Something massive is happening in the world of search, and it’s all to do with How Search is changing with Google AI, and if you’re not paying attention, your photography website is about to become invisible.
I’m not being overly dramatic. This is genuinely the biggest shift in how people find businesses online since Google first launched over 25 years ago. And whilst many photographers are still figuring out SEO, the entire game has already changed, because AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) is now here.
Let me explain what’s happening and, more importantly, what you need to do about it.
The Old Way: Traditional Search Results
For decades, searching on Google worked the same way. You’d type in a query like “wedding photographer Manchester,” hit enter, and Google would present you with a list of ten blue links on page one. You’d click through various websites, compare them, and eventually make a decision.
As a photographer, your goal was simple: get your website ranking on page one of Google for your key search terms. If you achieved that, you’d get clicks. If you got clicks, you’d potentially get enquiries and bookings. The strategy was all about keywords, backlinks, website speed, mobile optimisation, and, more recently, creating content that Google deems as relevant and authoritative. Google itself announced back in 2020 the were looking for websites that conform to E.E.A.T – meaning they have Expertise, Experience, Authority and Trust.
The New Way: AI-Generated Search Results
Now? Everything’s different.
Around 20%-30% of all Google searches display AI-generated summaries at the top of the page results, and this percentage is growing rapidly every month. When someone searches for information, they’re increasingly getting their answer directly from an AI Overview without ever needing to click through to a website. Interestingly, the percentage is a lot higher when you ask Google a question. Around 70% of Question-based Searches now produce an AI overview, for example, “How soon should I book my wedding photographer?”
But it’s not just Google. People are now searching using ChatGPT, Bing’s Copilot, Google’s Gemini, and Perplexity. These AI tools don’t give you a list of links; they give you a conversational answer, pulling information from multiple websites and presenting it as a response to your question.
Here’s a real example: Instead of searching “wedding photographer prices UK,” someone might now ask ChatGPT: “What should I expect to pay for a full-day wedding photographer in the Northwest of England, and what’s typically included?”
The AI will scan multiple photography websites, extract relevant information, and provide a comprehensive answer. It might even recommend specific types of packages or what to look for in a photographer. Notice what’s happened? The searcher got their answer without visiting a single photography website; AI did all the research legwork.
What This Means for Your Photography Website
This shift has massive implications, leading to three main impacts:
1. Being Found is Harder
When an AI summary appears in Google search results, users are (according to a recent Search Result White Paper) 46.66% less likely to click on traditional website links. That’s nearly half your potential traffic disappearing before anyone even sees your website in the results.
If your website content isn’t structured in a way that AI can understand and extract information from, you’re simply not part of the conversation. You’re invisible.
2. Your Content Needs to Work Differently
Traditional SEO focused on keywords and getting people to click through to your site. AI search is different because AI is looking for clear, helpful, well-structured answers to specific questions.
But what about your beautiful portfolio of images? AI can’t really “read” that in a meaningful way. It needs text. It needs context. It needs you to clearly explain who you serve, what problems you solve, and how you help your clients.
3. Competition Has Changed
Here’s something interesting: AI frequently pulls references and answers from URLs that rank way beyond page 2 on Google for related queries. This means you don’t necessarily need to rank number one anymore; you just need to have content that clearly answers questions AI is looking for. And these are effectively the questions your potential customers are searching.
This actually levels the playing field a bit. Smaller or newer photography businesses with helpful, well-structured content can appear in AI results alongside the bigger, long-established competitors.
How to Optimise Your Photography Website for AI Search
So, enough about the problem, here’s what you need to be doing to start showing up:
1. Write Like a Human, For Humans NOT for Search
AI tools are trained on natural language. They understand conversational text far better than keyword-stuffed unhelpful content.
Instead of writing “Professional wedding photography services in Manchester providing premium wedding photography,” write like you actually speak: “I’m a wedding photographer based in Manchester, and I specialise in relaxed, natural photography that captures the real emotions of your day.”
See the difference? One sounds like you’ve written for a search engine, the other sounds like a person. AI prefers the human version because that’s what it’s trained to understand.
2. Answer Specific Questions
Think about the questions potential clients ask you via email or phone. Every single one of those questions should be answered somewhere on your website.
Create dedicated FAQ and Service Pages or blog posts that directly address:
- “How long does a family photoshoot take?”
