How to rank on Google as a photogrpaher

Photography SEO: Search Engine Optimization Guide for Photographers

You will learn:

• How to structure a photography website for Google

• How to create content that ranks

• Image SEO for photographers

• Keyword research for photography niches

• How links and press releases work and why they matter

• How to get photos to rank in Google Images

I deliberately skip advanced technical SEO. For photographers, clarity beats complexity.

You can learn everything about how to rank on Google as a photographer inside Underexposed, where there is a dedicated chapter on SEO for photographers.

Before photography, I spent 17 years working with search engine optimization and have helped countless international companies rank on Google. What follows is the same system, applied directly to photography websites.

Why does this page rank for “street portraits”?

Google ranks relevance.

This page ranks because:

• The title tag contains street portraits

• The phrase street portraits appears naturally throughout the page

• The images, headings, and text all support the same search intent

One page equals one intent. Break that rule and rankings suffer.

Search intent: the rule most photographers miss

Google does not rank effort. It ranks intent.

If one page tries to rank for multiple ideas, Google does not know what to show it for.

Example:

• Street portraits

• Black and white street portraits

These are different searches and require different pages.

Image SEO for photographers

Image SEO is crucial because Google often shows 6 to 7 images directly on the first page for photography-related searches.

When you upload a photo to your portfolio or blog, always:

• Describe the photo in the filename before uploading

• Add a Title

• Add Alt Text

• Add a Description

• Add a Caption

When I uploaded the image shown above, I named the file street-portrait.
That tells Google exactly what the photo is about and helps it rank in Google Images.

Image SEO tip
Always describe your photo. Filename, Title, Alt Text, Description, and Caption all matter. Include the keyword you are targeting and relevant synonyms.

Image context matters

Images rank better when Google understands the surrounding content.

Do this:

• Place headings above image sections

• Add short explanatory text near galleries

• Avoid image-only pages

Google reads context, not just pixels.

Keyword research for photographers

Keyword research tells you what to write and how to phrase it.

Use a free keyword tool to generate ideas.
Example: If you are writing about street photography cameras, enter that phrase and include related terms naturally in your text.

Keyword research is not about stuffing words. It is about matching how real people search.

Internal linking: your hidden advantage

Links between your own pages matter.

Internal links:

• Help Google understand site structure

• Strengthen topical authority

• Distribute ranking power across your site

Use descriptive anchor text.
Link only where it makes sense.

How to create links and why it matters

Google’s job is to give the user the most relevant result.

One of the strongest signals Google uses to decide who appears on page one is links pointing to a website.

Let’s say you and I both have galleries of street photography.
We both publish solid work.
We both write clear content mentioning street photography, street photos, and relevant synonyms.

At that point, Google looks at authority.

Now imagine a photography magazine, a major blog, or National Geographic mentions your work and links to your website.

Google’s crawlers already know that National Geographic has a massive number of high-quality links pointing to their site. When they link to you, Google receives a strong credibility signal.

That single link can outweigh hundreds of weak ones.

E-E-A-T for photographers

Google favors real experience.

Show:

• Original photographs

• Real projects

• A named author

• A proper About page

Anonymous content and stock images do not build trust.

Why your photography website does not rank

You might have written a long “SEO text” with all the right keywords and still not rank.

For context, when I search for street photography, Google returns roughly 752,000,000 results.

To reach page one, your website must be the most relevant and most trustworthy option.

Common reasons Google does not rank your site:

• Not enough links from authoritative photography or media websites

• Content written for keywords instead of people

• High bounce rate because visitors leave immediately

• Poor usability or confusing navigation

• Technical issues like duplicate content or indexing problems

• A slow website caused by oversized images

For photographers, speed matters.
Keep images around 100 to 300 kilobytes without visible quality loss.

Update before you publish more

Improving existing pages often beats publishing new ones.

• Refine titles

• Clarify intent

• Tighten copy

• Replace weak images

SEO compounds when you improve what already exists.

Final note

SEO for photographers is not a trick.
It is relevance, structure, authority, and proof of real work.

If you want the complete system, Underexposed includes a step-by-step SEO chapter built specifically for photographers.

Want more marketing tips for photographers? Get my Instagram guide for photographers 2026 edition.