5 Critical SEO Mistakes Photographers Make (And How to Fix Them)

As a photographer with over 16 years of experience and an SEO specialist who’s helped countless photography businesses improve their online visibility, I’ve seen the same SEO mistakes happen over and over again.

The good news? These mistakes are easily fixable once you know what to look for.

In this post, I’m breaking down the top five SEO mistakes I see photographers making on their websites, and more importantly, how to fix them to start bringing in more of your ideal clients.

SEO Mistake #1: Not Focusing on Local SEO (Going Too Broad or Too Narrow)

The first SEO mistake I see photographers make all the time is not properly targeting their local SEO. This typically happens in two ways:

Going Too Broad

Some photographers try to rank for generic terms like “family photographer” or “newborn photographer” without any location specified. This approach gets you nowhere. These terms are far too competitive, and they don’t target people who are actually in your service area.

Going Too Narrow

On the flip side, some photographers focus on extremely small towns or neighborhoods where search volume is practically non-existent. If you live in a one-stoplight town (like I do!), chances are not many people are searching for photographers specifically in that location.

The Solution:

Identify the largest city that you actually serve that’s nearby you. Then create a keyword that combines:

1. Your location
2. One specific genre (not multiple)
3. The word “photographer” or “photography”

For example: “Charlottesville family photographer” or “Miami newborn photography”

Remember, this has to be a city you actually serve. As I tell my clients, “I don’t create the data. I just present it to you.” I can’t make there be more searches in your tiny town, so you need to think strategically about where your potential clients might be searching.

What About Cities You Don’t Actually Shoot In?

This is a common question. My podcast co-host and biz bestie Allison doesn’t shoot in Honolulu, but it’s the nearest city to her. She uses Honolulu as a secondary keyword (not her main page keyword) because many of her potential clients are staying in Waikiki/Honolulu. She then explains that they need to come out of the city for the best photos. This strategy allows her to capture that search traffic while still being honest about her service area.

SEO Mistake #2: Not Optimizing Your Images

This is such an easy fix, yet I can’t tell you how many photographers make this SEO mistake. There are two parts to this image optimization mistake:

Not Renaming Your Images

If your image filenames are still DSC001.jpg straight from your camera, you’re missing out on a significant SEO opportunity. Google actually scans your filenames to understand what your images are about.

I once had a client who was accidentally ranking for some undesirable keywords because she had misspelled “newborn” in her image filenames. Once we fixed the spelling, she stopped showing up for those keywords. This proves that Google definitely pays attention to your image filenames!

Skipping Alt Text

This one is such a common SEO mistake. Alt text isn’t just for accessibility (though that’s extremely important) – it’s also a key SEO element. Your alt text should accurately describe what’s in the image while naturally incorporating your keywords when appropriate.

The Solution:

• Rename your images to include your target keyword for that page along with your business name. For example: “charlottesville-family-photographer-melissa-arlena-001.jpg”
• Write descriptive alt text for every image. For example: “Mom nursing baby in rocking chair during Charlottesville newborn photography session”
• Don’t stuff your keyword into every single alt text – make sure it flows naturally and accurately describes the image

Pro tip: Including your business name in your image filenames helps people identify you as the photographer if your images appear in Google image search results.

SEO Mistake #3: Using the Same Keyword Everywhere

This is a mistake that stems from outdated SEO practices. Back in 2012, you could put your main keyword on multiple pages and potentially rank several times on the first page of Google for that term. Those days are long gone.

Now, when you use the same keyword on multiple pages, those pages compete against each other. Instead of helping each other rank higher, they’re actually fighting for the same spot. And often, the wrong page wins that battle.

The Solution:

Follow the “one keyword, one page” rule.

Once you’ve assigned a keyword to a specific page, consider that keyword “burned” for other pages. You can still mention that keyword in text on other pages, but when you do, link it back to the original page you want to rank.

For example, if “Charlottesville photographer” is my homepage keyword, I can still mention that I’m a Charlottesville photographer in a blog post about a Richmond newborn session. But I’ll link that phrase back to my homepage, telling Google that’s where that keyword belongs.

Many of my clients keep spreadsheets of their keywords and which page each one is assigned to. This prevents keyword cannibalization and keeps your SEO strategy organized.

SEO Mistake #4: Not Blogging (Or Blogging the Wrong Way)

I know, I know – blogging can feel like pulling teeth. But if you’re not blogging, you’re committing a major SEO mistake and missing out on one of the most powerful SEO tools available to photographers.

Even worse than not blogging is blogging the wrong way – specifically, creating boring session shares that only serve your past clients, not your future ones.

The Solution:

Start blogging consistently with content that serves your future clients. Focus on answering questions your ideal clients have before they book you. Create helpful content that positions you as an expert.

If you need inspiration, we have several podcast episodes that dive deep into effective blogging strategies:

• Episode 15: Blogging Your Way to the Top
• Episode 24: Blogging as a Local Expert
• Episode 29: Evergreen Blogging Strategies

And for those who feel completely lost about what to blog about, you can join my Blogging Club where you’ll get blog post outlines, SEO tips, and a supportive community to help you stay consistent.

SEO Mistake #5: Slow Website Speed

This is one of the most overlooked SEO factors, yet it can have a massive impact on your rankings and user experience. Google has explicitly stated that site speed is a ranking factor, and users are much more likely to leave a slow-loading site.

Unfortunately, some of this may be out of your control depending on your website platform. ShowIt sites, while beautiful and user-friendly, are notoriously slow. However, there are still plenty of things you can do to improve your site speed.

The Solution:

Focus on optimizing your image sizes. This is the number one culprit I see when it comes to slow photography websites.

• Create export presets in Lightroom specifically for web images
• Keep blog images under 500KB when possible (and certainly under 1MB)
• Be strategic with your image sizing – larger hero images may need to be bigger, but smaller images can be much more compressed
• Consider using a tool like JPEG Mini to reduce file sizes without losing quality
• Limit the number of images in slideshows, especially above the fold (the part of your site visible without scrolling)
• Aim for 3-5 images in your homepage slideshow – users rarely view more than that anyway
• Avoid heavy animations and effects that slow down loading, especially above the fold

Bonus Tip: Weak or Missing Calls to Action

While not strictly an SEO issue, this is a critical mistake that affects your conversion rate – and what’s the point of ranking well if visitors don’t become clients?

Too many photographers have weak calls to action, like a subtle “contact me” hyperlink. You need to be much more direct and obvious about what you want visitors to do next.

The Solution:

• Add clear, bold, colorful buttons throughout your site
• Include calls to action in every section of your homepage
• Don’t forget to add calls to action to your blog posts, especially if they’re targeting non-photography keywords
• If you blog about local topics (like kid-friendly restaurants), always include a way to connect those visitors back to your photography services

Ready to Fix These SEO Mistakes?

If you recognize any of these SEO mistakes on your own website, don’t worry! Now that you know what to look for, you can start making improvements today.

SEO isn’t about getting everything perfect overnight. It’s about making consistent improvements that build on each other over time. Focus on fixing one mistake at a time, and you’ll start to see improvements in your rankings and inquiry rate.

Need more personalized help with your SEO? Reach out to me at Picture Perfect Rankings and let’s talk about how we can improve your online visibility and help your ideal clients find you.

What SEO mistakes have you made on your photography website? Let me know in the comments below!

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Want to learn more about effective blogging strategies to improve your SEO? Check out The Blogging Club, where I provide monthly blog post outlines, SEO training, and support to help you blog consistently and effectively.