Hey Girl, Nice Shot

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Photographers

I'll be honest here....I really didn't go out of my way to optimize my sites for search engines.  I know, terrible, right?  Up until my most recent site, I always had a basic HTML sites so I just figured they were search engine friendly.  And since the majority of my business is referral based, I figured it didn't really matter where I was in the search results.

I'll pause while you are appropriately horrified.

Now that's not to say that didn't do ANYTHING.  I mean, I was careful to have titles on my pages, I would enter keywords now and then on my blog posts, I would sprinkle keywords in the text of my posts. 

But now the number of photographers are growing by the day (as I write this I'm sure someone else in my neighborhood is likely starting their own photography business, and someone else will start one next week).  Is that how you feel too?  It's not just me, right?

So I decided it was time to get serious about my search engine optimization.  So I did a little experiment.  I considered what 4 sets of keywords I would like to concentrate on and I Googled those sets of keywords.

 

WOOHOO!  I was near the top of the first page.  Oh wait, what's that?  Google customizes your search results based on your viewing history?  If you didn't know that and thought you were doing great with the search engines, you might want to go back and give it another look with customizations turned off and see where you stand. See that part circled at the top of the screen?  Click there to see the search results without customizations. EDITED TO ADD: if you do not have a google account or are not logged in, to disable customizations of your search based on web history click on "web history" on the upper right side of the screen, then click "Disable customizations based on search activity".

My local listing, however, does well so I'm happy about that.

 
Part two of my experiment involved the actual optimization part. Purchasing the Photographer's SEO Book (a $39 e-book*) as a resource, I made some small tweaks to my site.  After one week I hadn't really moved.  Then I made a second round of tweaks..and HELLO!  I moved up!  And this is only doing a small percentage of the stuff mentioned in the book.

It doesn't really matter what keyword terms I am targeting because you'll need to find what works for you.  Also, I still have a lot of optimizing I can do as I've just done a few of the things listed in the book.   And I'm optimizing both my website and my blog so it can be time consuming.  But here's a chart showing some of the changes for the four keyword phrases I was targeting.

 

Considering 22% of my traffic comes from Google, I do want to move up in the ranks for certain keyword phrases.  So I targeted four phrases that I wanted to optimize for and see how it impacted where I show up in the results.  Overall, I wasn't in bad shape to begin with...frequently showing up on page 2 or 3.  But for one phrase that I actually thought I would be in good shape for...I was on page 11!!!!!

Over the two week period where I worked on optimizing the site (blue column) and blog (white column) I saw improvements in my rank for almost every phrase set.  The biggest change was moving from number 109 to number 30 for one of the terms.

I still have A LOT of stuff to do, but this shows that even small changes can make a big difference. 

*Affiliate Link

Workshop on the Waterfront for Photographers | Spaces Available

Two weeks from now I'll be packing my bag and getting ready to head up to Maryland for the Workshop on the Waterfront.  I cannot wait to meet the other speakers and the 60 other photographers that are coming to the workshop.  A little girls retreat long weekend is JUST what this girl needs and I couldn't think of a better way to spend it.

 

Today we found out that there are a few spaces that opened up for the workshop so if you waited too long before and it sold out and now you want to attend, you are in luck!  Visit the Savvy Photographer site to find out more about the workshop and to sign up!

Hmmm, I might have the rent "The Wedding Crashers" this weekend to help get in the mood as much of the movie was filmed at the Inn at Perry Cabin, the beautiful location of the workshop.

Packaging for Photographers | If you like packaging....

I don't know about you...but I'm obsessed with looking at other people's packaging.  I love to see how they tie all their materials together.  The AN-NE awards in PPA magazine always leave me wanting more..more detail, more descriptions.  So I've become addicted to the Paperie Boutique website.  Every time my google reader tells me there is a new blog post there I can't wait to check it out. 

So if you like to window shop for packaging or need some inspiration...go on over and check out the site.  I am especially enthralled with the most recent display for Peekaboo Studio Photography with her rich red and kraft paper style.

Couldn't have said it better myself...

My friend Brandy Anderson just posted this great post on her Two Photogs blog:

My 25 Biggest Mistakes

I've fallen into so many of the same traps...except that tax one.  I've had quickbooks and an accountant since day one..and a hubs that kept me on the straight and narrow!  :)

I'd say my number one mistake is giving too much away.  I've said no a lot more this year, and already feeling positive about it.

What are some of your biggest mistakes in your business?

My BigFolio Website Experience

In the past, I've had some strong words for Flash websites.  Mainly I didn't care for them.

Let's start with I felt like they all looked the same.  But that could be because so many people used the same company for their sites so they really were all the same.

