Marketing & Local SEO

🔄 Quick Recall: In the previous lesson, you designed pricing packages that increase average booking value. Now you’ll build the marketing systems that drive clients to those packages — starting with the searches your ideal clients are already making.

Marketing for photographers has shifted from word-of-mouth alone to a multi-channel approach where local search, online reviews, and content marketing work together. The photographers booking consistently aren’t necessarily the most talented — they’re the most findable. AI makes you findable without consuming your creative time.

Local SEO Foundation

When a potential client searches “[your genre] photographer [your city],” your website needs to appear. Here’s how to make that happen.

AI prompt for local SEO audit:

Audit my photography website for local SEO. My business: [GENRE] photographer in [CITY, STATE]. Website: [URL or describe current pages]. Current Google ranking for “[genre] photographer [city]”: [IF KNOWN]. Analyze and recommend improvements for: (1) title tags and meta descriptions for each page (include city + service), (2) H1/H2 heading structure (niche + location), (3) LocalBusiness schema markup (JSON-LD), (4) image alt text strategy (descriptive, including location and service), (5) internal linking between portfolio, blog, and service pages, (6) content gaps — pages I’m missing that competitors have, (7) Core Web Vitals — image compression and lazy-loading for gallery pages. Provide specific code snippets for schema markup and optimized title tags.

Essential pages every photographer’s website needs (with SEO):

Google Business Profile Optimization

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is often the first thing potential clients see — sometimes before your actual website.

AI prompt for GBP optimization:

Optimize my Google Business Profile for a [GENRE] photography business in [CITY, STATE]. Create: (1) business description (750 characters max) that includes primary services, location, experience level, and a call-to-action, (2) 10 Google Posts for the next month — mix of session highlights, tips, seasonal content, and booking prompts, (3) 15 Q&A entries to pre-populate (questions real clients ask about photography services), (4) list of relevant categories and attributes to select, (5) photo upload strategy — what types of business photos to add weekly (portfolio samples, behind-the-scenes, team, studio, equipment). Each Google Post should be under 300 words with a clear CTA.

✅ Quick Check: You shot a beautiful wedding at a popular local vineyard. How many SEO assets can you create from this one event? (Answer: At minimum 5: a blog post targeting “[Vineyard Name] wedding photography,” a Google Business Profile post, an Instagram carousel, a Pinterest pin board, and an email to your list featuring the venue. Each asset targets different search behavior — Google for active searchers, Instagram for browsers, Pinterest for planners, and email for warm leads. One event, five marketing touchpoints, all generated by AI from your session notes and images.)

Blog Content Strategy

Every blog post is a permanent marketing asset that drives search traffic for years.

AI prompt for blog post creation:

Write a blog post for my photography website about a recent [SESSION TYPE] I photographed at [VENUE/LOCATION] in [CITY]. Client names: [NAMES] (with permission to share). Key moments: [LIST 3-5 HIGHLIGHTS]. Details: [SEASON, WEATHER, SPECIAL REQUESTS, UNIQUE ELEMENTS]. Write 400-600 words in my voice [DESCRIBE VOICE — warm and storytelling, clean and minimal, fun and energetic]. Include: an introduction that sets the scene, 3-5 subheadings for different parts of the session/event, mention of the venue by name 2-3 times, the city/neighborhood at least twice, and a closing paragraph inviting readers to book a similar session. Provide alt text suggestions for 15 images I’ll insert. Include a meta description (under 155 characters) targeting “[venue name] [session type] photographer.”

Blog content calendar:

Email Marketing

AI prompt for email campaigns:

Create an email marketing sequence for my photography business. (1) Welcome email — new subscriber receives portfolio highlights and a booking incentive, (2) Monthly newsletter template — recent work, seasonal offers, photography tips for clients, (3) Seasonal campaign — [UPCOMING SEASON/HOLIDAY] mini-session or special offer, (4) Past client re-engagement — “It’s been [X months] since we last created together” with a session offer, (5) Referral request — sent to clients who rated their experience highly. Each email: under 200 words, one clear CTA, mobile-friendly format, and personal tone. Include subject lines optimized for open rates.

Key Takeaways

• Local SEO is how photographers get found organically — your website must include city + service keywords in titles, headings, meta descriptions, image alt tags, and body content to rank for “[genre] photographer [city]”
• Google Business Profile is often your first impression — optimize the description, add regular posts, pre-populate Q&A, and upload portfolio images weekly
• Every blog post about a real session becomes a permanent marketing asset — targeting venue names and locations creates long-tail search visibility that drives inquiries for years
• Review quantity matters more than small rating differences for Google ranking — systematically requesting reviews from every client builds the review volume that drives local visibility
• Each event generates 5+ marketing assets (blog, GBP post, Instagram, Pinterest, email) — AI creates all of them from your session notes and images in under 30 minutes

Up Next

In the next lesson, you’ll build your social media content strategy — platform-specific content creation, posting schedules, and engagement tactics that attract your ideal clients.