I’m not trying to get preachy here, but listen up!
When you sign-up to for 1:1 photography mentoring with me, you get a website review (just one of the perks). I feel qualified to give a website reviews because I’ve had ALL the websites over the past 10 years (Blogspot, WordPress/ProPhoto, SquareSpace and ShowIt).
I have built ALL my websites and in more recent years I’ve enlisted the help of copywriters (What Sara Said and Woven Copy Studio) and the most amazing SEO expert EVER (Stefanie Morris), but for the most part my websites are done by me!
Yes, it can be challenging. Yes, I have encountered problems. And, yes, when there is a problem with it – it’s 100% on me!
But knowing my websites inside and out is important to me.
And one thing every photographer needs on their website is a blog!
Blogs Have Changed, But Their Importance Has Not
I have had a blog since Day 1. Yes, it has changed over time. My early blog posts highlighted each session and maybe had a few sentences about my client, but it was a way to constantly have new photos on my website. This was back when I did posed newborn photography!
Slowly my blogs evolved and became a way for me to share valuable information with my clients. Yes, they still to this day have beautiful images as part of them, but the information I share is so much more valuable! And instead of a few sentences, my blog posts are text rich with anywhere from 500-800 words.
I know what you’re thinking, I’m not a writer and this sounds like one more thing to add to my long list of business tasks! And I know it can feel overwhelming, but I’m telling you it’s important and once you get started, it won’t be so overwhelming!
Here are the 5 Blog Posts I think EVERY photographer should have:
- An Introduction! A little about you. I know you have an About Me page, but this is a bit more of a deep dive. Maybe more about your background or job history or how you got into photography. You can include some information about your family or your hobbies and passions.
- Some Valuable Tips! This can be anything from What to Wear to How to Choose a Photographer or How to Prep Your Home. Lists are gold in a blog post (I’m doing a list here!), so do this blog in a list.
- Highlight the Types of Sessions You Do and Love! Every photographer has certain types of sessions that light them up! Highlight those! Maybe you’re a newborn photographer who loves shooting Fresh 48s – talk about the differences in the two.
- Your Local Area! Whether you live in rural North Carolina or a big city like Washington, DC (I ran my business out of these two locations for a few years), love where you live and share your favorite places with your clients. Restaurants, coffee shops or any small business you frequent! I personally love highlighting women owned businesses.
- Locations! I personally only do in-home sessions and I talk about this a lot on social media and my blog, so if you’re like me, highlight in-home sessions and the benefits! Do you shoot outdoors or in a studio? Awesome! Highlight the outdoor locations you prefer. And if you have a studio (lucky you!) give a studio tour. This would be a great way to get a video up on your website, too!
A few additional tips!
-use a plugin like Yoast or Rank Math on your website that will help you know if you’re doing a good job!
-make sure you’re using web size images to help with load time!
-name your photos with the blog name and your business name (ex. “5-blog-posts-every-photographer-need-nps-photography-01”)
-use ALT text on your images describing what is in the image
-have FUN and don’t let this stress you out!
I recommend getting a handful of blog posts up on your website and then adding one or two a month.
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