They took forever to load.  Some do, at least.  Some still do.

Music!  Gah, I really really dislike automatically starting music on a website.  I dislike it even more on a blog.  If I want to hear music, I'll ask for it.  A music video is different because you are prepared for it.  And you can choose when to start it.  But when I'm surfing along while watching TV and I hit a site with music and I've forgotten to mute, I find myself frantically searching for the way to turn it off.  I actually usually just keep my computer muted so if you have music, I don't know anyway.  And if you are using unlicensed music (which I've noticed a lot of folks do), um, go get some licensed music.

One big site.  I know when I send my email newsletter out, I like to link to specific pages in my site.  And when I get an inquiry I like to be able to link directly to certain pages on my site...maybe the pricing page, or the scheduling page.  I noticed that so many sites are just one big site with no way to link to a certain section of the site.  Instead you'd have to send your client instructions "click here, click there".  No thanks.

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Now, I'll admit.  I, um, have been tempted by the pretty look.  The lovely slideshows.  The easy updating.

So when BigFolio ran a twitter contest a while back I competed hoping to win a free site.  And I did!  I won their new Arch Cape template.  I figured I would use it for a sub-brand I was in the process of creating for my seniors and engagement sessions. 

But the more I worked with it, the more I loved it.  And I realized, I really wanted to use it for my whole site.  So I made a few adjustments and got it up and running to replace my previous HTML website.

 

What did I like?  The interface for customizing the site was really easy.  They have design documentation to make it easier to fine tune the look of the site. 

Each "page" within the Flash template has a distinct URL, which means you can link to an interior page of your site.  A HUGE bonus for me!  And with my Google Analytics code installed (they have a box you paste it into during setup-EASY), I can actually see what parts of the site get the most traffic, or where visitors spend the most time.  I think more of the flash sites are starting to work this way, but I think BigFolio is doing a good job with the way they handle it.

I've heard other friends complain about the customer service with their website hosts or the company they buy their template from.  And in one company in particular I've heard LOTS of complaints about downtime, taking forever to get responses from customer service, taking a long time to get the site up, etc.  I've heard so many complaints I vowed never to buy a site from them (you probably know who I'm talking about but I since I've not used them personally I won't put the name here).  I can tell you I've had the opposite experience with BigFolio.  I submitted trouble tickets and always got responses right away.  I haven't experienced any trouble with downtime.  I did choose to keep management of my email separate since I already had that setup and they were fine with that too.

When I first launched my site, I will admit the HTML version of it was kinda, well, a mess.  I contacted BigFolio and they got their developer right on it to clean it up.  I'm guessing I was the first Arch Cape customer to choose the option for an HTML site in addition to the Flash version so the template for the HTML version just didn't have the bugs worked out (for example, the primary image wasn't even one of my pictures).  I will admit, I don't love the HTML version of the site but it works fine, provides a search engine friendly version of my site, and based on the traffic from my analytics, the majority of the visitors click on the Flash version of the site anyway so I'm not going to worry too much about it.

 

As an optional feature, I did go ahead and purchase their SmallFolio add-on which is a $49 add on to create a iphone version of your site.  It is so cool!  And the best part, because I have a site with them, I bought it-they set it up and magically I had an iPhone compatible version of my site. It was a really fast turn around.   Looking at my visitor stats, I can see that when I sent out my last email newsletter-I had a big bump in my iPhone visitors too...reminding me that so many people check their email on their phones!

I emailed Big Folio to let them know that I'd be blogging about my experience, and to find out if they have any current promotions I could share with you.  And it turns out..they do.  If you use the code "BFSAVE150" when you sign up for a PREMIUM site, you'll save $150!!  Good until the end of February so hurry!

BTW, I wanted to note that I've gotten very positive feedback from my clients regarding my new site.  I streamlined the content quite a bit so I think it is easier to find information AND they love the way it looks.

Edited to Add: I decided to take advantage of the discount code too and just purchased my second BigFolio site to use for revamping my photography classes for moms website.  I'm so excited to set it up.

In a Slow Economy - Cut Costs

If you are like me, you are are so sick of hearing about the slow economy.  And in an industry where we are likely considered a luxury instead of a necessity, you may have noticed fewer calls, more complaints about high prices, or smaller orders.  

So what's a girl to do if revenue is down?  Or what if it is up but you are still not bringing home the income you would like from your business?

If you cannot make more money (by adding sessions or increasing sales from each session), you'll have to look at other ways to generate more money from your business.

One way is to reduce costs.  There are a number of ways to do this.  Look at your monthly expenses and see if there are any expenses you can reduce.  For example, at one point I was paying a monthly fee for two different proofing systems, and a bunch of other online tools.  Yeah, I'm a sucker for a low monthly service fee...until I have 10 of them adding up to an an extra $200/month.  I'd much rather have that $$ in my pocket.

