How to Rank in SEO for Photography Websites | Get Linked Up!

I’m on little “SEO for Photography” kick and this is the second post in a series I will be doing ongoing.  If you missed the first one, it is “How to Rank in SEO for Photography Websites | Optimize Pinterest!”

What is a Backlink

Now we need to talk about getting Linked up.  The web-geek term is Backlinks.  You will see it in your Site Stats as “Referrers”.  And, it is also commonly referred to as Incoming Links.  Backlinks are gold for your SEO.  A backlink is a permanent link to your site that is on a page on someone else’s website.  Some other friend, photographer or blogger talked about you, listed your services, or posted an image…and linked it back to you.  When people click on the link, they go directly to the page that is linked to on your site.

There are also Outgoing Links.  I can link here to my friend Andrew who has another Lightroom blog called Lightroom Love.  This will help Andrew, especially if you click on it!  But it does only a little to help me with Google.  I would do this kind of linking to strengthen my business relationship with Andrew.  So Outgoing links are good to have as well, but Backlinks are of much, much greater value to those little Google bots.

How Backlinks help SEO

Google processes Backlinks as if they were a reference on your Resume or a Referral.  Let’s say your friend blogger puts your backlink on her site.  Just the presence of your link on another healthy site is like a “word of mouth” recommendation to Google.  Google has no one else to ask if you are legit, let alone know just how awesome you are.  So having the link there is great…having it clicked on occasionally is really great.  And if you happen to have a friend (such as my friend Beckie of Infarrantly Creative – thanks for the links Beckie!) who has a crazy-popular blog and will link to your blog, that is just pure gold for you.

For example, I give away Lightroom Templates on this blog.  Courtney Slazinik of Click it Up a Notch has a very popular photography blog, and I noticed that she has a page that lists Free Collage Templates for Lightroom, Photoshop and PSE.  I emailed and asked her if she would list my free templates on that blog post list.  She did and I get over 30 clicks a day just from that one backlink.  I don’t know Courtney personally, but she is really making me look good to Google. (Thank you Courtney!)

How to get Backlinks

One thing you can do is to make relationships with other photographers and bloggers, and swap links with them.  Discuss with them ideas, such as

1. I will put your clickable ad on my site, and you put my clickable ad on your site .
2. I will do a feature blog about your site, and you will…
3. I will Share your blog post on my Facebook page, and you will…
4. I will guest blog on your site…

It doesn’t always need to be a equal trade-off.  The benefits are sometimes unseen.  And really, we should not only do things if we get something in return.  I have had two very successful bloggers offer to feature my site in a blog post on their awesome sites!  There is nothing I can offer them, but hope that someday I will be able to pay it back, and in the meantime I work to pay-it-forward!  (Thank you Gene of Lightroom Secrets & Laura of Laura Shoe’s Lightroom!)