How to rank #1 on Google as a photogrpaher
This is a brief chapter from Underexposed, the new marketing course and community for photographers.
Every day, thousands of people search for a photographer on Google.
Weddings. Portraits. Commercial. Events. Headshots.
Your job is simple: Be visible at the exact moment someone is looking.
If you are not on page one, you do not exist.
This guide breaks down the exact SEO system I use on photography websites.
I’m Frederik Trovatten, and before photography, I spent 17 years working with search engine optimization and helping international companies rank on Google.
This is the same system, adapted specifically for photographers.
Inside Underexposed, I teach it step by step. This is the foundation.
Search Engine Optimization Guide for Photographers
What 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
Internal linking strategy
How links and press mentions build authority
How 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.
Step 1: Structure your site around search intent
Google ranks relevance, not effort.
One page = one clear intent.
If a page tries to rank for multiple ideas, Google cannot understand it, and rankings suffer.
Examples:
Copenhagen wedding photographer
Product photography studio
Corporate headshots
Each topic deserves its own page.
Do not mix services. Do not stack keywords.
Dedicated pages win.
Step 2: Create content that answers the search
Most photographers build a gallery or portfolio.
Google ranks answers.
Every ranking page should include:
Clear headline
Short intro text
Supporting paragraphs
Images with context
Helpful details (location, process, pricing, FAQs)
Think like a client:
“What would I need to know before hiring this person?”
Write that.
Not for Google. For humans.
Google rewards pages that satisfy users.
Step 3: Image SEO for photographers
For photography searches, Google often shows 6 to 7 images directly on page one.
This is free traffic most photographers ignore.
Every image should have:
Descriptive filename before upload
Title
Alt text
Caption
Short surrounding text
Example:
bad: IMG_4121.jpg
good: copenhagen-wedding-photographer-ceremony.jpg
Google cannot see pixels. It reads text.
Describe what the photo shows using natural language and your target keywords.
Step 4: Add context around your images
Image-only pages rank poorly.
Google needs context to understand what your work represents.
Always:
Place headings above galleries
Add short explanations
Describe the shoot or project
Avoid empty portfolio pages
Text tells Google what the images mean.
Step 5: Keyword research for photographers
Keyword research shows you how real people search.
Not how you describe your work.
Example:
You say:
“documentary style couples photography”
People search:
“candid wedding photographer”
Use their language, not yours.
Use a free keyword tool and:
Find variations
Identify service + location terms
Include phrases naturally
Never stuff keywords.
Match search behavior.
Step 6: Internal linking
Internal links help Google understand your expertise.
They:
Clarify site structure
Strengthen topic authority
Pass ranking power between pages
Example:
This SEO guide should naturally link to my guide on how to get Press as a photographer because the topics are related.
From a blog post → link to your service page
From a gallery → link to your pricing
From your about page → link to your work
Use descriptive anchor text.
Not “click here”.
Step 7: Authority and backlinks
When two photographers have equally good websites, authority decides who ranks.
Authority comes from links.
If reputable sites link to you, Google trusts you more.
Examples:
Photography magazines
News outlets
Blogs
Interviews
Features
Press mentions
One strong link can outweigh hundreds of weak ones.
Focus on:
Publishing projects
Sharing stories
Pitching media
Getting featured
SEO is reputation.
Step 8: Show real experience (E-E-A-T)
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, and it means Google ranks people who show real-world work, proven skill, recognized credibility, and clear trust signals, not anonymous or generic websites.
Google wants evidence that a real professional is behind the page.
Here is how to show that as a photographer.
1. Use your real identity
Full name
Photo of you
Clear About page
Contact details
Location
People trust people, Google does too.
Anonymous portfolios rank worse.
Show:
Original work
Real projects
Your name
Behind-the-scenes or process
Anonymous portfolios and stock images lose trust.
Be visibly human.
Step 9: Speed matters more than perfection
A slow site kills rankings.
Most photographers upload massive images.
If your site loads slowly, visitors leave, and Google notices.
Keep images around 100 to 300 kilobytes each
No visible quality loss. Much faster load times.
Fast sites rank better and convert better.
Step 10: Improve before publishing more
New pages do not fix weak pages.
SEO compounds through improvement.
Before creating something new:
Refine titles
Clarify intent
Tighten copy
Replace weak images
Improve speed
Add links
Optimizing what already exists often doubles traffic.
Why most photography websites do not rank
Common mistakes:
No clear page focus
Thin content
No backlinks
Slow images
Poor navigation
Writing for keywords instead of people
Publishing only galleries
SEO is not about tricks.
It is:
Relevance
Structure
Authority
Proof of real work
Final note
Ranking on Google is not luck.
It is positioning.
When someone searches for a photographer like you, your website should be the obvious answer.
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.