Domain authority (DA) is a term that gets tossed around a lot in the world of SEO, but what does it really mean, and why should photographers care about it?
If you’re a photographer who blogs or is thinking about starting a blog, understanding domain authority can help you make smarter decisions about content creation, keyword strategy, and, ultimately, getting discovered online.
Let’s break it down and explain how domain authority connects to your photography business.
What Is Domain Authority?
Domain authority (sometimes also referred to as DA) is a score ranging from 1 to 100 that predicts how well your website will rank on search engines. It’s not a metric used by Google itself but rather a tool developed by SEO companies like Moz to give you a sense of your website’s strength compared to others.
For photographers, domain authority can indicate how likely your website is to show up in search results for keywords like “Austin wedding photographer” or “best family photographer in Denver.” A higher DA generally means better chances of ranking higher, which leads to more visibility, traffic, and, ultimately, bookings.
How Is Domain Authority Calculated?
Several factors influence your domain authority, including:
Backlinks: Links from other websites to your site are one of the biggest contributors to your DA. The quality and quantity of these links matter. A link from a respected wedding blog carries more weight than one from a random directory.
Content Quality: Publishing valuable, engaging, and optimized content improves your site’s reputation over time and can increase your chances of earning backlinks. You know when you get those little pingback notifications? Those are backlinks!
Site Structure and SEO: A well-structured, mobile-friendly website with proper keyword usage and fast loading speeds contributes to a better DA.
Domain Age: Older domains tend to have higher authority because they’ve had more time to build credibility. If you just bought your domain and have a DA of 1, don’t worry; it’ll go up!
Social Signals: While not a direct factor, social shares can amplify your content’s reach and indirectly lead to backlinks, boosting your DA.
Why Domain Authority Matters for Photographers
Domain authority directly impacts your ability to rank for competitive keywords. If you’re targeting high-volume phrases like “NYC wedding photographer,” but your DA is low, you might struggle to break onto the first page of search results.
Instead, you can focus on less competitive keywords (like “Brooklyn engagement photographer”) that match your DA level. (Now, I’m not saying Brooklyn is easier to rank for than NYC here; both are most likely pretty hard to rank for… this is just an example!)
A higher domain authority helps your content rank better, making it easier for potential clients to find you when they’re searching for a photographer in your niche or location.
Increasing your DA is a long game, but it’s worth it. As your authority grows, so does your ability to rank for competitive terms, giving you an edge over other photographers!
How Blogging Impacts Domain Authority
Blogging is one of the most effective ways to improve your domain authority.
High-quality blog posts are more likely to be shared and linked to by others, whether it’s a wedding planner citing your post on “Best Venues in [City]” or another photographer linking to your tutorial on golden hour photography.
In fact, we’ve had clients inside Back Pocket Blogger mention to us that after we wrote a post for them about a venue, that venue ended up linking to it from their site.
Consistently publishing valuable content also drives traffic to your site. The more visitors you attract, the more likely you are to earn those backlinks and social shares.
Cornerstone blog posts, like “The Ultimate Guide to Engagement Photos,” can also establish you as an authority in your field, encouraging other sites to reference your work in their own posts or social media.
Lastly, blogging allows you to strategically target keywords that are relevant to your ideal clients. This boosts your SEO and helps you climb the rankings over time.
How to Build Domain Authority as a Photographer
Building domain authority takes time and effort, but it’s achievable with consistent work.
Here’s how!
Focus on High-Quality Content, Always
Publish blog posts that answer your audience’s questions, solve their problems, and showcase your expertise. Use keywords strategically without overstuffing them.
When in doubt, always focus on quality over quantity. This means writing posts that actually educate or inspire and aren’t just gallery dumps.
Get Some Backlinks
Obviously, this is easier said than done, especially as a newer photographer. Here are some ways to earn backlinks:
- Collaborate with other vendors. Often, these collaborations will lead to link backs.
- Submit your work to wedding blogs, directories, or local publications.
- Write guest posts for other wedding industry websites.
Optimize Your Website
Use an SEO-friendly structure with proper headings, meta descriptions, and alt text for images. Make sure that your site is mobile-friendly and loads quickly.
One of the biggest issues we see with photographers about web optimization is not taking the time to optimize images. All images should be properly sized for your specific platform (for example, on Showit, all long edges should be 3500px). You’ll also want to crunch them so that they aren’t huge.
And remember, building your domain authority is a marathon, not a sprint. Focus on creating valuable content and building relationships to grow your site’s credibility over time!
Ready to Grow Your Domain Authority?
Domain authority might sound technical, but for photographers, it boils down to this: the stronger your DA, the easier it is for clients to find you online
By focusing on high-quality blogging, earning backlinks, and optimizing your site, you can steadily build your authority and improve your chances of ranking for the keywords that matter most to your business.
Start small, stay consistent, and watch your SEO grow alongside your photography portfolio!
Are you curious about outsourcing your blogging? You can learn about our monthly service, Back Pocket Blogger, here.
Read these next:
- Key Metrics in Google Analytics and Search Console for Your Blog
- Best Article Length for SEO on Your Photography Blog
- Balancing Storytelling and SEO Through Education on Your Photography Blog
KP’s design journey began in book publishing, but she fell in love with the truly limitless possibilities that web design presents. Since then, she’s been helping photographers and creatives become the no-brainer option for their dream clients before they even get on a call.
- 4 Biggest Keyword Research Mistakes Photographers Make (and How to Fix Them) - January 16, 2025
- How to Repurpose Blog Posts to Maximize Your Content - January 16, 2025
- What is Domain Authority for Blogging? - January 3, 2025
1/03/25
Published On:
Krystianna Pietrzak
