If you’re a local business owner like a photographer, then I’m guessing you want to get found on Google. Getting found on Google is the easiest method of visibility because people are already searching for what you offer.
If you’ve landed here from the newsletter, good news, you’re on the waitlist for the workshop!
Have you ever looked for a particular service before? For example, you’re looking to book family photos, so you search for “family photographer near me?” If you’re a family photographer in that city, then you want your name to be on the list of search results!
But, you may be wondering what you can do to help people find you on Google.
Maybe you have heard of SEO but it sounds really technical and difficult to do.
Or perhaps, you want to create content so that your ideal client can find you, but you feel like you’re not a good writer.
I get it, these are often objections I get when I share my method for easily bringing more leads into my business using blogging and SEO.
How to Get Found on Google the Easy Way
You don’t have to spend hours on social media or spend hundreds of dollars on Meta ads in order to bring more clients into your business. You can, but it shouldn’t be your entire strategy. Social media and paid ads can definitely be a part of your marketing strategy.
However, if you’re just starting out, pivoting, or just in a place where you don’t have a budget for ads or time to spend on social media, this could be a good strategy for you.
In 2023, about 75% of my leads came directly from a Google search.
Keywords to Get Found on Google
Keywords play a major role in getting found on Google. However, the benefit to being a local business is that there are a number of ways to create keywords that will help you rank. Ranking means that if someone searches a particular set of keywords, your business gets listed.
Ideally, you want to show up on the first page of Google since most people don’t go past the second page of Google. Some do, but they may be looking for something very specific.
In order to figure out your keywords, you’ll want to consider:
- your location – citt/state/province
- larger cities that are close to you
- your industry and niche
For example, if you’re a newborn photographer in Grand Rapids, Michigan, then your keywords would include things like:
- grand rapids newborn photographer
- grand rapids newborn photography
- grand rapids maternity photoshoot
- grand rapids baby photographer
It’s no longer enough to just include these keywords on your website pages; that’s a good start, but if there is a lot of competition in your area, then you need to take it a step further and create content around your keywords.
Topics to Get Found on Google
Think about your ideal client or customer.
What sort of questions do they have about your business or what you do?
What do they need to know before working with you?
Thing about what would they be searching for before hiring you.
For example, if you’re a high school senior photographer, then a mom might be searching for:
- When do you take senior portraits?
- What time of year is best for senior portraits?
- What is in a senior portrait photoshoot?
These are helpful topics that help prime your potential client on things that they need to know or may be curious about prior to hiring you.
SEO Optimization for local search
There are free tools you can use to help optimize your SEO (search engine optimization) so that people can find your content on Google.
Personally, I use Yoast SEO (the free version) and MonsterInsights (for their Headline tool) in order to optimize my content before publishing it.
These tools can help you determine if you have a good headline and if your SEO is meeting the criteria to help you rank well.
If you’d like a Blogging and SEO checklist for when you’re getting ready to publish a new post, then you can download it here.
Excellent SEO tips! Focusing on local SEO is key. Thanks for sharing. 😍