Few things are more disappointing than pouring your heart into something no one sees. My first website was a wedding, wine, and business blog… I clearly hadn’t nailed down my niche yet – don’t judge me! For the first few months, I had precisely two readers: my mom & my aunt.

Unlike my blog, your site serves as a salesperson of sorts. It’s an avenue through which you can get clients. So, instead of just hurt pride when you don’t get people to your site, you’re losing out on growth and money.

Lucky for you (and me), I’ve learned a lot since that first site. I regularly help my clients with their online presence and websites. So, if you’re wondering how to get traffic to your photography website consistently, I’ve got a few methods for you to implement.

Social Media Marketing

If you’re sitting on your side of the screen thinking, “Okay, Cassie. How do I get clients for my photography fast?“… Pump the brakes!

In our Amazon-Prime-level-patience culture, everyone is obsessed with the short term results. And I’ll help with that, but I urge you to read this whole blog as I’m going to go through strategies in order of quickest results to long-term strategy. So, do you agree not to bail after this first section?

Pinky promise?

Okay, great! So, the first thing I want you to ask yourself if you’re already active on social media is whether you’re being intentional or just using your feed as an online gallery.

If your captions look a lot like, “what a gorgeous couple (heart eye emoji),” it’s likely the latter, so how do we fix it? Give them a reason to visit your site.

• If you’re a wedding or event photographer, edit a batch of photos within 3-4 days. Tease some on Facebook and Instagram and compile the rest in a blog post on your site. Use the caption to start telling a story about the couple or the day and end it with a CTA telling them to visit your site to hear / see the rest.
  • No one can resist a cliffhanger, so you’ll get visits to your site.
  • This quick turnaround and personalized content will also increase the likelihood that more family members (not just the couple) will share your post.
  • More shares means more eyes on your business. Insert happy dance here.

• When you share posts, tag and geotag vendors, venues, locations, and relevant / local businesses. On your blogs, link back to their site and let them know you included them in your post.
  • Think about it. If someone portrayed your business beautifully, you’re going to want to share it. Again, more eyes on your biz.
  • This also helps from a search-ability standpoint because prospective customers can find you via additional accounts.

• Make sure your Instagram bio has a clear call to action that encourages people to visit your website.

If you struggle with what to post or how to entice people to take action (like visit your site), snag IG Caption Infusion. It’s one of my most popular offers with over 100 content prompts you can use to write better captions and increase engagement.

Pinterest Marketing for Photographers

Oh, man. We all know how to save our dream house inspo on this app, but how do photographers use Pinterest for business? Well, first off, you need to know that Pinterest isn’t like other social media platforms.

In fact, it’s more of a search engine than it is social media. Why does this matter? Because unlike IG, posts (AKA pins) on Pinterest last months versus minutes. Additionally, Pinterest’s number one goal is to get people to leave their app. How do they do that? By curating search results for the Pinner that sends them to websites that match what they’re looking for! (Could be your site, if you play your cards right.)

The fact that it’s a search engine also means that in order to see success with Pinterest, you need to curate well-designed pins with SEO keywords for photographers to help your ideal clients find them! Pinterest is a great place to share your photos, but it’s also perfect for sharing informative blog posts.

(And one overlooked bonus? Pinterest boards with optimized keywords also appear in Google searches. Two birds with one stone? Yes, please.)

Google SEO for Your Photography Website

Speaking of Google searches and SEO, let’s make sure we’re on the same page. What is SEO? SEO stands for search engine optimization. It’s a fancy way of saying that you strategically help robots match your site with your ideal clients by getting found on the first page of Google.

Done correctly, SEO can become your salesperson that never sleeps. It could mean waking up to consistent inquiries in your inbox – even if you haven’t posted on IG in a few days. And as a solo entrepreneur, I think we could all agree that having a free employee that works that hard is a dream!

So how do we boost the SEO for your photography website? That’s a topic I could fill an entire course with, but here are a couple actionable tips:

• Create amazing content (such as blogs) that contain keywords (words or phrases people would use to find what you do).
  • The easiest formula I can give for one keyword would be (Your City, State) + (Type of Photographer) = Madison, WI Brand Photographer.

• Use this and other targeted keywords throughout your site to inform Google’s bots what your site is about / what you offer.

• Increase your chances of being found locally by signing up for a Google My Business listing. It’s a free account that will allow you to show up in the Google Map search results when someone types in something like “photographer near me.”
  • Any business you’ve ever left a review for on Google has a GMB account.

Use Your Email List

If you have a marketing email list through apps like Flodesk or Mailchimp (not to be confused with normal correspondence emails from clients), you should be using it to get people to your site.

Repeat clients are huge, as you know. So, if you’re writing content that would be helpful for clients, such as how to plan their family portrait outfits, tell them about it! And to get more traffic / reach, ask them to share with anyone they think would appreciate the tips.

Find Community

This is something I think happens naturally over time, but it can be intimidating to find community when you’re first getting started. That said, as a Honeybook Educator and Tuesdays Together co-leader, I’ve learned the power of community for creatives / entrepreneurs.

Running a business can be lonely. Not only does networking help with that, but it also connects you with other locals that may visit your site or refer loved ones.

Use a Combination of Short & Long-Term Strategies

Like I said before, when you’re thinking about how to get traffic to your photography website, you need to think short and long-term. That is, unless you want to feel like you’re constantly treading water. If not, tread through the short term strategies on over to the long-term floaty and enjoy a break.

Above all, though, be patient. Think from a service-first mindset in your business and you’ll thrive. What can you do to help clients on your site and throughout their experience? That impression will stick with your clients and your business will thrive long-term because of it.

PS Some links in this blog post may contain affiliate links. That means that if you purchase through them, you’ll receive a discount and I’ll receive a small commission. I never share products I don’t love or use myself!