Starting a new photography website? Whether you’re launching your very first site or rebuilding from scratch, the choices you make at the beginning matter more than you think. Great SEO isn’t about quick wins—it’s about building a sustainable online presence that attracts the right clients without having to hustle so hard.
I’m MaryBeth, a photographer-turned-SEO-educator. With over 10 years of experience running my own photography business—and helping countless creatives launch sites that actually work—I’ve learned what matters when it comes to getting your photography website seen by Google using holistic SEO Strategies. These best practices are grounded in real-world experience, not theory.
Not sure what “holistic SEO” even means? It’s more than ranking—it’s building a brand that connects. Read about the holistic SEO approach
Choose Your Key Phrases Wisely
One of the most important steps in SEO setup for photographers is choosing the right key phrases from the start. Think of these as the compass or main goal for your content. Each main page on your website—home, search service, about, etc.—should have one clear, focused key phrase assigned. This prevents your pages from competing with each other and gives Google clarity on what each page is about.
Use tools like Moz, Semrush, or Ubersuggest to research search volume and competition. What are people actually searching for in your niche and region? For example, “Denver newborn photographer” might outperform “lifestyle family photographer” depending on the market.
Not sure how to plan key phrases? Watch my free webinar where I walk you through the exact process and show you how to use these tools.
Build a Page for Each Core Service Help Your Photography Website SEO build Credibility
If you offer multiple types of sessions (like maternity, family, and newborn), don’t lump them all under one generic services page. Each should have its own dedicated, SEO-rich page. Google favors clarity and depth—a single focused page on newborn photography will always outrank a page that briefly mentions 5 different services.
Think of these as anchor points for your website. Each page becomes an opportunity to speak directly to a specific client type—and a way for Google to recognize you as an authority on that subject. Pre AI this didn’t matt as much, but now it’s becoming mission critical to your search engine success.
Know Your Brand Voice Before You Write
Great photography website SEO doesn’t start with copy—it starts with clarity. Before you write a single word, get clear on your brand voice and differentiators. What pain points are your clients feeling? What keeps them from booking? And how are you uniquely positioned to help? Trust me we all have a super power when it comes to working with your clients. I challenge you to be really clear with what yours is in your copy.
Start from your clients’ point of view and write to meet them where they are. Your website should sound like you, but also solve their problems. Instead of I do X,Y and Z say you will Imagine feeling X, Y, Z when we work together.
If you’re stuck on this, it’s something I walk through during my SEO strategy sessions. It’s often the missing piece in copy that connects and converts.
Use Only Your Best, Most Cohesive Images
Your visuals should match the vibe of your photography business. Avoid dumping every gallery image you love onto your homepage. Instead, curate with intention. And please, don’t skip the alt text—describe what’s in the photo in plain language (this is another hidden opportunity for keyword use).
Bonus tip: When you’re using images from different sessions, aim for consistency in lighting, editing, and mood so it all feels cohesive. We all have those one off sessions that even though we LOVE them, they probably aren’t right for a cohesive feel.
Strengthen Photography Website SEO with Internal Linking
Internal linking is one of the most underrated SEO moves—and one of the easiest to implement. It’s exactly what it sounds like: linking from one page on your site to another. But the impact goes deep.
Every main page should link to 2–3 related pages. For example, your homepage might link to your about page, your family photography page, and your blog. This creates what I like to call “SEO neighborhoods”—clusters of related content that help both Google and your users navigate your site.
Take it a step further: draw out a simple site map on paper drawing the connections (internal links) between pages. It’ll help you visualize how each page connects and reveal gaps in your internal linking structure.
Think of your website like a city map. Every page should be a stop—and every stop should connect to others.
Don’t Skip Local SEO Basics
Want to show up in Google Maps and local search results? Start with your Google Business Profile. Make sure it’s set up, accurate, and linked back to your site. In addition, go the extra step and make sure it’s verified and you’re using a phone number (even if you don’t have a physical address). This really does make all the difference.
Reviews, reviews, reviews. Start asking for these easy and responding to everyone you get.
Need a walkthrough? Read my guide to local SEO for photographers and artists.
Technical SEO Setup Checklist To Bring Your Photography Website SEO in Top Shape
Let’s talk the technical details. No matter how great your photos look, if your site loads slowly or Google can’t crawl it, you’ll have a hard time ranking.
Technical SEO
- Install both Google Search Console and Google Analytics
- Submit a sitemap to Google Search Console
- Check page speed (especially on mobile)
- Add unique title tags and meta descriptions to each page (these should include the main things you want to rank for)
- Ensure your site is secure (HTTPS) and there are no accidental HTTP links hanging out.
- Triple check broken links are cleaned up.
- Use descriptive URLs (not gibberish strings of numbers)
- All images have accurate alt text
These tasks might sound small, but they lay the groundwork for long-term SEO growth.
Laslty, Launch Loud & Promote Your Photography Website
Once you launch, it’s go time. Get your site in front of people:
Where to share:
- Announce it on social media (more than once!)
- Send it out to your newsletter list
- Update your Instagram bio link
- Share in relevant Facebook groups
- Ask a few biz friends to click around (more traffic = faster indexing)
SEO can take time—but initial traction tells Google, “Hey, this is worth checking out.”
Taking the time to get learn a bit about SEO and creating a basic, solid foundation really is the key to long term SEO success for your site. Hopefully these ideas helped. Don’t forget to sign up below for my free newsletter community for more SEO tips, advice, and ideas.
