Let me guess, you’ve been pouring your heart into your website and blogging your little photo-loving soul out, but your site still isn’t showing up on Google. You’re not alone, friend. That’s where Google ranking factors come into play. These little digital deal-breakers decide who gets to show up on Page 1 and who gets ghosted by the algorithm. So let’s break it down, photographer-style. No tech talk. No fluff. Just real, practical stuff you can actually use to grow your photography biz!

First of All… What Are Google Ranking Factors?

In a nutshell, they’re the signals Google uses to decide which websites should show up first (and second, and 97th) in search results. There are over 200 known ranking factors (yes, 200… I know), but not all of them matter equally.

You don’t need to master all 200. You just need to focus on the big ones. The ones that affect you as a creative business owner with a camera and a blog.

The Top Google Ranking Factors That Actually Matter for Wedding Photographers

1. High-Quality, Valuable Content

Google is obsessed with content that’s useful, original, and well-written. That means no keyword stuffing, no copying and pasting from other sites, and no writing like a robot. Your blog should sound like you and offer value to your readers (aka, potential clients).

So instead of saying:

“Wedding photographer in San Diego wedding photographer in San Diego cheap wedding photographer in San Diego…”

Try:

“As a San Diego wedding photographer, I’ve captured everything from beachy elopements to elegant downtown ballroom weddings—and no two are ever the same.”

Google sees the difference. So do your readers.

2. Keyword Optimization

Yup, keywords still matter. But we’re not talking about just throwing “wedding photographer” everywhere. You need three types of keywords in every blog post:

• Label (your job title)
• Location (where you work)
• Subject (the blog’s focus—like a venue, couple’s story, or wedding theme)

Google reads your content to figure out what it’s about. Help it out by using your keywords in the first paragraph, headings, and even your image names and ALT text.

3. Mobile-Friendliness

Almost every bride, groom, or planner is Googling vendors on their phone. If your site looks like a hot mess on mobile, Google is not going to send traffic your way. Use a responsive WordPress theme and test your site on your phone regularly.

4. Page Speed

If your blog takes forever to load, people bounce. Google notices. Keep your site fast by compressing your images (use tools like TinyPNG or Smush), minimizing plugins, and using a caching plugin like WP Rocket.

5. Backlinks (aka, Street Cred)

When other websites link to your blog, it tells Google, “Hey, this content must be good.” You can earn backlinks by:

• Getting featured on wedding blogs (hello, Two Bright Lights!)
• Collaborating with venues and vendors (ask them to link to your post)
• Creating helpful resources like venue guides or planning tips

Bonus: E-A-T (Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness)

Google loves content that comes from someone who knows their stuff. That’s where E-A-T comes in. Show off your expertise by writing detailed posts about venues or wedding planning. Build authority by blogging consistently and linking to credible sources. And earn trust by being transparent, honest, and helpful—just like you are with your clients.

What Do You Do With This Info?

Here’s your action plan:

1. Write blog posts consistently (even once a month is amazing).
2. Include keywords naturally, especially in the first paragraph, headings, image ALT text, and meta descriptions.
3. Use fast-loading, mobile-friendly themes.
4. Compress those gorgeous photos before uploading.
5. Link out to trusted sources and your own internal pages.
6. Be helpful. Be real. Be you.

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Rank 😅)

Google wants to show the best content to searchers. If your blog is valuable, optimized, fast, and trustworthy, Google’s more likely to put a ring on it (aka, rank it).

If you’re ready to dive even deeper into Google-friendly blogging strategies that actually work for wedding photographers, you have to check out my SEO blogging course. It’s built for photographers just like you who want to show up on search engines without selling their soul to social media.

Wanna peek? Just say the word.