SEO for Wedding Photographers: $700K+ from SEO Only

You take beautiful wedding photos. You’ve invested in gear, editing, your website and yet, you’re invisible on Google. Sound familiar?

If you’ve ever wondered why you’re not booking more wedding photography clients, it’s probably not your photography, it’s your SEO.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is how couples getting married find wedding photographers like you when they type “wedding photographer [your city]” into Google. If you’re not showing up when those couples search for wedding photographers, you might as well not exist.

The good news is, you don’t have to be an eighth-degree tech wizard to make meaningful changes to your website right now. Some simple tweaks can lead to a steady stream of traffic, inquiries (and bookings) to your website.

This SEO for wedding photographers guide covers some of the biggest wedding photographer SEO levers you can pull to get more clients from Google.

These are some of the same SEO for wedding photographers strategies that helped me grow my own wedding business to over $700,000+ before selling it for cash to a buyer, all without paid ads, posting on Instagram or blogging.

Let’s get into it…

What Is SEO for Wedding Photographers (and Why It Matters)?

Almost everyone has heard of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). It’s the process of helping your website rank higher in Google when couples are searching for wedding photographers with search terms like “wedding photographer in Dallas” or “elopement photographer Yosemite.”

If you’re not on the first page for your target keywords, most of those couples getting married won’t find you, because 75% of people never scroll past the first page of search results.

But SEO strategies vary A LOT depending on what industry you’re in. SEO for wedding photographers utilizes different strategies than say SEO for a nationwide clothing brand.

Better SEO for wedding photographers = more eyeballs on your photography = more inquiries and clients without spending money on ads.

SEO for Wedding Photographers Ranking Factors

Google ranks websites based on three main things: your website structure, relevance, and authority.

Your Website Structure

First, your website needs to be easy for Google to crawl. That means your pages should be properly indexed, with no broken links or confusing Frankenstein architecture.

If your site feels like a maze, Google’s not going to take the time to figure it out…it’ll just move on to competitor sites that do make sense. You need a clean structure that’s easy for both users and Google’s spiders to navigate.

Keep it simple Sally.

Relevance

Second is relevance.

Every page on your site should have a clear focus. If someone types “Las Vegas wedding photographer” into Google, and your homepage tries to cover every city you’ve ever worked in, it’s going to struggle to rank for anything at all.

Relevance means having dedicated, focused pages that match what people are actually searching for, with those keywords reflected in your page titles, headlines, and content.

“Authority” (Link Equity)

The third (and most important) factor is authority, also known as your link equity. Google wants to rank websites it trusts, and trust is earned through backlinks. These are links from other reputable websites that point to yours.

Think blogs that have featured your work, vendors who linked to you, or wedding directories you’re listed in. Backlinks are like votes of confidence, and they carry serious weight in your rankings.

So the hierarchy of ranking factors looks like this:

good structure makes your site accessible → relevant pages make your content useful → backlinks build trust and authority → all of that leads to higher rankings, inquiries and bookings.

Set Up Google Search Console (Free)

Google Search Console is how Google’s robot language talks to you (kind of). It tells you what keywords you’re showing up for, which pages are indexed, and whether there are any site issues.

Set it up at search.google.com/search-console.

Once you’re verified, you don’t need to do anything other than just let it collect data. Over time, it will become one of the most valuable tools to analyze ongoing SEO for wedding photographers.

Keyword Research for Wedding Photographers

Keyword research is all about figuring out what your dream clients are typing into Google.

Most photographers rank easily for their name or their business name, but that’s only helpful if someone already knows you, which won’t apply to new prospective clients.

You want to rank for what people are actually searching when they start looking for wedding photographers. Luckily for wedding photographers, this is pretty straight forward:

• “wedding photographer Nashville”
• “elopement photographer Moab”
• “NJ wedding photographer”

Brainstorm keyword phrases your clients would use. Then, plug those into tools like:

• Ubersuggest
• Keywords Everywhere
• Google Keyword Planner
• Google autocomplete (just start typing and see what pops up)

Look for a balance of specific and relevant. “Photographer” is too broad. “Elopement photographer Las Vegas” is better.

How to Optimize Your Website’s Pages

Once you know your keywords, here’s where the real magic happens: optimizing your website.

Each page on your site should be focused around one main keyword.

For example:

• Homepage: “Seattle Wedding Photographer”
• Venue Page: “Weddings at [Venue Name]”

Here’s a simple on-page SEO for wedding photographers checklist:

Title tag: Make this match your main keyword followed by your brand name.

Example: “Seattle Wedding Photographer | Wild Bloom Studios”

Meta description: This shows up in search results.

