SEO for Photographers Who Hate SEO (But Hate Being Invisible More): Part 1

You’ve got the camera. You’ve got the talent. You even have a slick little website that screams “I take this seriously.” So why does it feel like you’re shouting into the void? Spoiler: it’s not your work, it’s your SEO (or, more accurately, the lack of it). 

Most photographer websites look great but function like a sealed vault when it comes to Google. If the world’s biggest search engine can’t figure out what you do, who you do it for, or where you are, you’re basically a very talented ghost.

In this article, we’re going to fix that. We’ll cover why Google doesn’t care about your pretty pictures, what SEO actually means in plain English, and how to make your site go from “meh” to magnetic. No tech-speak. No marketing guru nonsense. Just straight-up strategy, wrapped in sarcasm and served with a side of clarity.

Why Google Doesn’t Care How Pretty Your Site Is

This part stings a little, but it’s important to hear: Google doesn’t care how gorgeous your site is. It doesn’t care about your cinematic reels, that custom typeface you bought, or the way you cleverly laid out your galleries. Google isn’t a person, it’s a machine. It doesn’t see your work. It reads your site. And if all it finds is a bunch of beautiful images with no context, no structure, and zero information about what those images mean… it bails.

Google is trying to answer questions. If someone searches for “natural light family photographer in Southern Arizona,” but your homepage just says “Welcome to my site” and your images are all titled IMG_9273.jpg, guess what? You’re not getting that traffic.

Imagine Google as an overworked librarian trying to organize an infinite number of books. Your site is a photo book with no title, no chapters, no captions, just vibes. And unfortunately, vibes don’t rank.

How to Tell If You’re Invisible (Without Needing a Degree in Data Science)

You don’t need fancy tools or spreadsheets to know if your site’s underperforming. You just need to look at it the way your potential clients do. Open your site in a new tab, pretend you’ve never met you, and ask yourself:

• Do I instantly know what kind of photographer you are and where you’re located?

• Is it obvious what I’m supposed to click on next?

• Do your images have filenames and alt text that describe what’s in them?

• Is your “About” page helping me trust you, or is it just a list of facts about your camera gear and coffee preferences?

• Can I contact you in two clicks or less, or is it buried under a dropdown like a game of hide-and-seek?

If you can’t answer these questions with a confident “yes,” don’t panic. Most photographers are in the same boat: amazing work, buried under a confusing, text-light, SEO-optional website that might look great but doesn’t function for search.

Let’s fix that, yeah?

What SEO Actually Is (and Why It’s Not Black Magic)

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, but if that phrase makes your eyes glaze over, let’s simplify it. SEO is about helping Google (and other search engines) understand your site well enough to confidently send traffic your way.

When someone types “portrait photographer near me” into Google, the search engine scans all the content it’s indexed and tries to serve the best match. If your site doesn’t clearly say what you do, where you do it, or who you serve, Google’s not putting you on that list, no matter how good your work is.

SEO isn’t trickery. It’s structure. It’s clarity. It’s thinking like your client and the algorithm at the same time. It means:

• Writing in a way that mirrors how your ideal client searches.

• Structuring your pages so Google can understand your hierarchy.

• Using the right words in the right places, headlines, page titles, alt text, and blog posts.

• Keeping your site fast, easy to navigate, and mobile-friendly.

You don’t need to learn to code. You just need to start thinking about your site as a place people land, not just something you launch.

What Google Loves (And What It Couldn’t Care Less About)

Google’s love language is clarity. It adores:

• Homepages that say what kind of photographer you are and where you’re based.

• Page titles that aren’t just “About” or “Gallery,” but “About | Utah Brand Photographer.”

• Fast load speeds. (Massive uncompressed photo files? Yeah, Google hates those.)

• Internal linking. (A blog post that links to your services page? Yes, please.)

• Actual text. Not just pretty pictures floating in white space.

What Google doesn’t like:

• Generic sites that feel empty or hard to crawl.

• Pages without headings or structure.

• Sites with no updated content or context.

• Portfolio-only websites with zero keywords.

• File names like IMG_8632.jpg and alt text fields left completely blank.

Google isn’t trying to punish you, it’s just trying to give its users the best answer to their question. If your site doesn’t provide that answer, you’re not in the conversation.

Easy SEO Fixes You Can Make This Week

Let’s get you on the map. Literally. You don’t need a complete overhaul, just a few strategic changes to get Google’s attention and give it something worth indexing.

• Add a clear value statement on your homepage. A single sentence that includes your specialty and location is all you need to start.“I’m a New York portrait photographer specializing in candid, natural-light sessions for families and creatives.”

• Rename your top 20 images. If you’re still uploading files as DSC_0487.jpg, stop. Rename them to something like miami-florida-family-photo-session-2024.jpg.

• Use alt text like a storyteller, not a robot. Alt text is a quick sentence that describes what’s in the image, this helps Google “see” what your image is showing. Keep it short and descriptive:“Mother and daughter walking along a white sandy beach in San Diego.”

• Update your page titles and meta descriptions. These are what show up in search results. Your homepage title should include your location and specialty. Your meta description should give a reason to click. Title: “Southern Utah Elopement Photographer | Wild & True Photography” Meta: “Natural, adventurous elopements in Southern Utah’s wildest places. See galleries, get planning tips, and book your session today.”

• Audit your contact page. Can people reach you in two clicks? Does your form work on mobile? Is your location listed somewhere on the page? These all impact local SEO and conversion.

None of this is hard. It just requires intention. You don’t need more effort. You need more alignment.

SEO Isn’t a Trick, It’s a Service

Let’s be honest, SEO can feel dry. But it’s really just the art of making your website useful. To Google, yes, but more importantly, to your clients. It’s not about chasing an algorithm. It’s about understanding that your work deserves to be seen, and search engines need a little help connecting the dots.

You don’t need to game the system. I mean, seriously, do you think any of us can outsmart a trillion-dollar company? You just need to describe yourself clearly. Keep your site structured. Use words people are already typing into Google. And show up consistently with content that reflects who you are and what you offer.

That’s not “strategy.” That’s just being findable.

What’s Coming Next

Now that you’ve got a solid handle on why your site might be invisible and how to start changing that, we’re going to dive into the engine behind visibility: keywords. Not the spammy kind. The real ones. The phrases your clients are already searching for, the ones that will help you write better content, create better service pages, and actually show up when it matters.

You don’t need to write more (not necessarily, though more content does tend to be advantageous over time), you just need to write smarter. That’s what we’ll tackle in Part 2.

But for now? Take five minutes and go look at your homepage. Ask yourself:

If someone landed here for the first time, would they know what I do and how to book me?

If the answer is “probably not,” that’s okay, you just found your starting point.