Let's talk SEO

F

firehawk

Veteran
This has been talked about before, but algorithms change and it's slow season so how about we talk some more? I suspect many of us could use some web improvements :)

I see my website as being a salesman on the front line and if I can get searchers to see my site before others or at least early-on I think it really helps build credibility and a jump start for the sale.

Years ago I learned a few tweaks and links etc that helped return good search result placement but since then things have changed.

What do you guys do to get good search engine placement?

Apparently linking other sites hurts placements now.
I've heard you have to shell out big money for good SEO and only big companies can do it thus small guys cannot compete.
Then there's google ad words, yellow page listing sites, video company search sites (Production Hub) and all.

My site is built from a Godaddy site builder that I simply modify. Maybe that hurts too? My photos used to be able to be given searchable names but the site builder now assigns all photos unintelligeable names such as A#900000445XYZ.
I have a corporate/commercial site and a separate wedding site, which link between each other. Bad? I don't know.

What have you learned?
 
Go Daddy has a legendary bad rep in the web dev community. Look into WordPress self hosting through Bluehost, Siteground or others. Learn WordPress which is not too different than becoming a competent MS Office user, if this is too difficult give up thinking about SEO.

WordPress is optimized for SEO which basically means the code is congruent with what Google/ Bing want to see in order to rank the site. The Yoast SEO WordPress plug in is the defacto standard. The free version is fine. Run a few tutorials to learn it.

Everybody seems to have opinions about web solutions - if it's not open source like WordPress it is a dead end.

Getting work strictly through a website is practically impossible. A site is there for reference and validation of your professional experience. I have landed A-list work because clients can quickly check my credentials out on my website.

That said you might get some traction with PPC advertising through Google Adwords if your market is not too competitive.

I have been on the web for 10 years active in production, web dev & SEO. I've actually earned more from SEO because there is almost no equipment expense. People made money on the web in 1996. Since then it has become exponentially more difficult.

BTW, if you are not on the web you don't exist. This was true 10 years ago, today I'd say if you are not active on the web you aren't really a pro... nothing wrong with that... I am semi-retired and only take jobs that interest me.

If I misspelled anything or said something confusing it's only because I am a really old guy. Did I say I was partially retired?

Hope this helps.
 
dp90068 said:
BTW, if you are not on the web you don't exist. This was true 10 years ago, today I'd say if you are not active on the web you aren't really a pro... nothing wrong with that... I am semi-retired and only take jobs that interest me.
Click to expand...

Like almost everything else, there are exceptions... This is my 20th Anniversary year in business and I've never had a website and just started putting some videos on Vimeo for when someone wants to see a "demo reel", a few years ago. But I'm not a corporate or wedding guy. It's mostly word of mouth in my world.
 
I think there's probably a soft cutoff date for those who NEED website vs getting by on reputation/word of mouth. I.e, if you're of aa certain age and started doing this work years before the web was even a thing you've probably built up a reputation and network such that the web is maybe unnecessary for you. Starting out today or back when the web was really taking off? Maybe a different story. I use all these "maybes" because certain sectors of the industry and even job positions are STILL more about who you know/your rep than having a great site/SEO.

But I have absolutely been hired from someone seeing my samples and then a few emails or phone calls. Majority of work, though, is repeat clients and referrals. But maybe that's cause my SEO sucks and no one is finding the site? We'll never know.
 
Maybe I've missed out on some "additional work" or growing/expanding my client base by not having a site, but I've talked to friends in my "world" who do have websites, because I keep thinking about/wanting to do one, and asked them how much work they get from potential clients seeing their sites and the response is usually, "None". I think some people have them just for vanity purposes as opposed to having them for marketing and to generate work. Something to show off to their friends, colleagues, peers and clients who have already contacted them.
 
I can give you a different perspective: as I've said, I absolutely get contacted from people finding my site. How many of those ACTUALLY lead to work? Well, more than zero but not too many. I think being found through your site tends to attract a certain type of lower emd client (at least mine seems to) who isn't used to proper production rates and so often cease contact after the quote (I am low as far as I know for my time in the industry and the market but I also don't shoot nearly as often as I grip/assist/run teleprompter so I don't charge what someone with the same number of years in the field but shooting every day or several times a week would charge. BUT, I'm still not low enough for those folks who often want the work at half or less my very modest rates). That's if we even get to the quote stage. Sometimes they inquire, I respond with questions about their project or even something very plain like "Yes I'm interested and available. Let me know the details, and then never hear back. Always wonder what's going on on the other end. What makes a person act like that? Did they find someone else? Did they die? Hit their head on a tree and forget they had a video project? Raised by terrible parents? Very weird.
 