Example: “Moody wedding photography for free-spirited couples in Seattle. Book your date now.”

H1 heading: Each page should have one. It can match or be a variant of your title.

Image alt text: Describe your images in plain English. Google can’t “see” photos, so just describe what’s in them with keywords where natural.

Internal links: Link to other pages or blog posts on your site.

Geo-Targeted Service Pages

If you serve multiple cities or regions (ie: Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego), then make a page for each location:

• Wedding Photographer in Los Angeles
• Santa Barbara Wedding Photography Services

Just don’t overdo it. Focus only on the main locations people are actually searching for that you actually serve.

Optimizing Your Photos with Alt Text

Google can’t “see” your images, it relies on image file names and alt text. So be sure to rename your files before uploading (ie: saddlerock-ranch-wedding.jpg instead of IMG_2342.jpg) and write simple, descriptive alt text for each one.

Here’s an example:

• ❌ Alt text: “image123”
• ✅ Alt text: “Bride and groom kissing at Saddlerock Ranch wedding in Malibu”

Is Blogging Good SEO for Wedding Photographers?

I’m going to save you a lot of time, frustration and energy and tell you something that the “gurus” won’t tell you.

DON’T BLOG. Seriously, just don’t do it.

Blogging is a sacred cow myth in the photographer community that has been parotted over and over since 2011 by wedding photographers who don’t have a background in SEO, but instead just regurgitate bad advice they got from other wedding photographers who got bad advice from other wedding photographers…

What happens is that all of these wedding photographers blog every shoot they do at random, esoteric locations, that nobody is searching for with the names of the couple, who nobody is searching for.

Like…

“Josh and Amber at The Barn on Diddlydoo Hill Tx 2022”

Or

“Ashley and Devin Winter Wonderland Wedding at the Snow Shack in Aspen”

After doing this dozens of times they end up with a GRAVEYARD of blog posts that don’t get traffic and are dead weight to your website.

These posts end up sucking up your link equity, which weakens your site overall, causing it to perform poorly across the board.

So what to do instead of blogging? See this…

Venue Pages: Better than Blogging

If you want to rank in Google for searches like “[Venue Name] wedding photographer”, you need individual landing pages for those specific venues. These aren’t blog posts, they’re core pages that are built to rank.

Each page should include:

• A few photos from that venue (ideally your own)
• A short description of your experience shooting there
• A CTA (call to action) to book or inquire

Even if you haven’t shot there yet, you can still create a page. Just say something like “I serve [Venue Name].” It still helps you rank for that venue.

Backlink Strategies: Off-Site SEO for Wedding Photographers

Backlinks, simply put, are when another site links to your site. That’s it!

They’re one of the biggest ranking factors in SEO for wedding photographers, but very few wedding photographers understand how important they are and how to earn them and build them.

As a wedding photographer, you already have natural backlink opportunities, hiding in plain sight, right in your network.

Here are some easy link building opportunities:

• Wedding venues, Planners, florists, DJs: Ask to be added to their recommended vendors list.
• Styled shoots: Submit your work to wedding blogs like Green Wedding Shoes or Junebug. Styled shoots is one of the main strategies that helped me grow my wedding business to over $700K+ before selling it. They’re totally awesome!
• Photographer roundups: Reach out when you see blog posts like “Top 10 Wedding Photographers in [City]” to get yourself included.

These don’t need to be spammy requests. Just genuine connections from your work that link back to your site.

Local SEO for Wedding Photographers Using GBP

Most of your clients are searching locally. So Google needs to know where you are. Make sure your GBP is set up.

Step 1: Set up your Google Business Profile (GBP)

This is critical for showing up in the map pack (the little box with pins and reviews).

Make sure your GBP listing includes:

• Your exact address or service area
• Your business categories: “Wedding Photographer,” or “Photographer”
• Your business description with relevant keywords
• High-quality photos you’ve taken

Step 2: Local directories & backlinks

List your wedding photography business on:

• The Knot
• WeddingWire
• Yelp
• Local chamber
• Quality wedding directories

These citations (and sometimes backlinks) help build trust with Google and increase the rankings of your GBP listing.

Step 3: Reviews, reviews, reviews

If you’re going to win the hearts and minds of new clients (and get the coveted star rating), you’ll need some reviews!

Be sure to encourage past happy couples you’ve worked with to leave reviews on your GBP listing and respond to every review, even with a quick thank you.

Quick Wins to Do Today

• Add keywords to your homepage title and description
• Add alt text to your homepage images
• Set up your Google Business Profile
• Ask 1 past client to leave a review on Google

Even one of these can move the needle.