- “What should I wear for my professional headshots?”
- “Do you travel for destination weddings?”
- “How long until I receive my edited wedding photos?”
70% of Google queries starting with question words like ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘where’, ‘how’, and ‘why’ now show AI Overviews. If you’re not answering these questions clearly on your site, you’re missing out.
3. Use Proper Heading Structure
AI crawler bots rely heavily on your website’s structure to understand your content. Use H1, H2, and H3 heading tags properly.
Your homepage H1 might be: “Wedding Photographer in Bristol” Your H2 subheadings could be: “My Photography Style,” “What’s Included in My Wedding Packages,” “How My Photography Services Work”
This clear structure helps AI understand what each section of your page is about and makes it easier to extract relevant information.
4. Create Location-Specific Content
If you’re a local photographer, make your location crystal clear throughout your website. Don’t just mention it once in your footer.
Create blog posts like “Top 5 Wedding Venues in Cornwall for Stunning Photography” or “Best Family Outdoor Portrait Locations in Edinburgh.” This location-specific content helps you appear in AI results when people search for photographers in your area.
The Power of FAQ Pages for AI Search
One of the most powerful tools in your AI search arsenal: a properly structured FAQ page.
This deserves its own section of this blog because, if I could only tell photographers to do ONE thing for AI search, creating a comprehensive FAQ page would be it.
Here’s why FAQ pages are so effective:
AI Loves Question-Answer Format
The question-answer structure of an FAQ page is exactly what AI search tools are looking for. When someone asks ChatGPT or Google a question, these tools scan websites looking for pages that provide clear answers. Your FAQ page is like a gift to AI; you’ve already organised your content in the exact format it needs to answer a potential client’s questions. This also positions you as an authority, trustworthy and helpful.
Voice Search Optimisation
People don’t type “wedding photographer cost” into voice search. They say, “Hey Google, how much does a wedding photographer typically cost?”
Your FAQ page, with questions written in natural language, matches how people actually speak when using voice search. This dramatically increases your chances of appearing in the voice search results.
Use Structured Data Markup
FAQ pages can utilise something called FAQ schema markup. Don’t panic, this is just code that tells search engines “this is a question, this is the answer.”
Many website builders and website plug-ins can add this automatically. It makes your FAQ content eligible for “rich results and featured snippets” in Google and helps AI tools extract your answers more easily.
What Questions Should You Include?
Here’s my advice: create a document for where you note down every question a potential client asks you. Check your emails, your phone call notes, your social media messages.
Soon, you’ll have a goldmine of real questions that potential clients actually want answered. Turn those into your FAQ page and keep adding to it.
Typical categories might include:
- Pricing & Packages: “What’s included in your wedding package?” “Do you offer payment plans?”
- Process & Timeline: “How long does a session take?” “When will I receive my photos?”
- Preparation: “What should I bring?” “Can I bring my dog to the photoshoot too?”
- Technical: “How do you provide my image files?” “How many photos will I receive?”
- Facilities: “Is there parking?” “Can we get tea & coffee?” “Is your studio accessible for wheelchair users?” “Are there toilets?”
Aim for at least 15-20 questions. Answer each one clearly and concisely (100-150 words is perfect), and where relevant, link to more detailed blog posts for people who want to dive deeper.
The Future for How Search is Changing with Google AI
Search isn’t coming back to the way it was. AI is here to stay, and it’s only going to become more dominant in how people find information online.
The photographers who adapt now, those of you who create helpful, well-structured, conversational content that answers real questions, will thrive. Those who ignore this shift will find themselves increasingly invisible, wondering why their website traffic has dropped, and enquiries have dried up. The good news? This isn’t complicated. You don’t need to be a tech wizard. You just need to think differently about your website content. Check out my Website Book on Amazon, Help!! My Photography Website Needs MORE Customers: Create a photography website to capture customers, using the proven Scroll to a Sale method : Brown, Jeff: Amazon.co.uk: Books
Stop writing for search engines. Start writing for humans in a way that AI can easily understand and extract. Answer questions clearly. Structure your content properly. Create that FAQ page.
Do these things, and you’ll be visible in both traditional search results AND the new AI-powered search landscape.
Your future clients are out there searching right now. Make sure they can actually find you.
