Hey there! My name is Marius, and I’m the founder of The Content Experts. Thanks for dropping by our website. My team of digital marketing professionals is ecstatic that you found us organically on Google. We truly appreciate you stopping by and checking out our advice for your commercial photography business in the US.
We’ve been working with US clients for a combined 25 years, and within this time, we’ve developed a foolproof method of getting brands off the ground. We understand that a successful commercial photography business isn’t just about taking stunning photos; it’s about building a powerful brand that resonates with clients and stands out in a crowded marketplace.
While we can’t share the confidential details of our work due to the NDAs we sign, we can absolutely give you a proven game plan to help your commercial photography business in any US state stand out and become competitive for those all-important keywords. We’ll tell you exactly what to do to start getting the attention and the clients you deserve.
You Need a Good Commercial Photography Website – Built with WordPress!
There are so many options for a commercial photography website today. Many companies offer prebuilt, template-based websites that seem like a good deal at first. They are mostly alright for a quick and simple online portfolio.
But to be honest, if you want more SEO and online visibility power, you need to invest in a professional WordPress website for photographers.
Sure, you can DIY your way to your first site with a drag-and-drop builder, but you will eventually hit a ceiling when it comes to customizing your pages, optimizing for search engines, and truly making your website look and feel exactly the way you want it. WordPress provides a level of control and flexibility that is unmatched.
Think of it this way: your website is your digital storefront. It’s where potential clients will get their first impression of your work, your brand, and your professionalism. Why would you want to skimp on that?
A custom WordPress site tends to be a pricier investment up front, but that’s the cost of doing business and building a long-term asset. This platform allows us to implement powerful SEO strategies, integrate with countless tools, and ensure your site is a strong, scalable foundation for your business. A website on a closed platform like Wix or Squarespace can look nice, but it limits your ability to truly own your online presence and adapt to the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing.
Establish a PR and Outreach Campaign to Get the Word Out
If you don’t have a website at all, or if it’s barely there, the “shortcut” (and we use that term loosely) to a powerful online presence is a consistent and effective monthly outreach campaign. This means more than just sending a few emails. It’s a strategic, ongoing effort to connect with newspapers, magazines, social media personalities, popular blogs, and any other relevant publisher. The goal is to have them feature you, your work, or a unique story about your business. This isn’t just about getting your name out there; it’s also about building high-quality backlinks, which are a crucial signal to Google that your website is credible and authoritative.
Crafting a compelling pitch and nurturing these relationships is a full-time endeavor. It requires careful research, personalized correspondence, and a significant amount of time to get it right. You need to identify the right publications, understand their audience, and provide them with content that is genuinely valuable and interesting. This can be overwhelming when you’re also busy shooting, editing, and managing your business.
Consider getting a dedicated virtual assistant for this work or talk to us about our SEO packages that are specifically designed to handle this area for you. A professional approach to PR and outreach can dramatically accelerate your brand’s growth and authority in the market.
Identify Your Geos and Create Optimized Landing Pages
Landing pages are the lifeblood of digital marketing for a reason. They are the highly focused web pages people “land” on from a search query or an ad, and their entire objective is to convert that visitor into a phone call or an inquiry. This sounds simple enough, until you realize that over 100 other commercial photographers are already doing the same thing. They’re all competing for the same keywords, and you’re just now reading about SEO and landing pages today. Not to worry! We do landing pages like they’re the backs of our hands.
The key is to create hyper-local, geo-specific landing pages. Instead of having one general “services” page for your entire business, you should create a dedicated page for each city or state you want to serve. For example, instead of a page titled “Commercial Photography Services,” you’d have pages titled “Commercial Photographer in New York City,” “Commercial Photography Services in Los Angeles,” or “Commercial Photographer for Brands in Chicago.”
Each of these pages would be optimized with specific local keywords and include details relevant to that area, such as testimonials from local clients. This strategy tells Google exactly where you operate and what services you offer in that location, giving you a huge competitive advantage in local search rankings.
