Three Years Later: How SEO with Media Search Group Continues to Grow My Photography Business

When I first wrote about my SEO journey, I shared how I went from having a beautiful but less visible website to finally seeing my photography business show up where it mattered most: on Google’s First Page. That post was written when I was only a few months into working with Media Search Group. Now, three years later, I’ve had the chance to watch what consistent photography SEO services can do over time.

I often get messages from other photographers or small business owners who ask me about outsourcing SEO, and I understand why. It feels risky, and when your business depends on leads, you want to be sure you’re making the right choice when choosing an SEO company for photographers.

I think in the US, there is more hesitation to work with an unfamiliar foreign company. For me, it felt a little less intimidating. I wasn’t as afraid since (1) my dad works for an Indian-based company and has normalized that for me and (2) I was able to contact one of their US customers to get a review.

That gave me the push I needed to take the leap.

Looking back now, I can confidently say it was one of the best business decisions I’ve ever made.

Year 1: Laying the SEO Foundation

When I first signed on with Media Search Group, I wasn’t just looking for better rankings for my photography-related keywords. I needed a solution to address several issues that were keeping my website invisible to potential clients. While my photography website had beautiful branding and imagery, it was far from optimized for search engines.

Key SEO Improvements in Year 1:

• Technical SEO Audit: Media Search Group performed a thorough audit, revealing several issues. My site’s load speed was a major problem; it was taking more than 6 seconds to load on desktop, which is well above the recommended threshold of 2–3 seconds.
• Mobile Responsiveness: Given that a huge percentage of users browse on mobile, my website was poorly optimized for mobile viewing. After making the necessary updates, mobile traffic quickly improved.
• On-Page Optimization: Media Search Group worked on optimizing the content, meta descriptions, image alt text, and headers. All of these changes contributed to improving my search engine rankings for photography-focused keywords.

By the end of year, we started seeing improvements.

In September 2023, my website appeared 14,700 times in Google search results, but my average ranking was position 36.5 (page 3–4) with a CTR of only 0.7%. In other words, I was showing up, but few people were actually clicking through. This was my starting line — and the point from which things dramatically changed over the next two years.

These were just the early signs, but they were enough to show me that the SEO foundation for my photography website had been set. My website was starting to perform better, and the changes were visible in the inquiries I received.

Year 2: Expanding Reach and Dominating Local Search

By the end of Year 1, I started seeing positive signs. But Year 2 was where the real impact of Media Search Group’s strategies began to shine.

We moved beyond basic search engine optimization tactics and focused heavily on local SEO, which was a priority for my business as a photographer serving specific areas in Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, and Iowa City.

Media Search Group also implemented a robust localized content strategy that helped my site rank for long-tail keywords and locally specific phrases.

Key SEO Improvements in Year 2:

• Local SEO Optimization: Media Search Group optimized my Google Business Profile, which significantly improved my local visibility.
• Content Strategy & Blog Optimization: They began creating blog posts focused on local keywords like “Cedar Falls family photographer,” “Iowa City newborn photographer,” and “Cedar Rapids maternity photographer.” Each post was designed to target high-intent search phrases that people in my target locations were actively searching for.
• Backlink Building: They started a link-building campaign, helping me earn backlinks from reputable local websites, increasing my site’s authority and trustworthiness in the eyes of Google.

Year 2 Results:

• Keyword Movement: After just a few months, I saw 15 of my target keywords ranked in top 5 positions in Google Search. Notably, many primary keywords such as “Cedar Falls maternity photographer” went from #10 to #1, and “Cedar Falls Newborn photographer” moved from Page 2 (12^th position) to Position #1 on Google Page.

• Google Business Profile Visibility: My business was now showing up consistently in the Local 3-Pack for location-based searches, which ultimately led to more queries and website visits.

• Active Users (GA4): From just 282 active users in Sept 2023, my site grew to 5,800 active users by Sept 2024, a +1,957% growth in just a year.

The impact wasn’t just about numbers on a screen. These improvements translated into consistent leads coming in through Google, something I wished about a year earlier.

• +22.5% Increase in User interactions: Between Sept 2023 and Sept 2024, my website recorded 46,746 user interactions, a +22.5% increase from the year before. Page views alone grew by +24.8%, meaning more people were actively exploring my services and galleries. Even more telling, the intensity of engagement per user grew by +27%, which means the visitors I attract through SEO are not just clicking in; they’re genuinely interested in my work.

• +24.8% Increase in Views: Between Sept 2023 and Sept 2024, my website recorded 19,000 views and 47,000 user interactions, showing a +24.8% increase in views and +22.6% increase in overall engagement compared to the previous year. This means more people finding my site, clicking through pages, starting sessions, and engaging with my content at higher levels.

Year 3: Building Stability and Scaling

By Year 3, my SEO strategy had matured, and the results were becoming more consistent. Media Search Group continued to refine my site’s optimization, focusing on both technical aspects and ongoing content production to maintain high rankings. They also started diversifying the types of content on my site, including blog posts, client testimonials, and portfolio updates.

