I’m Writing an SEO Tutorial Workbook

Aug 6

I am not an SEO expert.

I didn’t go to school for this. I didn’t take any courses. I’m just a photographer who is scrappy and hates paying for things when I know I can figure them out on my own.

But over the last decade, I have spent an embarrassing number of hours learning how to make my website findable on Google. Some of that learning came from an SEO specialist I hired in 2012. Some came from my brother-in-law, who happens to work for major online companies as an SEO expert at a level most photographers will never have access to. And a lot of it came from just doing the work — reading, testing, breaking things, fixing them, and slowly figuring out what actually moves the needle for a small photography business.

I wish I’d had someone hand me a workbook when I started. Something written by a working photographer, in plain English, that told me what to do and in what order.

So I’m writing it.

WHY NOW?

Seven months ago I moved from Austin to Greenville, South Carolina. New city, new market, no local reputation, and a website that was targeting a market I no longer wanted to serve. Nobody knew me in Greenville. Nobody was finding me on Google.

I had a choice. I could hire another SEO consultant — the last one I got a bid from was quoting monthly retainers that made my eyes water. Or I could roll up my sleeves and do it myself.

I did it myself.

Over the last six months, I’ve taken my new boudoir studio site from completely invisible to appearing in local searches, ranking on page one for some queries, and generating actual inquiries from Google. My other site — my established 19 year old brand — has been quietly repositioned from “family and wedding photographer” (which I’m phasing out) to “brand and commercial photographer” (which is where I’m heading). And I did all of it myself, with nothing but time, a Squarespace subscription, and a lot of coffee.

The thing that surprised me most was how simple the actual work was. Not easy — simple. There’s no secret. There are no tricks. Ninety percent of ranking a small photography business well is doing a specific list of things, in a specific order, and just... not skipping any of them.

Most photographers never do any of them. Not because they don’t want to, but because nobody has laid it out in a way that makes sense.

WHAT THIS WORKBOOK IS…

It’s a step-by-step guide to help you rank your photography business in your local market. It covers everything from Google Business Profile setup, to the specific edits you'll make on your website, to the things you MUST do on day one and the regular maintenance to keep everything running. Plus, I'll teach you how to read the metrics and what to do next if the needle isn't moving enough.

Every section ends with a checklist. There are monthly and quarterly maintenance checklists at the end. It’s designed to be worked through, not just read. It’s so detailed that it will be just like I am holding your hand and walking you through each step. I promise.

This workbook is for any photographer who wants to be found in their market — wedding, portrait, brand, boudoir, any of it. The fundamentals apply to all of us. (I’ll be releasing niche-specific companion guides for wedding, family, boudoir, and brand photographers later this year.)

And, honestly… it may even be good for those of you who AREN’T photographers. It can apply to any small business really… so, if you aren’t a photographer and you’d like to get in on this action… message me. Maybe I make a guide just for you.

WHAT IT IS NOT…

It’s not going to guarantee you a first-page ranking in ninety days. Anyone selling you that is lying.

It’s not going to do the work for you. Sorry. I’ll tell you exactly what to do, in what order, with the exact copy formulas where possible. But you have to actually do it.

It’s not written by an SEO consultant trying to sell you an SEO consultant. It’s written by a working photographer who figured it out and wants to save you the months of trial and error I went through.

THE LAUNCH

I’m aiming to launch in about eight weeks. The price will be $142 (because 42 is my magic number).

If you want to be first in line when it drops (with an early-access discount for anyone on the waitlist) you can sign up here:

JOIN THE WAITLIST

If you have questions you want to make sure I answer in the workbook, hit reply or comment on this post and tell me. I’ll be revising and adding based on what people actually want to know.

More soon.

xoxo,
Melissa