Photography Website SEO: How to Structure and Optimize for Google
Finding the right keywords is just the first step. If your website isn’t structured correctly, those keywords won’t do much for your rankings or your bookings.
Think of your website like a gallery: even if your work is amazing, if the layout is confusing, visitors won’t stay, and Google won’t know what each page is about.
This post gives you the broad concepts for structuring your photography website for SEO, without revealing all the tactical details that I cover in my SEO for Photographers course.
For a complete framework, check out the cornerstone guide: Why Every Photographer Should Learn SEO (And How to Start Today)
Why Website Structure Matters
Google wants to show the most relevant and useful results to its users. A clear, logical website structure helps:
Google understand what each page is about
Clients find exactly what they’re looking for quickly
Your site appear more professional and credible
Broad Concepts for Structuring Your Photography Website
Here’s how to think about your site hierarchy:
Homepage: Overview of your services and main keywords
Service Pages: Each photography service gets its own page
Portfolio: Organized by session type (weddings, portraits, real estate)
Blog: Educational content to attract clients and answer their questions
Contact / Booking Page: Simple and easy for clients to reach you
Keep your URLs short and descriptive. Example: /wedding-photography instead of /services/page1?ref=123
High-Level Optimization Ideas
Headings: Each page should have a main heading (H1) and supporting headings (H2/H3) that reflect your keywords
Internal Links: Connect related pages and blog posts to help Google understand your site structure
Images: Use descriptive filenames and alt text to help search engines index your work
These concepts are enough to give you a framework, but the step-by-step implementation and platform-specific guidance (WordPress, Squarespace, Wix) are reserved for the full course.
Next Step: Connect Keywords to Pages
Once your site structure is clear, the next step is mapping your keywords to the right pages. This is where most photographers get stuck, and exactly where my SEO for Photographers course walks you through creating a complete plan.
If you haven’t read it yet, check out my previous blog post How to Find Photography Keywords That Actually Bring Clients to start brainstorming and mapping ideas for your site.
Up next in the series is Blog SEO for Photographers: Turning Keywords into Clients.