Key SEO Improvements in Year 3:

• Advanced On-Page SEO: They continued to fine-tune my content, ensuring each page was optimized for user intent and aligned with search trends.
• Ongoing Backlink Strategy: More high-quality backlinks were acquired, helping my domain authority continue to grow.
• Reputation Management: Media Search Group also worked on improving my online reputation, which indirectly contributed to my site’s credibility.

Year 3 Results:

• Keyword Rankings: By the end of Year 3, 26 of my target keywords were ranked in the top 1 position on Google, including “headshots photography near me” (#1), “cedar falls headshot photographer” (#1), “Cedar Falls family photographer” (#1) and “Newborn photographer Cedar Falls” (#1), “maternity photographer near me” (#1), and many more.

Year 3 Results (Aug 2025 vs Aug 2023/24 Baselines):

• Google Search Console Impressions: In Aug 2025, my site had 75.7K impressions for that single month. By the end of Sept 2025, the total impressions across the year reached 771K, marking a +918% increase compared to the earlier baseline.

Impressions for August 2025 (Single-Month Data)

Impressions Across the Year

• Google Search Console Clicks: In Aug 2023, my site was only bringing in around a couple hundred of clicks from search. By Sep 2025, this number had grown to 3,880 clicks, which you can clearly see in the above screenshot I shared.
  
• Growth in Users: From 282 → 393 (+111 users), which is about a +39% increase in total users. There is also growth in new users as they grew from 272 → 375 (+103 new users), which is about a +38% increase in new users.

We compared a single month at the beginning of my SEO journey (September 2023) with a recent single month (August 2025), which shows that SEO continues to bring fresh audiences every month.

• Gained 10,000+ Active users: Looking at my GA4 reports for the full two-year period from Sept 2023 to Sept 2025, my site welcomed over 11,000 active users, nearly all of whom were new visitors. That means SEO has consistently kept my business in front of fresh audiences instead of recycling the same traffic, which matters a lot in photography business as photographers need to obtain new clients frequently.

The average engagement time stayed steady at around 58 seconds, which shows that people aren’t just landing and leaving — they’re actually staying to explore my photography services.

• Traffic Sources: Comparing Sept 2023–24 with Sept 2024–25, organic search grew to become my strongest channel, accounting for 59% of all website sessions (3,944 visits). Direct traffic dipped slightly to 22.9%, and referrals dropped, but that only highlighted how SEO has become the backbone of my website visibility and lead generation. Instead of relying on links from other sites, the majority of my clients now find me directly through Google.

• +17.8% increase in first-time users: My first-time site visitors grew from 4,888 → 5,760, meaning SEO kept expanding my new audience base. Organic Search (biggest winner) went from less than half of new users to nearly two-thirds (62%) of all new users. This proves SEO has become the #1 driver of discovery for Meghan’s photography business.

AI Traffic Growth (New in 2025): One of the biggest changes this year has been Google’s rollout of AI Overviews (part of Search Generative Experience). Many brands are struggling to appear in these AI-powered search results, but thanks to Media Search Group’s content and schema optimizations, my photography site started showing up in Google AI Overviews for queries like “best newborn photographer in Cedar Falls” and “Iowa City maternity photography options”. This has become an entirely new traffic stream, driving qualified leads from search results where competitors are still absent.

(AI Traffic Data in terms of Users)

(AI Traffic Data in terms of Session)

Addressing the Outsourcing Question: Is It Safe?

When you’re working with an overseas SEO company for photography, there’s always a certain level of hesitation, especially when it comes to something as important as your photography website’s SEO. I had my doubts too. But after three years of working closely with Media Search Group, I can say this with absolute confidence:

Yes, outsourcing photography SEO can be both safe and incredibly effective.

Media Search Group has been transparent every step of the way. They provided regular updates, sent clear monthly SEO reports, and were always available to answer my questions. The results they’ve delivered speak for themselves, and I can assure you that the process has been seamless.

If you’re a U.S.-based photographer wondering if outsourcing SEO is the right choice, let my results be proof that working with the right team, regardless of location, can lead to remarkable outcomes.

Final Thoughts: A Transformed Business

Looking back at where I started, frustrated and unsure about the potential of SEO, I can now confidently say that working with Media Search Group is a smart choice for photography SEO services.

The transformation over these three years has been nothing short of amazing. I went from struggling to rank for basic keywords to now consistently appearing at the top of Google search results for photography terms that matter most to my business. Organic traffic, leads, and conversions have all seen measurable improvement, and my reliance on paid ads or word-of-mouth referrals has decreased.

If you’re still uncertain about outsourcing photography SEO or working with an overseas team, I hope my experience reassures you. Media Search Group has consistently delivered photography SEO results, and I’m grateful for the stability and growth they’ve brought to my business.