Another way is to look at your big expenses and see if there is a way to help control that cost.  For me, I looked at my loft space that I used as a gallery/sales space.  It is a great space but much bigger than I needed - especially since I was only going there a day or two a week.  So now I'm sharing the space with some other businesses (a web design company and pr/social media expert).  This greatly reduced the overhead on the space but still gave me the access I would need for meeting client there for shoots.  Since I don't actually shoot in the space having the other folks there is not a problem...and it has been nice having a crew in the space with me.

Another way to control costs is to not buy every new bright shiny object that comes out.  I know, I know, it is so fun to get new toys.  I'm guilty of this too.  Sometimes I'm embarrassed by the number of templates, tools, actions, and gear I "had to have" that hardly gets used now.  But as soon as new gadget comes out...it is hard to resist that urge to buy.  I read something once that said the difference between a business is a hobby is that a business plans their purchases where a hobby will just spend spend spend.  

So take some time to review your bank records.  Look at your recurring expenses and see if you can cut any of those out.  And think twice before you click "buy" to make sure you really NEED that object.  WIll it help you make more money?  How will you judge that it was a successful purchase?

Totally Rad Actions: Lightroom Presets Released

I've documented many times my love affair with Totally Rad Actions.  Their first set is a main component in my editing still and I have a formula for the way I shoot and the actions I use to create my signature style.  They have earned their keep over and over and the money spent on them was well worth it!

I'm not much of a Lightroom Presets girl.  The few times I've tried to use presets in Lightroom, I feel like the images get way overdone.  I like the control of using masks in photoshop when I edit.  But, I would consider purchasing the new Lightroom Presets from the folks at Totally Rad because, well, I trust them to do an awesome job.  

 
They are only $99 which seems like a bargain for the over 100 tweakable presets.  I really really like some of the black and white conversions I saw.   And with fun names like "Smack my Pix Up" and "Xanadu" who wouldn't want to try them out?

So tell me, are Lightroom Presets all they are cracked up to be?  Should I give them another shot?  Will they save me time in the editing room? 

MCP Action Releases Finish It Actions Set

Last week I was a lucky recipient of the MCP Actions Finish It action set sneak preview.  I had a little time to use this new action set and am excited about it.

If you are not familiar with MCP Actions definitely check out their site.  Jodi Friedman has created a bunch of different action sets designed to help with both your editing and finishing of your images.

Not long ago she released the Blog It Boards which let you create compositions of photos in a web sized designs.  And while I liked them and occasionally use them - I still have a fairly narrow blog so I tend to show one image at a time.  Add in wanting to also upload the same images to my facebook fan page and I again, am stuck wanting to display individual images.

So her new action set is perfect really for me.  Here's her description...

As a photographer, your blog and website are two of your best marketing tools. So, make your images look the best they can online by using the Finish It actions. This spectacular set of actions makes it easy to prepare your photos for the web.

Included in this set is a choice of 35 finishing touches to make your images fit the style of your blog post. From thin frames to color bars to rounded edges, you can choose what is best for you and any particular image. Heck, you can even change the colors too! Within every action, your image is automatically sharpened for the web, converted to sRGB for best monitor colors, re-sized to fit a blog, and provides the option to include your logo if desired.

And finally, it also includes 8 actions that will re-size your final web image to fit most standard blog and site sizes from small to large photos. Yes, we have thought of everything you may need at your fingertips to make preparing beautiful images for the web easy and fast!

And she was not kidding.  I ran her actions on some of my photos from last week and I'm loving the results.  And they are so quick.  If you are thinking that you know how to create a color block yourself in Photoshop you might be rights...but there is a MAJOR time savings in having a bunch of them in easy and quick actions.

  

This image was processed using the Round It Oval action.

 

This one was using the Build It Color Block which allows you to choose the color of your block each time you run it.

 
And probably my favorite....the Build It Rounded Color Block!

Jodi launched these new actions today so they are now available for purchase.  And better yet...she even has them available for Photoshop Elements in addition to Photoshop CS!

The Barnwood Rug via Savvy Photographer

If you have been on the Savvy Photographer website recently, or visited their booth at Imaging USA, you may have noticed the insanely cool barnwood floor rug they are offering for sale.  

 

Barnwood rug?

Yep, that's what I thought too.  It looks like a real floor in the photos so I asked if she would take some detail shots of the edge because I was just having trouble envisioning how this could possibly have been a rug!!

And happily she posted some new picture with some of the details about the edge...

