How many wedding photographers are in your area?  I am betting a lot. Endless pages of them to compete against in a simple google search.  It can be difficult to rank in these broad searches like “Phoenix Wedding Photographer”. But what if you could reach couples through SEO in another way?  Instead of fighting against hundreds of other photographers, you are competing against a handful (if any) to be shown. You have a pretty great chance of ranking in the first 3 pages, if not on the first page.  Added bonus, you are still reaching those couples who are actively planning their wedding. I have received countless inquiries and booked many weddings from a blog post I did for a venue I previously photographed.

Long-tail Keyword

Ok, before we can get started, we need to define the long-tail keyword for your post.  It is really simple.

[Venue Name] Wedding

Examples:

Volunteer Park Conservatory Wedding

Carondelet House Wedding

Raphael Vineyard Wedding

That’s it!

 

Title Of Your Blog Post

This is an important one.  You want to start the title of your post with your long-tail keyword.  (Please, please, do not use the couples name or a theme of the wedding to start your post.  I know it is cute for your blog, but not so great for SEO.)  You also want to include the city and state in your title.  After that you can include the couples name or the theme. Or, if you have wordpress, you can get an app to add a subtitle!  Here is my basic blog title formula:

[Venue Name] Wedding | [City}, [State] | Couple’s Names

Examples:

Volunteer Park Conservatory Wedding | Seattle, WA | Tasha & Joseph

Carondelet House Wedding | Los Angeles, CA | Neil & David

Raphael Vineyard Wedding | Peconic, NY | Blake & Ryan

 

Blog Post URL

This is another super important one.  You want the url to be short, sweet, and your long tail keyword.

Example:

https://yourwebsite.com/blog/volunteer-park-conservatory-wedding

If you have photographed a few weddings at that venue, it can get a little tricky.  I suggest using variations of your long-tail keyword, adding location details, and lastly, adding a theme.  Here are some examples:

• volunteer-park-conservatory-wedding
• volunteer-park-conservatory-weddings
• volunteer-park-conservatory-wedding-seattle
• volunteer-park-conservatory-weddings-seattle
• volunteer-park-conservatory-wedding-washington
• volunteer-park-conservatory-wedding-wa

 

First Paragraph and Text

How long your post needs to be is really subjective.  Google now says a post only needs to be 150 words (previously 300).  But, I have a theory that your alt-text counts towards this word count.  That does not mean you should skimp on writing your blog though! I would suggest creating a template you can use to make writing each blog post easier.  (Wedding venue details, how the couple met/the proposal story, link to their engagement, the flow of the day, ect.)

The first paragraph should always be more about the venue then the couple.  A good way to do this is to talk about why the couple chose that venue and then talk more about the venue.  You want to add some keywords like the city and state as well as descriptive words for the venue. Is it an outdoor venue with awesome desert views?  Say so! Is it a quaint vinyard nestled in wine country? Talk about it!

 

 

Alt-Text of Images

Alt-text is my jam.  What is alt-text you ask?  It is what your website will display if the images does not show.  It is also used to help the visually impaired (and google) know what the image is.  I suggest using full sentences to describe the image using multiple variations of your long-tail keywords.  This will include the venue long-tail keyword and other long-tail keywords and adjectives specific to your business.  Here are some examples:

• Classic bride and groom share a kiss in front of the vineyard at their Raphael Vineyard wedding by upstate New York wedding photographer Jordan Nguyen.
• Romantic candlelit wedding ceremony decorations at a Carondelet House wedding by LA wedding photographers True Love Studios.
• LGBTQ boho brides share their first look in front of the greenhouse at Volunteer Park Conservatory by Seattle WA wedding photographer Amy Gonzales.  

P.S. I am a huge Pinterest nerd/user.  Pinterest pulls your alt-text for an image for the pin description.  So, I always end my alt-text with some variation of ‘by PMA Photography’ so when other people pin directly from my blog, my name is on there.

 

Tags for Frequent Venues

If you have photographed three or more weddings at the same venue, it is time to start a tag for that venue.  I would suggest:

[Venue Name] Weddings

Example: Raphael Vineyard Weddings

Theoretically, this links the posts together so Google will rank the tag page vs choosing which of the 3+ posts to rank.  It also helps Google determine that this is not duplicate blog posts, rather complimentary blog posts. You should be able to optimize the tag page for search engines, but every website provider is different.  So, you may need to do some google searches to figure out how to do it.

 

SEO/Tag Title & Meta Description

The SEO or Tag Title is the title that is shown in the search engines.  You have already optimized your blog post title, so your SEO title should not be too different.  The main change I usually make here is to drop the couple’s name and add my business name. You can also add the theme here if you want.  

Example: Romantic Raphael Vineyard Wedding | Peconic, NY | Turtle Dove Photography

The Meta Description is likely the content that Google will display in the search results.  But, we all know that google does what they want. Here you are very limited to what you can write.  This is where I would add a description of the wedding theme, feel, colors, and any unique touches. And end with a call to action if you can.  “Click to see this mini burro carrying beers!”

 

Bonus Tip: Pinterest

Pinterest often shows up in the search results, especially in the images search.  I have images that will show up for searches off my Pinterest page but not my blog post.  It is insane. So, I suggest also pinning your content to Pinterest. Bonus points if you are pinning to a location or venue specific board.  Here are some examples/ideas:

• Volunteer Park Conservatory Weddings
• Intimate Seattle Wedding Venues
• Los Angeles Wedding Venues
• Napa Valley Vineyard Weddings
• Upstate New York Wedding Venues