Photography blogging — gone are the days of blogging every session or posting just to post. If you’re looking for blog post ideas for photographers that boost SEO traffic while bringing in client inquiries you actually want, we can’t wait to show you the ropes.

All of these tips and insights come from SEO copywriters (us here at Salted Pages) that have worked with brand new and some of the most high-end photographers in the wedding industry for almost a decade. We are blog writers ourselves, and we’re here to make your next blog post easier and more effective. We know you don’t have the time to just post and hope for the best. The time you put into maintaining your blog needs to pay off.

The importance of an SEO approach to photography blogging

One of our favorite success stories to share about blog posts is one that will help you better understand why this is all important. We were working with a Texas-based photographer who is originally from France. Her dream? To book a wedding in France and have the chance to fly home and call it work (and write it off for taxes). It makes sense and sounds iconic too. Our favorite.

So, we started first with that goal and followed it up with SEO research. Tools like Ubersuggest showed us that her ideal client was searching for things like “chateau weddings in France” or “French chateau venues.” Those weren’t the exact keywords, but that gives you the gist.

We didn’t just assume that what we wanted to write about was actually being searched. We found keywords with 50 to hundreds of searches per month that were not extremely difficult to rank for. The more generic something is, like “What to wear for engagement photos,” the harder it will be to rank. Whereas, something like “Which shoes are best for fall engagement photos” is more specific and less likely to be on every other person’s website.

We wrote only AFTER we knew what she wanted to book, and what data supported the topic.

With a strong keyword (or 2-3) in hand, we wrote a post that would serve as the perfect answer to that Google search. Which led to Aurore booking a true chateau wedding in France.

That is why this matters. The only time you don’t need to care about SEO is when you get enough social media or word-of-mouth traffic that the post doesn’t need to rank on its own. For most of us, though, we don’t mind people finding us directly through a Google search — a tool that almost all of us use multiple times a day. 

Plus, ranking on Google means not having to spend as much time on social media. We call that a win.

Blog post ideas for wedding photographers

We just so happen to work a majority of the time in the wedding niche. We get to talk about breathtaking celebrations in stunning locations like Lake Como. But, not every photographer has that luxury and there is still a need to write some SEO blog content. So, here are ideas that any wedding photographer could lean on for their blog.

• Top wedding venues in x city (one of THE best topics to target engaged couples who are in the early wedding planning stages)
  • The most unique venues in x city
  • Rooftop venues in x city
  • Garden venues in x city
  • Outdoor venues in x city
• Where to get married in x city
• How to get a marriage license in x state
• X Venue Name wedding photos (write about a wedding that took place at a popular/trending venue)
• When to hire a wedding photographer
• The best x vendors in x location (write posts about vendors outside of your specialty like florists, planners, etc.!)
• Timeline tips (but be specific: when to plan a first look, what time is best for the ceremony, how long should cocktail hour be, etc.)
• Wardrobe ideas or inspiration (the more niche, the better: neutral engagement outfit ideas or jewelry inspo for winter engagement pictures)
• Engagement photo ideas (where to take them, poses, outfits, etc.)
• Wedding party gift ideas (think of your ideal client — are we going vintage, hand-selected or just a box of chocolates with a handwritten thank you card?)
• Bridal suites in x city
• Reception locations in x city
• Planning a surprise proposal in x location
• X year wedding photo trends
• Honeymoon ideas
• Engagement photo ideas
• Where to take engagement photos in x city
• What to wear for engagement photos
• Elopement guide for x national park
• Where to elope in x location
• Wedding stationery ideas
• Ways to personalize wedding invitations
• Bonus idea: answer a commonly asked question, or address something you’d like to share with future clients — whether that’s what to bring, how to communicate, or why you love using film photography

Blog post ideas for portrait photographers

Portrait photographers unfortunately don’t have the pleasure of leaning on venues or in-depth educational articles because this type of work doesn’t require in-depth planning or years of preparation. But, there are still plenty of ideas to make this work.

