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As business owners, we’re constantly trying to figure out where to focus our time and energy—especially when it comes to marketing. Should we be spending more time on long-form content like SEO and blogging? Or should we double down on short-form content like Instagram posts and reels?

It’s an important question because, let’s be real, we don’t have unlimited time. We’re not just marketers—we’re also running our businesses, serving clients, and juggling personal lives. So today, I want to break down why I believe SEO (search engine optimization) and long-form content should be your top priority in 2025.

Why Instagram Isn’t Your Best Lead Generator

Let me start by saying: I love Instagram. I use it, I market on it, and I believe it’s an important part of a brand strategy. But here’s the truth—Instagram is not where most of my brand photography leads come from. Almost every single lead I get comes from Google.

I track this. Every time someone inquires, I ask how they found me, and the answer is always: “Google Search.” Not “I saw your reel” or “I found you on Instagram.”

And I see so many business owners putting all of their energy into Instagram while completely ignoring their website and SEO. But the problem with relying on Instagram is that it’s not a search-based platform. People don’t go to Instagram to find a service provider the way they do on Google.

Instead, I use Instagram as a trust-building tool. When someone lands on my page, I want them to see content that reinforces my expertise, builds authority, and helps them connect with me. But I’m not depending on Instagram to bring in my leads.

Why SEO and Blogging Matter (Even If It Feels Overwhelming)

I get it—SEO can feel intimidating. I avoided it for years because I kept hearing things like, “It’s a long game” or “It’ll take years to see results.” And because I thought it would take forever to pay off, I just… didn’t focus on it.

But here’s what I’ve learned: SEO doesn’t have to take five years to start working for you.

Last year, I switched my website domain from kristamarielynch.com to heykristamarie.com, which meant I lost over a decade of SEO credibility. I wasn’t completely starting from scratch, but I was creating an entirely new website with an entirely new focus (I went from being exclusively a wedding photographer to switching to brand photography). I knew my Google rankings would take a hit, but I also knew I had the tools to build them back up quickly.

So I doubled down on my blog. I wrote posts optimized for the exact keywords I wanted to rank for, and within a year, I went from being near the bottom of page one to the second spot when you search “brand photographer Bay Area.”

And now? My leads have never been stronger.

SEO Is Becoming Even More Important in 2025

If you’ve been thinking, Blogging is dead, I need you to hear this: Google is prioritizing fresh content more than ever.

There are so many websites out there (many that were created 10+ years ago) — but haven’t been updated in forever. And Google is smart—it knows that information from 2015 or even 2020 isn’t as relevant anymore.

So if you start creating fresh, relevant blog content that speaks directly to what your dream clients are searching for? Google is likely to prioritize your content over an older website that hasn’t been updated in years.

And that’s where the opportunity is.

How to Get Started With SEO (Without Feeling Overwhelmed)

If SEO has felt like this big, daunting thing, here’s how to make it simple:

1. Optimize Your Website Pages

Each page on your website should have its own unique keyword it’s targeting. For example, my homepage is optimized for the keywords SF Bay Area Brand Photographer | Krista Marie. This helps Google understand what my site is about and when/who to show it in search results. It’s important to do some research on Google to find out, what keywords are your dream clients searching for — and HOW are they searching for it? Are they typing in “Wedding photographer Maryland” or “Wedding photographer Baltimore” or “Wedding photography central Maryland”? There a bunch of SEO/keyword tools you can utilize to find out what search terms are ranking best for your type of business. And once you have them, use them in unique ways throughout your website.

Note, you should not be using the same keywords for every page of your website. Google does penalize you for trying to “keyword stuff” — so avoid doing things like repeating the same keywords for every page and trying to stuff keywords into the background and unnecessarily into your content. It’s absolutely okay to use similar keywords for pages — for example, my About page has the keywords “Personal Brand Photographer Bay Area | About Krista Marie”. It’s okay if things are similar, but they need to be unique enough so Google doesn’t see you trying to over-rank for one keyword.

If this feels overwhelming, work with an SEO expert to help you identify the right keywords for your site. But once your pages are optimized, you don’t have to constantly update them—your website will start working for you in the background.

2. Get Clear on What You Want to Be Known For

Your SEO strategy should revolve around one clear topic.

For example, if you’re a wedding photographer, family photographer, engagement photographer and boudoir photographer — choose the ONE you want to be most known for. For example, your site will be much better optimized when you are trying to rank for one main keyword than for multiple at the same time. The reality is, you are 100% able to have a business that offers MULTIPLE different services, offers and ways to work with you — but if you want to be at the top of the Google search — Google needs to know exactly what you specialize in so that it can show your site to the right people. Choose the ONE you most want to optimize for in search and run with it.

3. Start Blogging (and Repurpose That Content for Instagram)

Blogging is one of the easiest ways to build SEO because it allows you to create consistent, keyword-rich content that Google loves.

If you’re not sure where to start, think about the questions your dream clients ask you all the time. Then, turn those into blog posts. For example, I recently wrote a post on how to incorporate your brand colors into a brand photoshoot—a question I get all the time. Now, instead of answering that question over and over, I can send people straight to my blog. This allows me to create a better, more fuller client experience (they get helpful resources to the most common questions) AND I get to build up authority and credibility on Google. It’s a win-win.

And here’s the best part: Once you’ve written a blog post, you can repurpose it for Instagram and other pieces of short form content. Take key points from your post and turn them into reels, carousels, and captions. That way, your time spent blogging is also fueling your social media content.

The more content that you create (around a given keyword and set of topics), the more rich Google will see your website as. And remember, don’t get stuck on how to write it perfectly. Just write the content that’s most relevant for that post, make sure you’re using your relevant keywords a few times — and you’re good to go.

4. Use AI to Make Blogging Easier

One of my favorite ways to streamline blogging? ChatGPT.

Now, let me be clear: I don’t just ask AI to write my blog posts for me—I use it strategically. I’ve trained ChatGPT on my brand voice by uploading (MULTIPLE) brand docs, blog posts and podcast transcripts. Then, when I need to write a blog, I give it a detailed outline of what I want to cover. I give it the topic/title idea and as well as a bunch of bulleted keywords and topics I want it to reference and include. Think of this like uploading a rough draft outline of a piece of content to ChatGPT– and letting AI fill in the gaps to make it a cohesive post. Because it already knows my brand identity and brand voice — it gives me content that actually SOUNDS like me.

This helps me create content in my own voice, faster. Instead of staring at a blank page, I have a structured post that I can tweak and refine.

Your 2025 Marketing Plan: Prioritize SEO, Let Instagram Support It

If you’ve been putting off SEO, let this be the year you finally go all in.

It doesn’t mean you have to stop posting on Instagram, but it does mean shifting your focus. Instead of solely relying on social media to bring in leads, focus on building a website and blog strategy that brings leads to you.

And if you’re thinking “Okay, but I don’t even know where to start with this?” —I’ve been there too and I hear you.

Here’s how we can work together in 2025:

• << Brand Strategy + Coaching >>: Create a brand so strong that clients are sold on working with you before they even reach out!
• << Brand Photography >> : Is it time to elevate your business with new brand photos?

I’D LOVE TO CONNECT WITH YOU!

• Say hello on <<Instagram>> 👋
• <<Join the email community>> ✍🏻
• Listen to the <<AMPLIFY Your Brand + Business>> Podcast 🎙