S.E.Ohhh...

We've been having a lot of questions about SEO lately.  Well what is SEO?


Search Engine Optimization - is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a website or a web page like a blog from search engines via un-paid search results as opposed to other forms of search engine marketing (SEM) which may deal with paid inclusion.  Get it?  Yeah me neither...


No, it's how you can get your website to get more hits and to get more traffic without having to pay for an add.  So what I want you to do right now is google your photography genre in your area.  Example: Honolulu HI Wedding Photographer.  Are you on the first page that pops up?  The second, can you even find your name?  Seriously keep looking till you find it.  You need to know where it's at to record the process you'll be making to getting your website towards the first pages.  When you google do you choose anything on page two...maybe?  I know I hardly do and thats the whole theory surrounding SEO.  That you want to be on the first page because you'll get more visitors and hits.  


So now how to get your name towards the top.  There are many different ways. 


1.  You can pay for it.  This is SEM.  When I googled Photographers the top two things that popped up are highlighted tan.  These people are paying per click and you can do this through Google.  It depends on what phrase you use that determines the cost but you can decide how much you want to spend.  If a phrase like "photographers" costs $3 per click and you only want to pay $3 a day then your name will only be on the first page once.  If you put enough money into this then you'll eventually be on the first page and then you don't have to pay anymore to be on the first page.


Then the ads on the right of the page are google ads.  You can also pay for this until you're the first on the page then once you're there you can stop advertising.

2.  Google Maps.  This isn't google maps like getting directions, it's a map that has targeted businesses.  So I googled photographer and these businesses popped up.  Go into your google account and make one of these immediately!  Don't worry about being an on location photographer and not having a studio.  There's a place to state that but you still want to have one up.

3.  Key phrase your blog and website.  See the top circled bar.  Really describe what it is you're doing.  Use key phrases like your location, what type of photography.  And put the most important one first.  I can totally jazz this up more but I kept it simple for you to see.  When bookmarking someone's page the page title will also appear.  So jazz it up!

My bracketed business name is part of a flash slide show.  Check with your blog or web designers to make sure they are SEO optimized.  My ProPhoto3 blog is, do you know if yours is?  Also my header links to my website/portfolio.  Instead of linking my blog to my blog, which is still good, link it to another site to help get more hits and then link your website to your blog some how.  I do have a "home" button to still make it easier to get back to my recent posts.  Link your blog up!

Then I know you've seen people write crazy long titles next to their blog post titles.  It's because they want search engines like Google to find them.  If you repeat a key phrase enough, when somebody googles that key phrase your site is more likely to be found.  Don't just put "photographer" or "children's photographer."  Because you'll be competing with everybody who has either Children or Photographer in their title.  Get descriptive and be specific! 

Last thing is write in your blog post.  Don't just post pictures.  The more words you have the more key phrases you use the more likely you'll come up in the search engines.  Once you've done all these things and continue to do these things keep track of where your blog comes up on google.  I know you'll get closer to the top!