• Where to take photos in x city
• Family photo outfit ideas for (insert season, like fall)
• What to look for in a photographer
• How to prepare for family photos
• How to take family photos with your dog
• Lifestyle family photo ideas for at home
• Studio family photo ideas
• How to pose for family photos
• When to book family photos
• How often to take family photos
• Tips for making a family photo album
• Best print shops for family photos
• Framing ideas for family pictures
• Holiday gift ideas for family pictures
• Where to eat in x city (everybody eats, and this topic drives local traffic — plus you get to take photos of food and write about it. Yum!)
• Activities your ideal client would be interested in, like the best spas in x city, where to get a massage in x city, date night ideas, fun family activities in x city, what to do in x city

Remember this with photography blogging

There are two goals with your blog post — to write about something that can rank on Google (cue the keyword research first), and to share something that connects with ideal clients. 

If you’re a high-end wedding photographer, writing about the average costs of wedding photography in your state won’t make sense because you don’t charge the “average” amount and your clients likely don’t care about the price, they care about the experience.

And if you don’t like booking newborn photos, then don’t blog about it. Simply share what you want more of or where you want to work more.

The secret sauce for wedding photographers

In the past, we’ve only shared this with existing wedding photography clients, but we’re feeling generous today.

IF there is a venue you would love to work at, but have not had the chance to yet, blog about that venue! But go one step further and inquire with the venue. Ask if you can have a tour and take photos to share on your blog. Remind them that it’s great for their SEO as it’ll be a backlink to their website, and that you’re excited to refer some of your couples to them. The worst thing they can do is simply say no. (And if they do, you can still do your research and write about the benefits of getting married there.) If they say yes, though, now you have photographs to feature your editing style and skills, and then ideally some well-written content to describe the venue.

What happens next? 

You publish it, you make sure that it’s “indexed” or live on Google (use Google Search Console for this), a client searches for that venue, they find your blog, they love your photographs and inquire with you. That’s how this is designed to work! We’re not expecting normal website users to click over to your blog and read every post, but rather, for people who don’t know you to find you through Google.

And then, you rinse and repeat. Your blog posts are like real estate. The more you publish and “own,” the more rich your portfolio will be. Each page opens doors to new searches, new clients, and better inquiries. Remember to take this all with a grain of salt, applying what works for you and your brand.

Using AI to write blog posts for a photography business

We are human writers who are not blind to these new tools.

Our two cents? One — remember that this is a new innovation that is still finding its footing in legal courts AND on Google. 

There are debates right now as to how much content needs to legally be human-made versus AI-produced to rank, or have any kind of copyright protection. In simpler terms, and while we are not laywers, we’ve talked to them and this could mean that using too much AI might prevent you from being able to protect your own brand (website, social media posts, etc.). For example, if you were to use AI to write all of your home page content, but then another photographer comes along and copies your website, you might not be able to fight it because you don’t necessarily “own” the content produced by AI.

On the other hand, if you write the content yourself or hire a team to write it for you (who also provides you with the copyright ownership), you’ll have more grounds to stand on.

The other aspect to consider here is SEO. If another photographer uses the same AI tool to write the same or a similar topic, Google will not rank either of you well because it’ll be seen as duplicate content, and punished accordingly. Google has always prioritized original content and its algorithms will continue to evolve to prioritize what best answers questions.

So if you use AI, please, please prompt it well so that it answers and writes the content in your voice and with the interests of the reader in mind. No one will click on the post, read it or inquire with you if it’s 100% regurgitated content. (And they may never find it if Google choose to rank another post higher.)

What ranks well is what best answers the question. So write, or sail off into the sunset with your AI blog posts with this in mind.

Taking your photography blog ideas from here

Stay connected with us on Instagram, check out our done-for-you, human-written blog writing services or take this list and head to Chat GPT. Just come find us for editing if it overuses words and phrases like dynamic, tapestry, shedding light and remarkable.