Photography SEO: How to Book More Sessions with Sarah Crook

Photographers will learn the core building blocks of SEO, including how to choose the right keywords, why blogging helps you rank, and the simple technical fixes like resizing images that can immediately improve how Google finds and ranks their website. Sarah Crook walks through keyword research, homepage structure, backlinks, and how destination photographers can target dream locations without diluting their rankings.

Sarah is the founder of Alisabeth Designs, a branding, web design and SEO studio that works with wedding industry professionals and creatives. She shares practical, specific steps photographers can take today, from resizing images to gathering a keyword pool, so that SEO feels manageable rather than overwhelming.

About Sarah Crook

Sarah Crook is the founder of Alisabeth Designs, a branding, web design and SEO studio she started about eight years ago. She works primarily with wedding industry professionals, creatives and small business owners, and named her company after her grandmother who taught her design and technology skills.

Key takeaways

1. Resize your images first

High resolution images slow your website down, which hurts your page speed and your Google ranking. Resize every image, including blog images, down to web size before anything else, since this is the fastest and easiest fix you can make today.

2. Build a focused keyword pool

Use a tool like the Moz Free Keyword Explorer to research keywords specific to your business and check their monthly search volume, aiming for a minimum of 2 to 300 searches a month in most markets. Stick to about 30 to 50 keywords across your whole site rather than spreading yourself across too many broad terms.

3. Target three to five locations at a time

Trying to rank for too many locations at once means you end up ranking for nothing. Destination photographers should target three to five locations and cycle them out semi-annually or quarterly by updating page titles, descriptions and image tags, then resubmitting their sitemap to Google.

4. Use your blog to expand your reach

Blog posts almost always get preference over standard website pages in Google's results, so writing resource style posts about places you want to shoot, like tips for eloping in a specific location, is one of the most powerful SEO tools available to photographers. Blogging weekly, or at minimum bi-weekly, signals to Google that your site is active and worth ranking higher.

5. Make your homepage do the work

Your homepage should clearly communicate who you are, what you offer and where you are located before a visitor has to scroll, along with a short personal introduction. Treat it as a roadmap that directs people to your bio, portfolio, testimonials and booking page.

6. Build backlinks and reviews

Guest post on vendor blogs you have worked with, such as wedding venues, to create valuable content for their audience while backlinking to your own site. Set up a Google Business page and encourage clients to leave reviews there, since this signals to Google that your business is legitimate.

7. Give SEO time to work and keep it maintained

SEO typically takes 60 to 90 days to show results, though some unsaturated markets see faster movement. Once your initial setup is done, plan on a tuneup every six months to a year rather than treating SEO as a one time task.

Favourite moments

"SEO is search engine optimization. That's what it stands for."

Sarah Crook

"Blogging is one of the most powerful tools that you have as a photographer when it comes to your SEO."

Sarah Crook

"In trying to rank for everything, you'll rank for nothing."

Sarah Crook

"Google can't see images."

Sarah Crook

"Don't make the mistake of relying on social media in place of your website."

Sarah Crook

"It will get you flagged as spam, and then Google won't rank your website at all."

Sarah Crook

Listen to the full episode

Watch the episode above, or listen to Photography SEO: How to Book More Sessions with Sarah Crook on Apple Podcasts, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

Keep reading:

• A beginners guide to SEO for photographers
• How to build a stunning photography portfolio
• Social media strategies for photographers

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