High-quality content is one of the most important aspects of SEO. Great content gets shared and linked to, which boosts overall rankings. Furthermore, great content keeps users on your site, answers questions, and provides an overall good user experience. In this article, we’ll provide you with content ideas for photography websites.
Reminder to Focus on Good Photography First
As a photographer, your photos are your primary content. I mention this because it’s not uncommon to see photographers spending time and resources in the wrong place. If you’re investing hundreds of hours in creating pages for SEO but the photography stinks, then you’re basically painting a collapsing house. Getting people to visit your site and driving links to your site will feel like pulling teeth. And if you happen to get viewers on your site, getting them to actually book will be a whole new challenge.
Be sure to work on your core skills as a photographer at the same time that you work on your SEO and web marketing. SEO is simply a way to get your work discovered, but your clients need to find what they’re looking for after you have their attention.
Photography Website Content Framework
Besides great photography, it’s absolutely critical that you create great resources on your site. This is the step that most photographers miss. Most photographers only create a few basic pages beyond their blog entries, like a contact and an “about us” page. While you don’t necessarily have to have hundreds of pages on your website, having a large, useful, and well-planned set of pages will help immensely.
Remember, your main website URL will target your main keyword while each individual page will target one of your niche keywords. Though it’s okay to use a targeted keyword from one page in another page on your site, generally try to stay focused on one or two keywords for each page. To find and discover pages you should create, start with the NICE Acronym:
N – Need: What do your clients need to know?
I – Interests: What other interests does your target audience have?
C – Common Questions: What are common questions from your clients?
E – Emphasize: What areas of your business do you want to emphasize?
This initial list does not have to be comprehensive, as you can always add more pages to your website later down the line. But having a starting list will help with your planning and execution. Because you probably can’t write everything in one sitting, set a schedule to populate this content. We suggest 1 day a week for most photography studios.
Here are some sample answers to the questions above, followed by potential ideas for content that might be useful for users asking those questions. We are going to switch to the example of Sarah Kim, a fictitious newborn photographer in Salt Lake City, Utah.
N – What do your Clients Need to Know?
Sarah’s newborn photography clients need to know basic information about her services. This means that Sarah should create a page dedicated to her “newborn photography services,” detailing what she does and the areas she covers. Sarah’s clients will need to know how to book, schedule, and contact her. These topics would also deserve one or two pages. Sarah’s clients should know a little bit about her, so she should certainly create a personalized “about” page. Her clients should know the ideal timeframe after birth to take newborn pictures as well as the procedures and preparation leading up to the shoot. Every business is different, so take your time and provide valuable information for your clients.
I – What are your Target Clients’ Interests?
As parents of newborns, Sarah’s clients are interested in all things related to their precious new baby, from infant health to baby fashion and everything in between. She might consider creating pages that cater to these interests beyond photography services. An article on “baby wardrobe tips” for their upcoming shoot would do well. Some tips on “newborn safety” during shoots would also resonate with clients. General tips on “infant development” and interesting links to useful articles are all interesting ideas to include on her website.
C – What are COMMON Questions From Your Clients?
Sarah hears the same questions a few times and realizes that more people must be wondering the same thing. “How long is a shoot? What should I bring? What gear do you use?” These are all things that might help Sarah’s clients find answers. By answering these questions, Sarah’s accomplishing many things. First off, as their source of information, she’s keeping the users on her site and building trust and authority. Secondly, she’s saving herself time because now these well-educated clients no longer need those additional emails. And lastly, she’s creating content that may become a reference and receive attention (and links) from other websites.
E – What Areas of Your Photography do You Want to EMPHASIZE?
Sarah is a versatile newborn photographer who does everything well, from lighting to posing to post production. She also has a distinct and desirable style that shows in her imagery. Even then, she should create a few pages that emphasize her distinguishing characteristics. For example, maybe she has a very distinct post-production style. If that’s the case, showing some before and after images on a page might “wow” a client. Also, Sarah is incredible with compositing images so that she can get her newborns in positions that are otherwise unsafe or difficult. A full tutorial or explanation would allow her clients to gain further appreciation of her skill set and see her has a leader in the industry.
Ideas on Content for Photography Websites
We’ve now provided you with the brainstorming process that you should utilize prior to creating all of your pages. Just in case you’re still out of ideas, here is a list of ideas for you. The actual titles and content should be structured around your list of keywords.
Ideas for All Types of Photography
- About Us
- Contact Us
- Pricing (Do not need to include actual pricing)
- Testimonials
- Featured Shoots
- Equipment List
- Post Production Style Description
- Photography Style Description
- Application Page for Second Shooters/Interns
- Favorite Vendor Page
- Album Styles and Options Description
- Print Product Options (Canvases, Enlargements, etc.)
- FAQ: When Should I Have my Shoot?
- FAQ: What Should I Bring?
- FAQ: What Should I Wear?
- Gear Reviews
- Specific Tutorials
- Specific Advice for Your Clients
Ideas Specific to Wedding and Portrait Photography (Skip if Not Applicable)
In addition to the pages for “All types of Photography” listed above, consider creating pages for the following topics specifically related to wedding photography. These are just a few ideas, but get creative and write about anything that you think your clients will be interested in. Keep in mind that every business is different, so these pages may or may not work for your particular studio.
- Multiple Pages Highlighting Each Culture: Catholic, Mormon, Indian, Chinese
- Favorite Engagement Photography Locations
- Destination Wedding Photography – Procedures, Costs, Wedding Features
- Multiple Pages Each Featuring a Different Wedding Vendor
- Ideal Wedding Photography Timeline
Ideas Specific to Headshot Photography (Skip if Not Applicable)
In addition to the pages for “All types of Photography” listed above, consider creating pages for the following topics if you’re targeting headshot photography. Many of these pages will be based around educating your clients. While actors are familiar with the process, musicians, dancers, and corporate businessmen and women are not. Many clients will have no idea how many shots they need, what to wear, where to get professional makeup. This is your chance to educate and establish your expertise!
- Actor Headshots
- Dancer Headshots
- Musician Headshots
- Corporate Headshots
- The Headshot Photography Process
- How Many Headshots Do I Need?
Specific to Newborn Photography (Skip if Not Applicable)
In addition to the pages for “All types of Photography” listed above, consider creating pages for the following topics for newborn photography. We covered many of these in our example with Sarah in the last section, but here is a refresher.
- When Should We Take Newborn Photos?
- How to Prep for a Newborn Shoot
- Creative Newborn Photography Ideas
- Newborn Photography Props
- Articles Related to Newborn Health
- Articles Related to Baby Clothes
- Newborn Photography Safety
Ideas Specific to Other Types of Photography
There are many other types of photographers, including street photographers, landscape photographers, architectural photographers, real estate photographers, family photographers, sports photographers, and more. In each of these niches, sit down and think about who your clients are. Then ask yourself the questions we presented. As a reminder, here they are again:
N- Need: What so you clients need to know?
I – Interests: What other interest does your target audience have?
C – Common Questions: What are common questions from your clients?
E – Emphasize: What areas of your business do you want to emphasize?
Get Connected!