SEO For Boudoir Photographers: Get Inquiries on Autopilot

As a boudoir photographer, you already know the joys of capturing some of a beautiful human’s most intimate moments with your unique artistic flair. You’ve honed your skills and created a stunning portfolio, but there’s one looming challenge – online marketing. Sound familiar?

Welcome to the world of SEO! But wait… what if I told you that doing search engine optimization for boudoir photographers is not as daunting as it sounds?I know you just want to get back to photography, but as a small business owner in today’s business environment, getting your website’s SEO right can mean the difference between getting an inconsistent trickle of inquiries and a dam bursting open with a steady flow of dream clients and customers. This guide includes exactly what you need to know to get started, nothing more and nothing less.

Starting SEO from Scratch for Boudoir Photographers

Diving in, the cornerstone of any SEO strategy is: keywords. In fact, Google and other search engines (think DuckDuckGo, Bing, and Ecosia) use the specific phrases that searchers type into the search bar to find information. So what does this mean? For example, if you want to rank for ‘artistic boudoir photo service provider’, but your potential clients are searching ‘female boudoir photographer denver’, you’ve got a mismatch.

To avoid such hiccups, let’s lay the groundwork with longtail keywords. These longer phrases have less competition than short phrases and are generally easier to rank for. And actually, studies show that these longtail keyword searches often lead to better conversion rates because they catch people later in the buying cycle.

Understanding Keywords

If SEO isn’t feeling like your forté, knowing where to begin with keyword research can seem daunting. To make things simpler, start by thinking like one of your ideal clients looking for boudoir photography services like yours online. Ask yourself what words or combinations of words they would put into Google search to find a local boudoir photographer. You can use free or low-cost tools like KeySearch or Ubersuggest.

It’s not about outwitting the algorithm, but more like creating a close relationship with it by supplying what it needs – specific words that are highly relevant and descriptive. The sweet spot of words in a keyword phrase is between 3 and 5. Remember, that means it’s balanced between being less competitive and specific enough = more conversions.

Here’s examples of what to do:

• creative boudoir photography miami
• private lingerie photography in pacific northwest
• LGBT-friendly boudoir photographer

Here’s examples of what NOT do:

• boudoir photography near me
• photography services las vegas
• cheap boudoir photography

Creating a Strong Google Business Profile

You’ve got the talent, you’ve snapped some stunning boudoir photos, but your business needs more bookings. Well, one piece of the solution is optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP). It’s like adding neon signs on every Google digital highway leading straight to your business as the solution.

When someone opens Google Maps and searches ‘boudoir photographer’, you want to show up in the top 3 results. Or if someone searches directly for your business on Google, you want your GBP to have all of your details hooked up already so that your ideal client can only click once and give you a call or send an email to inquire. Making it incredibly easy for potential customers to get in touch with you makes a world of difference when it comes to service-based businesses!

Additional small details are incredibly important; make sure information about opening hours or services offered matches across all platforms where you’re listed (consistency is key when it comes to SEO). Upload high-quality images and videos representing your unique style, behind-the-scenes of working with you, your studio, etc. And encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile because nothing sells better than genuine word-of-mouth and praise.

Also, if you don’t have a physical studio location, you’ll want to make sure your GBP is set up as a service-area business. It’ll make you input the local towns, neighborhoods, and cities you serve. This way, your profile will come up for anyone who searches for boudoir photography in those areas. DON’T do this if you have a physical studio location. If you have a work address, USE THAT.

Now, if you’ve done the setup and filled out your GBP to a T, the next step is driving more organic (no ads) traffic to it. There are a few different ways to do this (some easier than you’d think!).

Building Backlinks

Backlinks (i.e. citations) are mentions of your business around the web. They’re like building blocks for search engines, and the more high-quality blocks you leave around, the more Google recognizes that others trust you and that it too should give your website more trust. The more backlinks you build, the more Google trusts you over time and the higher it ranks your website. This isn’t a build a backlink once and expect a huge and immediate jump in Google’s trust and respect of your website. No, this only works over time and gradually. If it worked instantly, every business with a big budget would spam it like crazy and win.

This is often the hardest part about SEO because it takes the most time and can have unexpected and random results. Not everyone you reach out to asking for a backlink from their website to your website will say yes, or even respond.

That’s why we provide busy business owners with trustworthy and reputable backlinks (way higher quality than the vast majority!) so they don’t have to deal with the headache themselves. Check out our à la carte SEO services here.

In just 4 months, we took one website from a domain authority of 2 to 9 with just ~2 backlinks built per month. For another website, we strengthened its domain authority from 4 to 14 also with just ~2 backlinks built per month!

Launching an Optimized Website

If you’re a boudoir photographer, launching your website can feel like unveiling your artwork at a gallery. Optimizing for search engines is essential to ensure your website stands out from all of the other boudoir photographers!

That starts with having a .com domain, choosing a website platform (this is the one I recommend), your foundational pages (Home, About, Services, Portfolio, Contact), optimized images, and an optimized header and footer. In terms of web copy, each page should have at least 800 words and include key phrases (like your location, location-relevant terms, and ‘boudoir photography’).

You’ll also want to write and input optimized SEO Page Titles and SEO Page Descriptions. Google directly pulls these from websites onto Google, so they’re extremely important to get right! Titles should include strategic keyword phrases and be up to 60 characters long. Descriptions should intrigue and encourage someone to click into the page and be up to 160 characters long.

