SEO Photo Blogging: Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them

Hands up if you’re a photographer, and you know you should blog, but you just can’t quite figure out where to start? Or perhaps, you are blogging! You’re putting in the work, but the results just aren’t what you want them to be. Either way, you know that SEO Photo Blogging is one of the best ways to connect with your ideal client and grow your business. Luckily for you, here at Picnook MyBlog we’ve got some easy tricks that take the mystery out of SEO Photo Blogging, and dare we say it, even make blogging easy. 

SEO PHOTO BLOGGING: COMMON MISTAKES AND HOW TO FIX THEM

First thing’s first – if you fall into that first category of people who are blogging, but aren’t seeing results, it’s likely you’re making one of two common photo blogging mistakes. 

1. You only share photos
2. You write some content, but it’s effectively just a recap of the shoot (and how much you loved your client)

Your Photo Blog Needs More Than Just Photos

A blog post and a gallery are not the same things! This might seem obvious, but we’ve seen so many photographers sharing blogs that literally just have photos (and no copy!). If your goal is for your client to share the images with their network, then perhaps this approach to blogging is okay. If your goal is to boost your SEO and use Photo Blogging to connect with new clients though? Just sharing photos won’t work.

Without any text, Google has almost no way of knowing what your blog post is about and who might find it useful. So, if you’re serious about SEO Photo Blogging, it’s vital you learn how to write for your photo blogs, as well. 

Your Blog Content Isn’t Useful

The second mistake we most commonly see is when photographers write some content for their photo blog, but it isn’t useful. Let’s use the example of a wedding photographer.

Wedding photographer knows that they need to blog their work – it demonstrates that their business is active and showcases their photography. They might even get a little SEO boost! So, they compile the images and write a small blurb. This blurb is no more than a paragraph or two, and doesn’t make use of headers, links, or even calls-to-action. Instead, it simply details how much they loved the couple, what a beautiful day it was, and maybe mentions how great the venue was. 

Here’s the thing – if you’re at the stage of blogging your photos, the client has already booked you. The new clients you’re hoping to find through SEO Photo Blogging, on the other hand, simply don’t care how much you loved your client or the venue. They care about what you can do for them. Like Google, your potential new clients are looking for useful content that answers their questions and helps them out.

So, how do you create SEO Photo Blogs that not only reach a new audience but will help convert them to paying clients?

SEO Photo Blogging Made Easy

As a busy photographer, you probably don’t have time to spend hours and hours trying to figure out SEO. That’s why we decided to simplify SEO Photo Blogging for you. All you need to do is follow these steps! 

• Know Your Target Audience
• Research Your Keywords
• Use Headings
• Write Alt Text

Know Your Target Audience

First thing’s first, you need to understand who your target audience is – and what kind of work you want to book. If you want to book summer weddings, there’s no point sharing snowy images or blog posts about what to do for bad weather! So, spend some time figuring out who your ideal client is. Ask yourself:

• What does my Ideal Client do?
• Where do they hang out?
• What can I do to help solve their problems?

Research Your Keywords

SEO Keyword Research can seem scary, but it really doesn’t need to be. Don’t worry about the ‘best’ keywords (whatever that means). Instead, start by thinking about questions that clients often ask you. Continuing with the wedding theme from above – do clients often ask for venue recommendations? Or do they ask about local wedding florists? Write these questions down, and you’ll have your initial keyword ideas! Keep it simple and answer one main question per blog post. 

Want to double-check you’re making the most of keywords? Picnook MyBlog is integrated with Google Trends, so you can easily check a keyword’s popularity! 

Use Headings

Headers might not seem important, but they’re vital for signaling to Google what your blog post is about and which questions it answers. They’ll also make writing blog posts easier as they’ll provide structure and direction. Use headers that are relevant to your main keyword. For example, let’s say you decide to write about local florists. Here’s an example of how to use headers for SEO Photo Blogging:

Header 1 (aka the post’s title) 🡪 [City’s] Best Wedding Florists

Header 2 🡪 3 Best Wedding Florist’s in [City]

Header 3 🡪 For Classic Flowers: [Insert Florist Name]

Header 3 🡪 [City’s] Best Alternative Flowers: [Insert Florist Name]

Header 3 🡪 [City’s] Sustainable Florist: [Insert Florist Name]

Write Alt Text

Don’t forget to include alt text! You don’t need to add this to every single photo, just pick the most important 5-10 images. Simply describe the image and find a way to sneak in your keyword. For example, “A close-up photo of a bouquet from one of [City’s] Best Wedding Florists, featuring blush-colored roses.” Be sure to use correct grammar and describe the content of the photo, as well as use the keyword. 

There you have it! SEO Photo Blogging doesn’t need to be complicated; you simply need to follow a few simple rules to turn blogging into a useful tool to grow your business. Want to make it even easier? Try Picnook MyBlog now for free!

Are you guilty of some of these Common Photo Blogging Mistakes? Or do you have another handy tip for writing SEO blog posts? We’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas and questions in the comments section below!