Even still, most of the content on our blogs consists of images. Unfortunately, Google hasn’t quite learned to see yet, so images don’t quite make the grade either. Of course, you have the ever-important alt tags, but you are still lacking in the text department.

In order to help you offset your blog’s image-heaviness, I have created a simple video tutorial to teach you how to take advantage of a part of your site that is almost always under utilized – the category and tag pages. Did you know you can edit these? Check out the video to see how to use them for some extra SEO juice:

Simple, right? Just a little change could go a long way in getting your category and tag pages ranked. This could result in more bookings as visitors searching for specific terms such as “engagement photographer” will find just the page they are looking for and be that much closer to contacting you.

Here is the code from the video:

Category page:

<?php echo category_description(); ?>

Tag page:

<?php echo tag_description(); ?>

In the video I mentioned that you might not have a tag page in your template files. There is a simple fix. Simply use an FTP program to copy your category template (blog folder > wp-content > themes > yourtheme > category.php ) onto your desktop. Change its filename to tag.php and reupload it to the same folder. WordPress will automatically identify it as your tag template.

Want to do more with your category and tag pages? Check out the WordPress codex for additional info.

WordPress Categories

WordPress Tags

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Why should we be concerned? Image size.

As photographers, most of our content is image-based. This means large file sizes and slow loading times.

It is now more important than ever to be sure that your images are properly compressed. The balance between large viewing size and small file size should be moved up on your list of concerns when it comes to your blogging and Web design.

It is important to provide our clients (and prospects!) with large image sizes so as to optimize their viewing experience, but file size should also be a factor when making decisions about design and how you process your images for posting to the Web.

3 steps you can take that won’t affect image quality

1. Save your blog images to the exact size needed for display before uploading to the Web. Do not compress them later using html or your blog’s editing tools.
2. Split your photo-heavy posts into multiple pages.
3. Limit the number of posts displayed on each page of your blog. Look under “Reading” settings in WordPress.

All in all, this is a good thing. I know that I much prefer faster loading sites and i’m sure you do as well. Google is focused on user experience beyond the initial search result and I think this change will definitely have a major impact on the web as a whole.

Get on board! Remember to keep your site(s) simple and quick and hopefully this change will not have a negative impact on your rankings.

Take this new criteria seriously and you could actually see a rank increase as others in your market are not as quick to respond.

What do you think? Are you going to make some changes? Are you confident in the speed of your site and the way you currently handle images? Post a comment and lets discuss!

However, most SEO experts would suggest using one (or more) of your keywords in your business name for maximum impact.

I am here to tell you that using your name rather than an industry keyword can actually work out quite well for SEO when used properly. How is that? Well, when your business name includes your real name, your name actually becomes one of your keywords.

Sure, most people searching for your name will find you fairly easily. But what if you are like me and several other businesses/professionals use their name for their business name as well? I want to let Google know that when someone searches for me they are looking for a photographer (despite what those other Bethany Gilberts say).

The easiest way to do this is to comment on other photographer’s blogs.

Seem counter-intuitive?

Here’s how it works. When you comment on another photographer’s blog you (usually) are asked to enter your name, an email address and your website address before adding your comment.

After you click submit, the blog will then turn your name into a link to your site when displaying your comment.

This is called “link text”. Google LOVES link text. Google (and the other search engines) basically looks at the link text and associates whatever site is linked with those words.

So, when you comment on another photographer’s blog using your name as the link text, Google sees two things.

1. Your site is linked from another photographer’s site, so you must have something to do with photography.
2. Your link text is your name, so your name must have something to do with photography.

The moral of the story? If your business is named after yourself, comment like there is no tomorrow, and always (always) include your link.

P.S. Please remember to only post comments that are relevant, thoughtful and add something to the blog post. Comment about a particular image you liked for instance. Happy commenting!

P.S.S. Posting comments here will have the same effect since we are optimized for photography keywords. ; )

Top 10 On-Page Methods to Increase Your Search Engine Ranking

1. Page Titles – Customize each page of your website with a unique page title specific to that page’s content. Use keywords in the title but do not use a list of keywords. Write a 3-4 word phrase that describes the page’s content followed by your business name. A good, clean format to follow is “Local Term – Page Description | So & So Photography” or “South Carolina Wedding Photography Prices | So & So Photography”
2. Blog Post Titles – Most blogs use your blog post titles as the page titles for that individual blog post. Be sure to use some keywords in these titles when possible to ensure they get into your page titles. Remember that the post titles are for readers first and Google second so don’t overuse keywords here. For instance: “Bob & Sue :: Mississippi Wedding at the Crawford House in Hattiesburg”
3. All In One SEO Plugin – Install the AIO SEO Plugin for WordPress to help automate the above two tips and to help with several other SEO factors.
4. Image Alt Tags – Part of the SEO struggle for photographers is that most of our content is visual, not textual. You can offset this by using image ALT tags. Most blog editors, WordPress for sure, give you easy access to your image ALT tags as you are uploading images for blog posts. As with page titles, these should be keyword rich but not lists of keywords. Describe the actual picture and use keywords in the process. Example: “Bob and Sue’s wedding reception at the Crawford House in Hattiesburg, MS”. This will do three things for your site. First, it will make it accessible to disabled users who are using screen readers. Second, Google will see several photography specific and local keywords in your tags. Third, it will increase the chances that Bob & Sue’s friends will find your blog when searching for their wedding images.
5. Image File Names – As with Alt tags, naming your images using relevant keywords can have a small impact on your rankings. Take the time to at least use a local modifier (city, state, community, etc.) in your file names when uploading images.
6. Post Consistently – This is probably one of the most important tips on this list. A consistent posting schedule not only helps your search ranking considerably but it also provides your readers (and potential customers!) with current content. You don’t have to post every day but assign yourself a specific schedule to help you stay on track.
7. Forum Signatures – Use keywords in all of link text in your forum signatures. Don’t spam the forum or post long lists of links, just make the most of the few links you would likely have in your signature anyway.
8. Repair Broken Links – This one seems obvious but it is a common problem for many websites. Simply run through your entire website every now and then to be sure everything is working properly.
9. Website Grader – Grade your website and blog using Hubspot’s Website Grader for more in depth information about specific things you can do to help your ranking and to improve other aspects of your web presence.
10. Google Local Business – www.google.com/local/add If your photography business is not already listed in the Google local business directory go ahead and add it now. It only takes a minute and could go a long way in getting you more local visitors.

Put some (or all!) of these strategies into action and tell me about your results.

Questions about any of these tips? Leave me a comment below and I will try to help you in any way that I can.