Dan Smarg lookin’ so fresh & profesh!
DISCLAIMER: To you, I may just be a professional photographer. And because of that, I have absolutely no business telling you anything about Search Engine Optimization. But by experience, I’ve worked with marketing companies and advertising executives on a ton of projects.
That certainly does not make me an authority…
Standing by a Ferrari in Beverly Hills doing a lighting test for Fremantle Media doesn’t make me an SEO “authority,” but it does show I work with cool customers who hire me to create amazing content.
Trust But Verify: I stake my little photography business on my own SEO advice, so can you :) Plus, writing articles like this gives me an excuse to brush up on facts, but if you want to verify them, feel free to click on the blue links to read related posts and articles.
Out of all the businesses out there, small-to-medium-sized businesses need Search Engine Optimization the most. Without Customers, small business cannot survive. Neither can the “big guys,” but they already have a lot more resources and staff to make sure they never go hungry. Some even have 24/7 cafeterias with $5K Frappuccino machines. SMB’s don’t.
So let’s talk about three core areas of Search-Engine-Optimization (SEO) small businesses just can’t live without…
WAIVE Car is one of my Customers who appeared on Shark Tank. They used my images to pitch VC’s, populate their EPK and launch their national ad campaigns.
CONTENT
Inherently, great Content is fairly hard to come by. Sure, you can just snap some photos on your phone, make a few clever posts and pretend you’re “doing social media.” But you’re really not. And the hardest thing to admit is: You know it.
So in order for the Content you create to help your business actually grow, you need it to be three things:
Relevant Content
(i.e. “Make sense to anyone.”)
Informative Content
(i.e. “Have Authority”)
Engaging Content
(i.e. “Convert to Sales”)
Now, you can get away with two out of the three. But if people get bored watching your videos or just scroll past your posts, then you should just avoid wasting your time and hire one of those “social media influencer” thingy’s…
But if you don’t have tens of thousands of dollars to pay for a stranger’s private vacation in Cabo just so they can do a single Tweet about your amazing new sunscreen lotion, I highly recommend skipping the “Influencer Strategy.”
Shooting for GenRight at Ultra 4’s King of the Hammers was a real thrill - and produced some badass content…
How do I create Relevant, Engaging Content with Authority?
Even though you might think of engaging content only as photos and videos, it’s also blog and vlog posts. That may seem patently obvious. But to illustrate my point, try clicking through to some of the hotlinks I’ve added to this page.
Almost every single title or byline has a live-link to another “authority” site on the subject. And my text is littered with them. By reading those articles in conjunction with mine, you’ll learn a ton. And most importantly, you will get “VALUE” (that’s the “free information” part) out of your experience. Now we’re cooking SEO with gasoline! (And pssst, this kind of backlink collaboration exactly what I’m proposing we do for each other!)
WealthStake is a fin-tech startup I shot that wanted “team photos” but didn’t want to look like “finance geeks.” So I made them look like Finance Studs.
Fact is, Google and other search engines like Bing and Yahoo control the flow of consumer traffic across cyberspace. And your ability to rank in the kinds of searches people are typing into their browsers is the only thing putting food on your table and keeping your pool heated. No need to get defensive. Nobody likes a cold pool.
In other words, a crazy cat-lady looking for something incredibly useless like a “Glow-In-The-Dark Cat Leash” should ideally find your website at the very top of her search results. Actually, if you’re lucky (or *smart) enough to have started a glow-in-the-dark cat leash company, you’ll have zero keyword competition and therefore crush local market share.
Naples Motorsports wanted to capture some really viby “South Florida Lifestyle” shots to showcase their inventory for the winter season so we snapped these for a new customer.
But if you’re not selling something insanely unique - for instance, you’re offering a highly competitive service such as a CPA or a personal injury lawyer - chances are, ranking #1 in local search results for “Best Calculator-Man near me” will be darn difficult. Therefore, my advice to create Content that is Relevant, Informative and Engaging is:
Look at what your LOCAL competitors are doing.
Then do it better.
Forget guys who are doing business 300 miles away. Google ranks searches by hyper-local (“Geo-Fenced”) engagement. (This is a real thing. Santa Claus is not.)
Example: If you’re a dental hygienist in Smallville, U.S.A. you should create photo posts that engage just your local community. Is your local high-school football team mascot a Bearcat with really bad breathe? I bet he is. All bearcats have bad breathe - everybody knows that!
Louisette was looking for that special someone. But she had to put with my terrible puns and punchlines all day…
So go shoot some Instagram ads or even better, a video (they rank much higher) with Bucky The Bearcat that informs folks how gingivitis leads to chronic periodontal inflammation and gum disease. (To get this link, I typed “Westlake Village Dentist".” These guys got top-ranking.) Find some way to make that funny, engaging and informative and boom, now you’ve got a great way to capture local leads. Good for you. Better for Bucky.
