Free SEO tools for photographers
Welcome! my name is Nina and I am a professional photographer based in the UK. I am passionate about marketing and business and if you want to ensure potential clients can find you your website and SEO are absolutely key!
This blog post lists some of the great FREE SEO tools for photographers so you know where you rank, what keywords are driving traffic to your site and some suggestions for related keywords you could be using.
The great news is search engines want to do the best job for people using them so if you put the effort into your website it will be rewarded!. Do your homework and understand what kind of blogs and content your potential clients really want to read. Create a brilliant website and make it easy for people to share. Do this and you will start to see your website traffic increase.
If you are keen to learn more, I also run an SEO course for Photographers which gets your website ranking in only 8 week. For more details click below
What does SEO actually mean?
For those of you new to SEO I thought it would be helpful first to answer what it actually is! SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the name given to things that you do to increase your visibility on search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo.
Google ranks pages based on how relevant and how much of an authority Google thinks you are on the particular subject that people are searching. So as an example, if a potential client was searching for Camberley photographer it would assess my website and consider whether I am the best match for this search. It would look at where I actually live, how good my website is, whether my site is mentioned by other online sites and many other factors (over 200 in fact!)
Some interesting SEO statistics for photographers…
- On average, 93% of website visits are referrals from a search engine.
- 70% of the links search users click on are organic and this means that…..
- 70-80% of users completely ignore the paid adverts, choosing the organic results.
- 75% of users NEVER scroll past page 1 of search results. The chart below shows the relationship between ranking position and conversion (source Advanced web ranking )
- The Cornell University a user-behaviour study focused on search behaviour specifically on Google. They used an eye-tracking study of a sample of undergraduate students to determine clicks and attention distribution. According to their data, 56.36% of all clicks go to the top-ranked website. The last result on the first result page gets 2.55% of all clicks (Source: Serprobot)
Great free SEO tools for Photographers
Helping you understand where you currently are and what keywords to target in the future
1. Google Console – helps you monitor, maintain and view how your photography website is performing.
Google Search Console is a free service offered by Google that helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site’s presence in Google Search results. You don’t have to sign up for Search Console to be included in Google Search results, but Search Console helps you understand and improve how Google sees your site.
Search Console offers tools and reports for the following actions:
- Confirm that Google can find and crawl your site.
- Fix indexing problems and request re-indexing of new or updated content.
- View Google Search traffic data for your site: how often your site appears in Google Search, which search queries show your site, how often searchers click through for those queries, and more.
- Receive alerts when Google encounters indexing, spam, or other issues on your site.
- Show you which sites link to your website.
Here are some top tips for using Google Search Console:
- Verify your website: In order to use Google Search Console, you will need to verify that you own your website. This can be done by adding a HTML file to your website, using a DNS record, or using a Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager account.
- Submit your sitemap: A sitemap is a file that lists all the pages on your website, making it easier for search engines to crawl and index your content. By submitting your sitemap to Google Search Console, you can help ensure that your website is indexed correctly and all of your pages are included in search results.
- Monitor your search traffic: Google Search Console provides valuable insights into the keywords and phrases that are driving traffic to your website, as well as the pages on your website that are receiving the most traffic. By monitoring this data, you can learn more about what is working well and what may need improvement in terms of SEO.
- Identify and fix issues: Google Search Console can help you identify any issues with your website, such as crawl errors, security issues, or mobile usability problems. By fixing these issues, you can improve your website’s performance in search results and provide a better experience for your users.
- Use the Search Analytics report: The Search Analytics report in Google Search Console provides valuable insights into the keywords and phrases that are driving traffic to your website, as well as the pages on your website that are receiving the most impressions and clicks in search results. By using this report, you can identify opportunities to improve your website’s search engine rankings and performance.
2. SEO Edge – Checks your SEO position (mobile)
- Free app for your phone which allows you to track your position on up to 5 keywords
- Rankings at a glance
- Allows you to visualise your SEO progress
3. NEIL PATEL with ubersuggest – For Keyword and content suggestions for your photography website
- An online tool that allows you to reverse engineer your competitors’ SEO, content marketing, and social media marketing strategy.
Looks at keywords, content and backlinks of your competitors.
4. SERP ROBOT (was Serblab) – Check your SEO position (PC)
- Free online system that allows you to check up to 5 keywords for free
- Rankings at a glance
5. The HOTH – Discover how people are currently finding your site
- Tells you the keywords which are being used to find your site
- Gives you the rank, volume and traffic percentage for each keyword
6. Moz Keyword Explorer – How to discover which photography keywords have the highest volume
- Supplies monthly volume of keywords
- Linked keyword suggestions
- Plus SERP analysis which shows the most popular web pages for those search terms
Here are some top tips for using the MozBar Chrome extension:
- Install the MozBar: In order to use the MozBar, you will need to install it as a Chrome extension. This can be done by visiting the Moz website and clicking on the “Add to Chrome” button.
- Use the Page Analysis feature: The Page Analysis feature in the MozBar allows you to quickly and easily see important SEO metrics for the page you are currently viewing. This includes the page’s MozRank, Domain Authority, and Page Authority, as well as its title and meta description.
- Use the Keyword Explorer: The Keyword Explorer in the MozBar allows you to research and analyze keywords and phrases for your website. This can help you identify potential keyword opportunities and improve your website’s search engine rankings.
- Use the SERP Overlay feature: The SERP Overlay feature in the MozBar allows you to see important SEO metrics for the pages that appear in search engine results pages (SERPs). This can help you understand the competition for specific keywords and phrases, and identify potential areas for improvement.
- Use the On-Page Optimization feature: The On-Page Optimization feature in the MozBar allows you to see how well a page is optimized for a specific keyword or phrase. This can help you identify areas for improvement and ensure that your pages are optimized for search engines.
NEW COURSE!
SEO for Photographers
SEO. The three little letters that often strike fear into the heart of any photographer. How do I do it? What’s it for? Do I really need it? The answer is yes, you do. You can have the most beautiful website in the world but if nobody can find you, there’s no point even having one. SEO often falls to the bottom of any to-do list, and that’s where this Bootcamp can really help.
Over eight weeks, you’ll collect the skills, strategies and tools you need to start climbing Google. You’ll have hands-on support from Nina every step of the way. She’ll set you tasks, keep you motivated and inspire you to GET IT DONE.
To find when Ninas next course takes place just click the link below to lean more.
A very good list! Google Search Console is probably the best yet the most underrated tools out there I’d say. Everyone can get it for free. The design and user experience isn’t great which is why a lot of people use 3rd party tools with better interface such as Ahrefs or Moz as you mentioned.