SEO for Melbourne Photographers

Real SEO Examples: Who's Doing It Right (And Wrong)

Let's look at real Melbourne photography businesses and analyse what makes their SEO work — or fail.

Your First 30 Days: Step-by-Step Implementation

Don't try to do everything at once. Photography SEO is unique because your images are both your product and your ranking tool. Here's the priority order that gets results fastest for Melbourne photographers:

Keyword Research: What Your Customers Search

Understanding search intent is crucial for photographers. Unlike most industries, your potential clients search in two distinct ways: by photography type (what they need) and by style (what they want their photos to look like). Melbourne photographers who target both intent types dominate the search results. Here are the most valuable keywords for Melbourne photography businesses:

High-Volume Keywords

Keyword	Monthly Volume	Notes
photographer melbourne	1,600	Primary target keyword — broad but competitive
wedding photographer melbourne	1,900	Highest-value keyword. Average booking $4,500+
portrait photographer melbourne	590	Personal/family — repeat booking potential
corporate photographer melbourne	390	Business headshots — bulk bookings, recurring contracts
newborn photographer melbourne	720	Time-sensitive — parents book during pregnancy
event photographer melbourne	480	Corporate and private events — shorter lead time

Lower Competition Opportunities

Style-Based Keywords Most Photographers Miss

Couples increasingly search by aesthetic rather than just location. These keywords have lower volume but extremely high booking intent because the searcher already knows what they want:

Schema Markup: Ready-to-Use Code

Schema markup helps Google understand your business. Copy and customise this code:

LocalBusiness Schema (Required)

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Photographer",
  "name": "Your Business Name",
  "description": "Your description with services and location.",
  "url": "https://yourdomain.com.au",
  "telephone": "+61-3-XXXX-XXXX",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "addressLocality": "Melbourne",
    "addressRegion": "VIC",
    "postalCode": "3000",
    "addressCountry": "AU"
  },
  "hasOfferCatalog": {
    "@type": "OfferCatalog",
    "name": "Services",
    "itemListElement": [
      {"@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": {"@type": "Service", "name": "Wedding Photography"}},
      {"@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": {"@type": "Service", "name": "Portrait Photography"}},
      {"@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": {"@type": "Service", "name": "Corporate Headshots"}},
      {"@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": {"@type": "Service", "name": "Newborn Photography"}},
      {"@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": {"@type": "Service", "name": "Event Photography"}},
      {"@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": {"@type": "Service", "name": "Family Photography"}}
    ]
  },
  "aggregateRating": {"@type": "AggregateRating", "ratingValue": "4.8", "reviewCount": "127"}
}
</script>

12-Month Content Calendar

Consistent content signals to Google that your business is active and relevant. For photographers, content marketing has a dual purpose — it ranks you for new keywords AND showcases your latest work. Here's what to post each month, timed to Melbourne's wedding and portrait seasons:

Monthly Content Rhythm

Competitor Analysis Framework

Understanding what competitors do well (and poorly) helps you find the gaps where you can win. Melbourne's photography market looks competitive on the surface, but most photographers neglect SEO entirely — creating massive opportunity for those who invest even modest effort.

Image SEO: The Photographer's Secret Weapon

Here's the irony: photographers produce the most visually stunning content on the internet, yet most completely ignore image SEO. Google Images drives significant traffic for photography businesses, and Google Lens searches are growing rapidly. Every image on your site is a potential ranking opportunity.

Google Images accounts for roughly 20-25% of all web searches. For visual industries like photography, it's even higher. Couples browsing "wedding photography Yarra Valley" in Google Images can click through directly to your blog post featuring that venue. Every blog post you publish with properly optimised images creates dozens of new entry points to your site.

Venue & Location SEO Strategy

This is the single most underused strategy in Melbourne photography SEO, and it's incredibly effective. When a couple books a venue — say Stones of the Yarra Valley, The Wool Mill, or Carousel Albert Park — they immediately Google "[venue name] wedding photographer" or "[venue name] wedding photos." If you've shot at that venue and published a blog post about it, you appear exactly when they're ready to book.

How to Build Venue Pages That Rank

Every time you shoot at a notable Melbourne venue, publish a full blog post featuring that location. Here's the formula that works:

• Title format: "[Venue Name] Wedding Photography — [Couple's Names] Melbourne [Season] Wedding"
• Include 20-30 curated images showing the venue at its best — ceremony, reception, gardens, details
• Write 300-500 words about the venue: what makes it special, best photo locations within the venue, ideal lighting times, and tips for couples considering it
• Link to the venue's website — venues often link back to photographers who feature them, creating valuable backlinks
• Use venue-specific heading tags: H2 for "[Venue Name] Wedding Photography", H3 for specific areas like "The Ceremony Garden" or "The Reception Hall"

The Cost of NOT Doing SEO

Every day you're not visible in Google, competitors win bookings that could be yours. Photography is particularly painful because each lost client isn't just one session — it's years of future bookings from that relationship. A wedding client becomes a newborn client becomes a family session client for the next decade. Let's do the maths:

Technical SEO Checklist

Technical issues can tank your rankings no matter how stunning your portfolio is. Photography websites face unique technical challenges because image-heavy pages are inherently slower and harder for search engines to understand:

Google Business Profile Checklist

Your Google Business Profile is often the very first thing potential clients see — before your website, before your Instagram, before anything else. For photographers, GBP is uniquely powerful because you can showcase your work directly in search results through the photos section. A well-optimised GBP with stunning images and strong reviews can generate enquiries without people ever visiting your website.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a wedding photographer cost in Melbourne?

Budget: $2,000-3,500. Mid-range: $3,500-6,000. Premium: $6,000-15,000+. Prices include coverage hours, edited images, and albums. Always check what's included.

How far in advance should I book?

Weddings: 12-18 months for popular dates. Newborns: during pregnancy. Corporate: 2-4 weeks. Popular photographers book out quickly - enquire early.

Do you provide raw/unedited photos?

Most photographers don't provide RAWs - edited images are their creative product. Expect 50-100+ edited images for portrait sessions, 400-800+ for weddings.

How long until I receive my photos?

Portrait sessions: 1-3 weeks. Weddings: 4-12 weeks. Sneak peeks often within 48 hours. Ask about turnaround time when booking.

What should I wear for a photoshoot?

Coordinate (don't match exactly), avoid busy patterns, choose timeless over trendy. Your photographer should provide a style guide.

How long does SEO take for photographers?

Expect enquiry increases in 3-5 months, significant growth in 6-10 months. Visual portfolios help - but text content for SEO is essential too.