10 SEO Mistakes Wedding Photographers and Videographers Make (And How to Fix Them)
Most wedding photographers and videographers know they should be doing something about SEO.
Some have even tried. But for every creative who has made meaningful progress, there are dozens who
have made the same avoidable mistakes, gotten frustrated by the lack of results, and given up entirely.
The truth is, SEO is not complicated. But it is unforgiving of certain mistakes. If your foundations are
wrong, everything you build on top of them will underperform, no matter how much content you create.
Here are the 10 most common SEO mistakes we see wedding creatives making, and exactly how to fix
each one.
Mistake 1: No Text on Your Website
This is by far the most common mistake. Your website is visually stunning, full of beautiful images and
video, but there are almost no words for Google to read. Google's algorithm is built around text. It needs
written content to understand what your website is about, who you serve, and where you are located. A
homepage with 30 images and two sentences will not rank, period.
The fix: Add at least 300 to 500 words of keyword-rich text to your homepage, about page, and every
service page. Describe what you do, where you do it, who your ideal clients are, and what makes your
approach different.
Mistake 2: Missing or Generic Page Titles
Your page title is one of the strongest on-page SEO signals. It is the text that appears in the browser tab
and in Google's search results. Most wedding creatives leave their page titles as the platform default,
which is often just their studio name or simply "Home."
The fix: Every page should have a unique, descriptive title that includes your target keyword and
location. For your homepage, use a format like: "Wedding Photographer [City] | [Your Studio Name]."
Mistake 3: No Meta Descriptions
Your meta description is the short paragraph that appears below your title in search results. While it
does not directly affect rankings, it dramatically affects click-through rates. A compelling meta
description can be the difference between a couple clicking on your result or scrolling past it.
The fix: Write a unique meta description for every page on your site, 150 to 160 characters, including
your keyword and a compelling reason to click.
Mistake 4: Blank Alt Text on Images
As a visual creative, your website is naturally image-heavy. But Google cannot see your photos. It relies
entirely on the alt text attribute to understand what each image shows. Most wedding creative websites
have completely blank alt text across every image.
The fix: Add descriptive alt text to every image on your site. Naturally include your keywords: "Bride and
groom first look at The Barn at Rocky Mountain, Colorado, captured by wedding photographer [Your
Name]."
Mistake 5: No Location Pages
If you work across multiple cities, regions, or countries, your homepage alone cannot rank for all of
them. You need dedicated location pages that target each area individually.
The fix: Create a separate page for each location you serve, targeting "[your service] [location]" as the
primary keyword. Include genuine, unique content about weddings in that area.
Mistake 6: Blogging Without SEO Intent
Many wedding creatives do blog, but their posts have vague titles like "A Beautiful Day" or "Love in the
Countryside" with no keyword strategy. These posts may look nice, but they provide almost zero SEO
value because Google cannot determine what they are about or who would search for them.
The fix: Title every blog post with the full venue name and location. Write at least 300 words of genuine
content. Include a meta title, meta description, and alt text on every image.
Mistake 7: Ignoring Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile determines whether you appear in the local map pack, which sits above
the regular search results for local queries. Most wedding creatives either do not have a profile or set it
up years ago and never updated it.
The fix: Set up or update your Google Business Profile with the correct category, a keyword-rich
description, high-quality photos, and actively collect reviews from every client.
Mistake 8: Slow Website Speed
Image-heavy websites are notoriously slow, and slow websites do not rank. Google uses page speed as
a direct ranking factor, and visitors leave sites that take more than three seconds to load. For wedding
creatives, uncompressed images are almost always the culprit.
The fix: Compress all images before uploading. Use tools like TinyPNG, Squoosh, or your website
platform's built-in optimisation features. Test your site speed at PageSpeed Insights and aim for a score
of 70 or above on mobile.
Mistake 9: No Backlinks
Backlinks are links from other websites to yours, and they remain one of the strongest ranking signals in
Google's algorithm. Many wedding creatives have no backlinks at all because they are not listed on
directories, have not submitted work to wedding blogs, and have not asked collaborators to link to them.
The fix: Get listed on major wedding directories. Submit real weddings to wedding blogs. Ask suppliers
you work with to credit and link to you on their website. Participate in styled shoots that generate
multi-blog coverage.
Mistake 10: Expecting Instant Results
SEO is a long-term strategy. It typically takes three to six months to see meaningful ranking
improvements and six to twelve months to reach page one for competitive terms. Many wedding
creatives try SEO for a month, see no immediate results, and quit, right before the compounding effects
would have started kicking in.
The fix: Set realistic expectations. Commit to a minimum of six months of consistent effort. Track your
progress monthly using Google Search Console. And remember: once you rank, you stay ranking,
unlike paid ads or social media, where you start from zero every day.
Want to fix all 10 of these in one go? LumiIQ's SEO Foundation service is built specifically
for wedding creatives and covers every one of these issues. Visit lumiiq.io/seo to see how it
works.