Fix Your Google Business Profile
A huge part of SEO, especially for local businesses, relies on business listings. Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is technically a business listing, but it’s a huge addition to your online visibility because people are searching for you on the search engine that built it. A complete and optimized GBP is a foundational element of your digital presence. It’s what shows up in the “3-pack” of local search results and on Google Maps, which are often the first place potential clients will look for a service provider.
To truly “fix” your GBP, you need to go beyond just claiming it. You must fill out every single section completely and accurately, including your hours, services, and a detailed description of your business. More importantly, you need to actively manage it. This includes encouraging your clients to leave reviews and responding to every one, uploading new, high-quality photos of your work regularly, and using the “Posts” feature to share updates, behind-the-scenes content, and special offers. A neglected GBP is a missed opportunity. Consider using our Google Business Profile management services so you don’t get lost along the way and can truly leverage this powerful tool.
Don’t Let Your Social Media Channels Languish
Abandoning your social media channels because you’re always busy with shoots is a major mistake. If you’re thriving purely on referrals, that’s great, but if you need to consistently generate new leads with your online presence, your website and social media channels need to light up simultaneously. Social media isn’t just a place to post your best work; it’s a space to build your brand story, engage with your audience, and drive traffic back to your website.
Think about the visual platforms like Instagram and Pinterest for showcasing your portfolio, and professional networks like LinkedIn for connecting with marketing managers, creative directors, and business owners. Consistency is key. Create a content calendar and stick to it, even if it’s just a few posts a week. Engage with comments and DMs, and share behind-the-scenes glimpses of your creative process to build a personal connection with your followers. Your social media presence reinforces your expertise and professionalism, and it’s a powerful driver of traffic to those optimized landing pages we just talked about. Consider our social media management services for your commercial photography business to ensure your channels are always working for you.
Content is King: A Consistent Blogging Strategy
In the world of digital marketing, content is king, and a content marketing strategy is one of the most powerful ways to prove your expertise and attract organic traffic. A blog is your opportunity to go beyond just showing your work and start teaching and sharing valuable insights. This helps you rank for “long-tail keywords”—those more specific, longer search phrases that your ideal clients are using.
What should you write about? Think about what your clients want to know. You can write case studies that detail a project from start to finish, explaining your creative process and the results you delivered. You can create “how-to” guides, such as “How to Prepare for a Product Photography Shoot” or “The Best Lighting Equipment for E-commerce Photography.” You can also write behind-the-scenes stories about a particularly challenging shoot or offer gear reviews that establish you as a knowledgeable voice in the industry. Every blog post you publish is a new page for Google to index, a new opportunity to attract a potential client, and a new way to build authority and trust. It’s a long-term play, but it pays massive dividends over time.
Professional Networking and Industry Relationships
Your online game plan is crucial, but don’t forget the power of good old-fashioned networking. Building relationships with other professionals in your industry and adjacent industries can lead to a steady stream of high-quality referrals. Consider joining your local chamber of commerce or a professional photography association. Attend industry events and workshops, and connect with fellow creatives like graphic designers, marketing agencies, and art directors.
These relationships are a two-way street. You can refer business to them, and they can refer clients who need a photographer to you. A strong network not only provides leads but also offers a support system and a community of like-minded professionals. Many of our most successful clients have built their businesses on a combination of a powerful online presence and a robust network of industry relationships.
Your success in commercial photography in the United States requires a comprehensive and multi-faceted strategy. It’s not just one thing; it’s the combination of a strong WordPress website, a proactive PR campaign, geo-optimized landing pages, an active Google Business Profile, consistent social media, valuable blog content, smart paid ads, and genuine professional networking. It can seem like a lot, but by taking it one step at a time, you can build a powerful and profitable brand. We’re here to help you get started, and we can manage all or part of this for you. Let’s talk about building your brand today!
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