From my perspective, this stuff is very relative to what kind of work you pursue. The internet has been taken over by money in the last 10 years. I am coming to the conclusion that there is plenty of "tuning out" by people as the pursuit of ad revenue gets more and more in your face. Throw in sites like Thumbtack that are flooding markets with SEO it seems like small business does not have a chance at SEO.

I now view my websites as extended brochures and repositories of information. Sort of like the web started out as in the 90s. You are not going to wow anybody with a lot of web development these days and more than likely they are going to be viewing from a phone. So simple, straight forward information. Web 3.0 is about distilled information. Only what is important.

In my view, Facebook, a YouTube Channel and maybe Twitter is more important for many things. This is kind of a drag but folks want to see you are active and doing your thing. It is like a vote of confidence that a website alone can not offer. This is where I am focusing my attention - trying to be sociable :) I am taking a break from Adwords as well.
 
You have to have some kind of web site if you're a professional. But, it's a waste of time for it to be anything more than a digital brochure.
Regarding Wordpress: if you want full ownership of your content, you have to run your own server. This level requires some serious learning, but there are really good tutorials on youtube that will guide you through. I set up my wife's Wordpress installation on my own machine before transferring it to the ISP. Since the ISP does not allow the same level of control that your local machine does, this took considerable revamping and troubleshooting, but once done, it's a breeze to maintain, since the ISP does all the work on the back end.
The search engines work aggressively to keep up with SEO tricks, so the best way to maintain a high ranking is to produce good content and turn it over frequently. This is a lot of work, which takes you somewhere you probably don't want to go. So, use Wordpress to set up a simple site and revise the main page once or twice a year.
Wordpress is primarily a blogging package, and if you have something interesting to say, it might make sense to update the blog frequently and push the updates out to your clients, with a prominent way for them to opt out. No one is interested in the innards of your business or a new piece of fancy gear. You certainly want to update them if you start to offer a new service, especially one that your competitors do not have. Otherwise, just treat the web site as a necessary piece of your promotional effort, like business cards.
 
Yes, we are kind of going full circle with the role of the web and websites. Good old human interaction and pounding the streets will take you way further than an internet only interaction.
 
Bassman2003 said:
From my perspective, this stuff is very relative to what kind of work you pursue. The internet has been taken over by money in the last 10 years. I am coming to the conclusion that there is plenty of "tuning out" by people as the pursuit of ad revenue gets more and more in your face. Throw in sites like Thumbtack that are flooding markets with SEO it seems like small business does not have a chance at SEO.

I now view my websites as extended brochures and repositories of information. Sort of like the web started out as in the 90s. You are not going to wow anybody with a lot of web development these days and more than likely they are going to be viewing from a phone. So simple, straight forward information. Web 3.0 is about distilled information. Only what is important.

In my view, Facebook, a YouTube Channel and maybe Twitter is more important for many things. This is kind of a drag but folks want to see you are active and doing your thing. It is like a vote of confidence that a website alone can not offer. This is where I am focusing my attention - trying to be sociable :) I am taking a break from Adwords as well.
Click to expand...

At certain levels and above, the clients ARE NOT dragging the internet looking for a shooter. They are calling you because they already know you, know of you or someone they know and trust has told them to call you.

I agree that a site can be useful as an "extended brochure", for sure, but for generating work(essentially on the level as a cold-call) from anything but low-end/low paying clientele, maybe 1 in 100, if you're lucky.

Now you're on to something with FB, YT, Twitter, etc. I've been debating joining FB for a few years just for business reasons. Sometimes a producer, etc. you're friends with sees something you're doing on there and it may make them want to hit you up about a shoot or project. But that's not the same as a potential, unknown client finding your website and it generating work.

I know a still photog who posts one or two pics from shoots on Twitter or Instagram and he says that usually generates at least one extra shoot a week. But, the still and video worlds are completely different.

But, I've "survived" for almost 20 years without a site, so of course I can/will argue you can be a successful professional and not have one.
 
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