How To Build Links For Your Wedding Blog
There are three things certain in life: death, taxes, and, “Choose a Seat Not a Side” signs at weddings. However, another certainty barely missing the cut is that Google algorithms will always be evolving. This means the search engine is constantly tweaking things to make sure the most relevant websites with authority earn the top rankings. And rightfully so. Although there are literally hundreds of adjustments Google will make to its algorithm every year to determine Search Engine Results Placement (SERP), the one factor that has always helped SEO has been links. Let me rephrase that, quality links from quality websites. So let’s talk about the different ways a wedding photographer can get those sweet, buttery links pointed to their website to boost SEO and move up search rankings!
Blogging (Internal Links)
If you want to boost your SEO you better stop slacking off when it comes to blogging! Cancel the Netflix subscription, delete the Facebook app on your phone and do whatever it takes to get focused because if you want to get serious about SEO the first thing you need to do is get serious about blogging! Every time a wedding photographer shoots an engagement session, stylized shoot or wedding they are given an opportunity to make a new blog post. Take advantage of those opportunities and create that kick ass content!
Wedding photographers are usually visual people so often times they think good content in a blog post is one packed full of images, and don’t get me wrong any artist should want to showcase their art. However, photos are not the kick ass content that Google looks for. Therefore, when writing try to be descriptive as possible, utilize keywords related to the photo-shoot, keep the post around 400-600 words (minimum) and make damn sure that the blog post has links! A simple rule of thumb is each post should have 3 links: one to the homepage, one to another post/page in the photographer’s website, and lastly a source link. An example of this link building strategy would be as follows:
Photographer Shoots Wedding At Yosemite
- Link 1: Homepage (Duh)
- Link 2: Previous wedding/engagement session
- Link 3: A website related to Yosemite (places to stay, the national park.. etc)
Other Wedding Vendors
One of the advantages of being a wedding photographer is that your position is not only valuable to a bride and groom, but also the wedding venue, florist, wedding planner, DJ and basically every other vendor at the event. The reason? Because you’re awesome. The second reason is that everyone wants kick ass professional photos for their websites. Use this advantage dude (or female dude). Getting a follow link from a website related to your industry builds trust and Google loves that more than Trump likes praising himself. Here is a simple 4-step method to acquiring links to your website from other wedding vendors:
- During “breaks” at a wedding get the contact info from other vendors working the event
- After the wedding, reach out to vendors and ask if they would like to use any photos from the past event
- Inform vendors that any photos used on a website will require a link back to your website for photo credit
- Open a fresh beer in celebration for your brand new link (Rinse & Repeat)
Wedding Websites
One of the easiest ways to get some quick links is through wedding websites that offer a free vendor search. These are free links, from relevant industry-related sources, which is exactly what any wedding photographer starting a business should be looking for. These links might be “no follow” but they do help, and since they are free should totally be taken advantage of! A couple of quick notable mentions are websites such as Wedding Wire and The Knot. Other wedding websites will offer ads with paid links to vendors (June Bug Weddings, Green Wedding Shoes etc) which can help with bookings but also provide that link value. But spending money sucks so the focus should be on building your own content with internal links, getting links from other wedding vendors and also getting those free links!
Submit Photos To Wedding Blogs
Most wedding photographers are already familiar with the process of submitting weddings to wedding blogs so I intentionally left this method of acquiring links last. The reason is that submitting to wedding blogs can be time-consuming and there is no guarantee that the time invested will result in a link back to your website. However, I do think it is a good practice to submit your best photos to wedding blogs as part of your normal monthly workflow. Not to mention, having your work published can help boost other marketing efforts such as your social presence (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter), and give you street cred in the photo community.
Additional Ways To Get Links
- Press Releases
- Social Media Profiles
- Guest Authoring For Product Reviews, Cameras, Presets etc
- Wedding Vendor Lists At Venues
For more information on SEO for wedding photographers, or to invest in a one-on-one marketing/mentoring session to boost your wedding photography business, feel free to reach out to me! Blast me an email, DM me on Instagram or give me a holler on Twitter!
About the author. Ryan Horban is an award-winning wedding photographer based in Palm Springs, California.
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