Websites and Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Websites and Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

by William Lulow

Note: This could be an interesting article for photographers who don’t seem to be able to get their websites up to Google’s first page. Try a few of these suggestions.

I had a certain amount of fear going into my recent move to a different city. How long would it take for Google to recognize my new location? And, how long would it take to restore my SEO ranking on that platform? I had lost a fair amount of business when I closed my New York City studio back in 1998 and relocated to Westchester County, NY. I was hoping not to have to repeat that disaster. But back then, I didn’t understand about websites, much less about how they appear to the normal search engines out there. I did have a website in the early 2000s, but nothing like what I have now. As a matter of fact, I finally constructed a new one back in 2018 and have been very happy with what I have now.

A couple of years ago, I began to do some research on SEO and what “keywords” were and a bit about how to use them. Coupled with my knowledge of advertising and how it works, I have been able to change the copy on my website to include several mentions of my new location in the body of the text, which is actually what they call a “widget” on my home page in WordPress. If you go back and look at it, I mention the word “Livingston” probably four or five times in the first paragraph. That was sufficient to elevate my ranking on a normal Google search for “photographers in Livingston, NJ” to the number ONE listing. This is great. But it took several weeks to get there. One of the secrets I have found is that sometimes the search engines elevate the ranking of a website based on how many times it is requested over a period of time. Another little “trick” I picked up was that if I “googled” my own site several times a day, it seemed as though that helped the ranking quite a bit. So I have made it part of my routine each day, to type in the words “photographers in Livingston, NJ” at least a couple of times per day. It has seemed to help. It took me about three weeks to rise to the top of page one on Google for my new area of Livingston, NJ.

At one point I invested some money with a company that said they would study my website and insert a number of keywords in strategic places to help the SEO, but the money was wasted, as so much of it is with websites for photographers. I have said it before, but having a great website and converting those who view it to actual clients are two, very different matters. The reason to be listed first on any search engine is to have more people be able to see your name and visit your website. Just from my own experience in searching for something I might want to buy, first I have to know what I want, then I have to find a website that has exactly what that is. I sometimes have been looking for another photographer to see what their website looks like and I often get listings of businesses that are located no where near where I’m looking. So, that’s the fault perhaps, of the search company itself. Or maybe it’s their zeal to list as many sites as possible that resemble what the person is looking for. So, if someone is looking for the EXACT kind of product you have to sell, AND they are ready and able to buy, they might call you. Sometimes they are just looking for information and want to compare what you have with what others are offering as well. In that case, if they like your product, they will call you eventually. Maybe they are not quite ready to buy. Maybe they are looking to buy your product, but not immediately. There are all sorts of reasons for not converting clicks to customers right away, and you never really know what they are.

But having a first-place listing will eventually pay off if only for the fact that every time someone is looking for a product like yours, they will see your name. The more they see your name, the more they begin to think of you as somewhat of a “force” in your industry. To me, that’s the way it works. Advertising is a cumulative exploit. It almost never works for a service business, the first time around. It may even take years of advertising for it to take affect. Unless, you are advertising something most people need or want. I’ve often said that the key to becoming a billionaire is to make or offer something everyone in the world wants. But, if your product isn’t something like that, then it may take you longer to get noticed.

Photography and commercial photographic products are such things. First, you need to find customers who need your services. Next, you need to find those customers in that category who need your services on a regular basis, or many peoples who need your services once. That’s how you can build a business.

I’ve told other photographers as well as a few clients to try this method before spending any big bucks on having any “professional” SEO work done. You may actually need a knowledgeable person to examine your site to see if SEO is set up correctly and for maximum effect, but the more you know about how these things work, the better armed you will be to set up your own.