 

She described it as something more like a giant mousepad.  NOW I can see.  It looks like such a cool product and a great way to have a mobile flooring system for when you need it without the expense of actually putting in barnwood floors.  Learn more or order your barnwood floor rug: Barnwood Floor Rug (via Savvy Photographer).

The iPad - a New Tool for Professional Photographers?

As I sit in a Starbucks working on my Macbook Air, waiting for a call from my mechanic on my iPhone, it should come as no surprise that I'm already drooling over the new Apple tablet, the iPad.  Yes, unfortunate naming...they could really have thought harder about that one but all in all, it looks like a great internet appliance that would fit in perfectly with my increasingly Apple heavy technology.

 

In case you are living under a rock, yesterday Apple announced their new iPad - a tablet device based on the iPhone operating system. In a lot of ways it is like a giant iTouch (the iphone without the phone part).  It appears to be about the same size as the larger kindle but with a yummy color display.

As I watched the live feed from engadget yesterday, I was thinking about how fun this little item would be.  Here are a few ways...

• Showing client slideshows and videos on a device they can hold in their hand!!!  Since the iPad will run any of the iPhone apps, it seems that the Animoto iPhone app would work on it which means I could show any of my Animoto videos on it.  I love how they look on the iPhone and seeing them bigger but still in a hand held device would be really appealing.
• Reviewing client images!  Load up their gallery on there and be able to meet them anywhere...Starbucks, their home, a park, and show them their gallery without requiring any additional equipment.  And sliding through a gallery is way more fun than using a mouse, right?
• Help with ordering-Since the device is wifi enabled you would be able to connect to your online gallery system and help them place their order.  I know I have a few clients that just can't seem to place their order themselves but I like to get all my orders in the same way to make sure the go through the workflow.  With this it would be even easier to meet them for a quick ordering session.
• It is small enough to fit into your bag to carry with you to shoots so you can browse while you wait for your client, and also have access to review online information such as your policies or package pricing.  Also, I imagine it won't be long before there is an application that allows you to create contracts that can be signed using a stylus on the iPad directly (a paperless contract!!!).  There are already applications that allow you to sign for credit card transactions on an iPhone and this seems like it would be very close to that. How great would that be for contracts, model releases, policy acceptance?
• With Keynote, the Apple presentation software, you could just prop that baby up and show a presentation.  I am thinking about trying Keynote out for my talk at the Workshop on the Waterfront and possibly re-writing my class for moms using Keynote so I could see it being handy to have a portable version other than on my laptop that could be handy for more one-on-one teaching.
• And on the non-client side, being able to browse email, read blog posts, and catch up on facebook without using my laptop seems like a bonus.  Using the touch screen instead of a traditional keyboard seems like a great solution to someone like me that likes to scan online content while I watch TV at night.  
• With a camera connector kit option it seems possible that you could review pictures with clients in almost real time to make sure you got THE SHOT that they are looking for.  If that is your thing.  Not mine...I like to go home and live with my pictures a bit and edit them before showing a client.  But I could see this being a great feature for commercial photographers.
• There are mini-projectors out now that work with the iPhone so surely those types of things will come out for use with the iPad too! And with optional components it can be connected to your TV or projector for presentations on the go!
• And that is before the applications designed just for the iPad start showing up!  I can't wait to see what those look like!!

The negatives that stood out to me...

• I am surprised it didn't come with a camera but with my iPhone and my laptop both sporting them (in addition to when I carry my big mama camera around) that isn't really that important to me!
• No support for flash on website.  While I kinda understand not supporting flash on an iPhone, it seems that on something bigger like the iPad that is designed to be an internet device that they wouldn't build in support for flash. 
• No multitasking. Which means I can't be checking on my Facebook status via the Facebook app and reading tweets via my Twitter app at the same time. Just like on my iPhone when one opens the other closes.
• Right now the iPhone version of google docs is read only.  I wonder if with more screen real estate they would make it read/edit.  That would be sweet!

The pricing is a little confusing.  The base 16 GB model with wifi but no 3G is $499.  But is is $130 more for the 3G version (which will connect to ATTs wireless network) which seems like a big jump.  I'm actually wondering how much I would use 3G (don't forget you'd need to add monthly service).  I also wonder if there is any kind of service discount if you are already an ATT customer (which I am with my iPhone).  Or if I can tether it to my iPhone in those cases where I'm working somewhere without wifi.

In the end, I think the form factor is handy.  I do worry about my Macbook Air screen getting bent or something spilling on the keys.  I could definitely see room in my world for all three (the Macbook Air, iPad, and iPhone).  But I'm a little more gadget obsessed than most people.

What about you?  Are you drooling over this new device?  Do you have other thoughts as to how it could be useful with your business?