Then tah-dah, Google will reward you with better local search rankings for that kind of content… Because locals will see Bucky, recognize him, and engage with your ads. Local folks will book a teeth cleaning on your website rather than going to the competition because they see your ad then your listing first. And because your top competition is that other dentist who poses on billboards wearing a white lab-coat and smiling like he has a secret you really don’t want to hear. #Yikes Not engaging. Not informative. Therefore not relevant.
Malibu Farm Cafe on the Malibu Pier wanted to show diners that they get a front-row seat to one of SoCal’s most gorgeous surf spots.
REVIEWS
Ahhhh, the bane of every small business’ existence: Yelp Reviews. Google Reviews. Trust Pilot. Consumer Reports. Re-Tweets. Facebook Likes! I know it’s frustrating and believe me - I sympathize with you. We’re not the only ones who want to throw Mark Zuckerberg face-first into a kiddie pool full of great white sharks…
The Truth About “Bad” Reviews: There’s always going to be that crabby old lady who spills coffee in her own lap, but posts a diatribe on the Internet about how your café sucks because the seats were soaked when she sat down! So don’t stress about “bad” reviews. Let those people vent. What matters most are your organic, good reviews.
My Customer, Mighty Audio, Spotify’s #1 Offline partner, need some snaps for Amazon listings.
So how do you get “organic” good reviews? Simple. You don’t. First of all, there is no such thing as a “good” review. They’re all hyperbolized. Everybody knows it. And you don’t “get” good reviews - you MAKE THEM HAPPEN.
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re reading it because I called you up out of the blue and offered to take free photos for your business in exchange for a review. At first you thought it was either spam or a scam. Probably both.
But my offer is neither. I believe that if you want someone to do something for you, you need to give them something of greater value to them than you’re asking in return. Who wins in this scenario? Both of you do. because you both get something you want. It’s a transaction not a favor. Value for value.
University of Montana (Missoula) wanted some cool shots of Brennan’s Wave to show students that old town is as “cool” as you want to make it.
View
PS: Oh, and make it crazy easy for people to leave you a Google (or Yelp, TrustPilot etc) Review right on your homepage, socials, smoke-signals - however you communicate these days. The link above is the proprietary link I got from Google for my business’ reviews. One click and BOOM, review posted. No links. No emails. Just instant value.
WHAT THE HECK ARE BACKLINKS?
Also known as “inbound links” or “external links” — these are the highlighted, live links on one website that re-direct to another website - could be somebody else’s, but it’s much better if it’s yours.
Why? One word: “Authority.”
Bespoke plus-sized casual linens supplier, Belle Parcelle, asked me to shoot their new spring line-up at Point Mugu, Malibu
Search engines, like Google or Bing, view backlinks as indicators of quality content that has the support of other websites. Hence, you clearly know what you’re talking about, people are reading or engaging with your stuff more than others with similar keywords in your area and voila, you’ll rank higher because you have the most local relevance.
Plus, webpages with more backlinks rank higher on SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).
I keep using this word, “Authority.” I used that word in the first sentence of this blog post because I was priming you for this moment. You might have thought: “Authority? What makes him an authority?” And you’re right! I’m just some guy you found on the Internet. Maybe I’ll take some photos for you. But why would you ever believe a word I say - especially when it comes to your business?
Customer, Malibu BeachWear wanted to work with some local influencers to “collaborate” on content for their new summer launch.
Because I turning really dry, boring facts into something you actually don’t hate reading and that might actually help you. Then I also make sure every photoshoot we do will focus on creating the kinds of images that facilitate your growth either personally or professionally. Now you start to view our relationship as more engaging, informative and relevant. See the theme?
I don’t see images as works of art. I see them in dollar signs. Period. Is this photo going to sell that product or service? Is the story I am telling going to get you hired? Will this sexy snapshot score you a hot date? If the answer to any one of those questions is not a resounding “Yes!” then I am not doing my job and I am not an authority. Your business is no different. How you engage with your customers will determine your authority because how they find you and ultimately review you is all that matters.
Jackson Hole Ski Resort wanted me to help them show how much “space” they have to offer their most adventurous guests…
<insert>
SHAMELESS SALES PITCH
So to wrap this whole thing up, why am I suggesting we collaborate - FREE photos of your products or services in exchange for a backlink and a review?
Because that’s what buddies do: I scratch your back; you scratch mine. I give you much-needed engaging, informative and relevant content, I gain more authority with hyper-localized SEO rankings and I get a blog post or a live-link from your site to my site that your Customers are likely to click. That way I don’t ask for referrals, they just come organically.
And that’s how we both win the…
“How Do I Get Good Content, Reviews and Rankings?” Game
Questions / Comments?