Taking your self-promotion as a photographer seriously from the very beginning will mean that you put the development of your business in your own hands. It means that you will be responsible for the success for failure of your enterprise. You will not be able to blame others if your ship sinks and all lives are lost.
Being responsible is a scary prospect for some. As a
photographer you need to be not only creative, but good with money and marketing. Marketing your business, selling yourself as it were is an ongoing battle. One that can not be taken for granted.
As the world of the Internet is upon us, it is inevitable that photographers too must embrace its worldwide reach. We must use the tools that are available to us in finding willing customers for our services and products. Here I have listed a few very simple, elegant and necessary techniques for pushing our business websites closer to the cherished first page of Google. These techniques are fairly easy to utilize. But, there is no guarantee that success will be the result. Success is relevant after all. What you define as success may not be what I define it as.
These techniques will help in your efforts to get your business noticed. It is up to the photographer to load their website with stunning photographs that the buyers will want to contract you for, or purchase outright.
Here they are.
First, when you go online with a beautiful, user-friendly website make sure to submit the URL to the websites. At the very least to Google. Sure, they will find you eventually, but why wait. Make it easy.
Think about what potential buyers might type into the search box in order to find you. Use those keywords and phrases in your website text. Utilize them in your keyword and description as well. They can be a very important component in your search engine optimization tool box.
Utilize a blog in your site, and write in it often. Google loves fresh content and will give that priority over a site that never changes. In your blog, make sure to have some strong keywords as well. But be sure to write naturally. Not like a repetitive machine. That sort of thing will only serve to hurt your ranking efforts.
Lastly, use a text browser like Lynx to look over your site. Most search engine spiders see your site like Lynx will. If Lynx can't see all of your site, then the more common search engines will not be able to index your site and it will get left in the proverbial dust.
So there are a few simple tips to help get your site out in front. Find more at my photography blog, twoeyesopen.com/wp
Mike Taylor, photographer, blogger, critic.
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