Importance of Mobile Optimization

In the modern era, a lot of folks are accessing websites on their mobile gadgets. Your website needs to be optimized for mobile use. Not only does this help with user experience (nobody likes pinching and zooming), but Google now uses mobile-first indexing (explanation incoming).

Mobile-first indexing means Google is using the mobile version of websites to determine how and where to rank them in its search results. Google used to use to desktop version, but when numbers came out showing at least 60% of searchers are using their smartphones to search, Google decided to cater more towards mobile use. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, it could detrimentally affect its ranking in search results according to Google’s new mobile-first approach.

Website platforms differ widely in this way. Squarespace and WIX do everything automatically for you – if you like it, it’s great, and if you don’t like it, you can always edit the design accordingly. Other platforms, like WordPress, typically make you design the mobile version separately to the desktop version, which has its own pros and cons. You get 100% design control, but it can be time-consuming.

To help you optimize the mobile version of your website, I recommend checking its page loading speeds and how it looks on different device sizes (ex. phone, large phone, tablet, etc.).

Analyze Your Website Traffic

To understand how well your SEO efforts are working, you need data. Specifically, web traffic data. Be sure to set up free tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and HotJar as soon as possible. The earlier you start collecting data, the sooner you can understand what’s working and what’s not working.

Google Analytics, for instance, lets you see which pages attract the most visitors, where those visitors come from (email marketing? Instagram? LinkedIn?), their demographics, etc. – all valuable insights when trying to improve SEO rankings.

The world of SEO may seem complex now, but remember Rome wasn’t built in a day! With persistence and strategic planning, your business will soon start seeing improvement in automatically generating photography leads.

Blogging Consistently with a Strategic Approach

Blogging may feel oversaturated these days, but I promise there’s still lots of undertapped lucrative potential. Never starting means you’ll never even have a chance at competing. It’s better to start as soon as you can and improve over time, because those who start now will be the powerhouses in 5 years.

This is more than just showcasing your boudoir shoots or personal essays; blogging is a great way to improve search engine rankings and exponentially increase your reach online. When blog posts take off, the traffic they bring in most often exponentially increases over time due to several factors.

Creating valuable long-form blog content is the first step towards successful blogging. But Google loves consistency. It prioritizes original high-quality content and keeps an eye on article length and relevance. Generally, a blog post should be at least 1,500 words.

The Importance of Providing Valuable Content

Your blog posts need to resonate with potential clients while reflecting your unique perspective as a boudoir photographer. So how do you make sure your blogs are doing this? It starts by understanding what kind of content appeals to them (i.e. what are they typing into Google to learn?) – whether it’s behind-the-scenes looks at boudoir sessions, tips for feeling comfortable during a shoot, posing guides, or empowerment advice for the nervous first-timer.

To do this, I’d recommend using tools like AnswerThePublic and AlsoAsked. These give you up to 3 free searches per day. Of course, you can always pay for them if you want unlimited access.

Crafting Engaging and Optimized Blog Posts

We’re not writing essays, journal entries, or research papers! We want engaging blog posts that don’t feel like keyword-stuffed nightmares from some awful SEO past life or ultra-personal diary entries that shouldn’t be read by anyone but you. Writing SEO-friendly blog posts involves integrating keywords without sacrificing readability or value.

If you’re thinking “hey, I wasn’t an English major”, fear not – there’s no need for flowery language or complex sentences. Just be yourself and write as if talking directly to someone interested in booking their own session (aka your ideal client). Think friendly, conversational, compassionate, and professional.

By consistently producing high-quality blog posts, you can effectively strengthen your SEO efforts over time. This will help potential clients more easily find you on search engines while providing them with valuable insights and guidance about boudoir photography.

Engaging in Local Events to Increase E-E-A-T

You operate locally, but have you ever thought about boosting your E-E-A-T (expertise, experience, authority, trustworthiness) through local events? E-E-A-T is a core concept of modern SEO that ensures business owners are publishing high-quality blog posts on their websites. Participating in some way, shape, or form in local events will increase your local and community visibility and add a significant boost to your overall SEO efforts.

Attending, sponsoring, organizing, or partnering with local gatherings provides you a platform to show up as a small business owner that cares about their community. If funds are tight, there are tons of free ways to do this too! You could volunteer at an event and hand out your business cards, help organize an event, lead creating an event, or partner with an organization to lend more visibility to an event.

A side benefit of showing up locally is increasing brand awareness, which leads to more people searching for your business online and more people clicking on your Google Business Profile (both extremely powerful signals to Google that your website should have high E-E-A-T).

Referral Partnerships

A lesser known, but equally important tactic to improve SEO is partnering with complementary businesses. Why do your clients come to you when they do? Did they just have a baby and want to feel sexy? You could partner with a newborn and family photographer. Did they just get out of a bad breakup? You could partner with a relationship therapist. Did they just discover acroyoga or pole dancing as a new hobby? You could link up with an acroyoga or pole dancing studio. Bonus tip: Offer an exclusive discount to your partner’s customers (this makes choosing you even more special and attractive!).

Not only does this bring you more clients on a regular basis, but it also means backlinks! Your partners should include a link to your website on their website, and you should include a link to their website on your website. This link exchange partnership improves the SEO for everyone involved.

Mastering SEO for boudoir photographers isn’t as tough as it seems, I promise. The journey we’ve taken together so far has equipped you with practical tactics and advice you can start implementing today. Just remember – it takes a few weeks to see SEO really take off. And if someone claims otherwise, don’t believe ‘em!