How to Rank on Page One of Google as a Photographer

Google your city.

Not yourself. Your city.

Type in your niche and where you work, like "Lincoln senior photographer" or "Omaha family photographer," and see who comes up.

Are you on page one?

If you're not, you're losing clients to the photographers who are. And honestly, how to rank on Google as a photographer is one of the most common marketing questions I get.

I'll be real with you. I'm right in the thick of this one myself. When I moved my business from Wahoo to Lincoln, Nebraska, I had to do a full SEO overhaul on my own site. So on the latest episode of The One Behind the Lens, I broke it all down into five steps you can start working on today.

First Things First: Your Photography Business Needs a Real Website

Before we get to the five steps, there's one non-negotiable.

You need an actual website. Not a Facebook page. Not your Instagram.

I know social media can feel like your whole business some days. But Google doesn't rank your Instagram grid. Your follower count and how consistently you post don't count toward showing up in search. If there's no website, there's nothing for Google to find.

The good news? This doesn't have to be expensive or complicated. My website has lived on PhotoBiz for over 10 years, through every rebrand and every city move. If you're starting from zero, they can even help you grab a domain. I've got a discount code for your first year that you can grab here.

Step 1: Use the Right Words (Keywords for Photographers)

Google isn't guessing. It's reading.

If your homepage just says "photographer," Google has no idea whether you work in Lincoln or Los Angeles. So say what you do and where you do it. "Photographer" becomes "senior photographer in Lincoln, Nebraska." Swap in family, wedding, or whatever your niche is.

Work those words naturally into your page titles, image descriptions, and service pages, not just your homepage. No need to cram your city into every sentence. The goal is clarity.

Here's a confession. After my move, I ran my own site through AI and asked what I needed to rank in my city. It found spots where I still had Wahoo instead of Lincoln. That kind of mix-up confuses Google about where you actually are, so it's worth a check.

Step 2: Get Links From Other Websites

Every time a legitimate website links to yours, Google reads it as a vote of confidence. Someone is vouching for you.

These backlinks often happen naturally:

• Vendors you work with, like venues, florists, and hair and makeup artists, linking to each other
• Local business directories
• Features on local blogs or "best photographers in your city" lists
• For senior photographers, school directories or sports team pages

Most of this is just good networking you're probably already doing. The SEO boost is a bonus on top of real relationships.

Step 3: Blog (and What Photographers Should Blog About)

I know. You just groaned a little.

But blogging is one of the easiest SEO wins out there, and I think photographers really underuse it. Every new post is a brand new page for Google to crawl. It tells Google your site is alive and active, and Google rewards that. A site that only gets updated once a year just isn't enough.

Stuck on what to write? Try these:

• Session recaps. A short story from the shoot plus your favorite images. New page, new keywords, every time you shoot.
• Vendor features. These double as backlinks from Step 2.
• Behind the scenes. Your process and why you do things the way you do. Not just the pretty pictures, but the why behind them.
• Guides. I wrote a three-part senior guide covering locations, what to wear, when to book, and confidence during the session. It now lives on my senior page and keeps working long after I hit publish.

It doesn't have to be long or complicated. Write it, then ask an AI tool to check it for SEO and suggest a stronger title.

Step 4: Lower Your Bounce Rate

Bounce rate is how quickly people leave your site after landing on it. If visitors click in and immediately click away, Google takes that as a sign your site isn't giving them what they need.

Keep it simple. Does your site load fast? Is it easy to navigate? Is there useful content and a clear next step?

I've landed on photographer websites where I couldn't figure out where the person even lived. Not on the about page. Not on the contact page. And I moved on. Those clear keywords from Step 1 don't just help you rank. They keep people on your site once they get there.

Step 5: Ask for Google Reviews

This might be the most important one.

For local searches like "senior photographer near me," Google weighs relevance, distance, and prominence. Reviews are a huge part of prominence. A photographer with plenty of recent reviews can outrank one with a gorgeous website and only a handful.

Here's your homework: ask three recent clients for a Google review today.

Most happy clients are glad to help. They just don't think to do it unless you ask. Telling friends about you is wonderful, but it doesn't move your Google ranking. A quick email does the trick: let them know you loved working with them and that a review helps other families find you.

Bonus tip: respond to your reviews. Even a simple thank you counts.

SEO Isn't Complicated. It's Consistent.

You don't need to do all five of these perfectly overnight. Pick one. Start there.

If you want the quickest win, start with those three review requests. Then build from there, one step at a time.

The full conversation is in the video above, or you can catch the episode wherever you listen to podcasts. [Listen to the full episode here]

If it helps, share it with a photographer friend who's been stuck on page three.

Happy listening,

Kate