get a reputed SEO agency like orlando seo to do the job for you. If you don’t live in your target area, no worries! Set up a PO Box, and although Google won’t let you use the PO Box as your address, you can use the address of the post office and insert your PO Box number into the second address line. This will put your website in front of the people you hope to turn into clients.  

3. Ask for reviews

Once your Google business account is all set up and cookin’, it’s time to give some of your favorite past clients a holler. Even if they’ve reviewed you before on The Knot or Wedding Wire, send them a link to do a Google review anyway! Nothing boosts a business’ Google SEO more than a lot of outstanding reviews hosted directly on the search engine.

4. Start pinning

This may shock you, but Pinterest isn’t just about finding tasty new recipes, hair cut inspiration or a 21-day fitness overhaul. It’s also a perfect tool to help you slay at SEO! I’m no techie, but after learning a few quick Pinterest tricks (that I might have to do a future blog post on wink wink) and setting up a business account on the platform, I had myself on the first page of Google within the month! I learned to post multiple times a day (if that sounds like too much, check out an automation platform like Tailwind) and write relevant descriptions filled with keywords, like “senior outfit ideas” and “summer senior pics.” And, boom, just like that I was rocking my SEO!

With these four simple tips, it’s time for you to hit the road and begin your journey toward becoming the badass SEO boss who makes the rankings work for you and not the other way around!

Elisabeth is a photographer in the Uniontown Ohio area. She specializes in Senior Portraiture. To learn more about Elisabeth click below.