SEO for the Wedding Industry
The wedding industry is a very popular sector which is developing impressively quickly. Today, the Internet is full of websites with content dedicated to brides and grooms who are looking for appropriate products and services that will match their wedding plans.
It seems that the wedding market turned into a real bonanza. Dresses, suits, shoes, hairdressers, beauticians, photographers, decorations and wedding cakes… it’s a good idea to analyze what brides and grooms to be search for or need. Then, with the help of SEO implemented on your website, you’ll be able to meet their expectations.
Planning a wedding certainly provides a wide range of emotions, from stress and hesitation to excitement and joy. Everyone dreams about an ideal wedding reception that would last until dawn, great music, guests praising tasty food and beautiful photos or videos that would be stirring even long after the ceremony finishes.
American weddings
October is a perfect month to get married in America. September comes second and May third. Almost 40% of all weddings take place in these three months.
As far as wedding planning is concerned, 40% of American couples start preparations about a month after getting engaged. First of all, they need to choose a date, then look for a perfect place and set the budget for the ceremony. As many as 27% of brides and grooms to be decide to use the help of professional wedding planners.
On average, the bride and groom are 33 years old when getting married. American couples focus not on tying the knot but on traveling, learning, making a career or even having a pet together. Approximately 126 guests are invited to wedding receptions. Although every couple is special, they all have a lot in common.
As many as 67% of couples ask for their parents’ blessing, 80% take their partner’s name after the ceremony and 82% of brides choose white as the color of the wedding dress. 60% of brides are accompanied by flower girls who throw petals under their feet and 77% of future wives are walked down the aisle by their fathers. 44% of newlyweds decide to write their own marriage vows.
Interestingly, first dance is the most popular tradition and it can also be observed in many European countries, including Poland. However, the first dance song choice is quite surprising as 1 in 4 US couples go for a country song.
Exceeding the budget intended for the wedding is unfortunately the most common mistake made by American couples. Almost half of them (44%) fail to set a limit which leads to stress and further problems connected with money. An average couple plans to spend about 16 thousand dollars on their wedding, however, in real life that sum of money amounts to even 30 thousand dollars which gives around 230 dollars spent on every guest. When you take into consideration the necessary “extra” elements such as a honeymoon or an engagement ring, the total cost oscillates between 38-39 thousand dollars.
In most cases, couples pay 45% of the costs of the reception and the remaining part is defrayed by parents and friends. American couples incur debt on their credit cards to cover all costs much more frequently than newlyweds from other countries.
SEO for the wedding industry
Knowing preferences and methods of searching used by future newlyweds give service providers an endless range of possibilities. As in the wedding industry a given person is supposed to become a client only once in their lifetime, then, presenting your services in the best possible way and being visible in the search results is a must.
Focus on local visibility
Start from setting up your Google My Business listing that will include your current opening times, contact details, phone number and client feedback. The map will also be very useful.
Remember about doing local SEO. Use keywords that will assign your services or products to a specific area.
Select appropriate keywords
Using and choosing appropriate keywords is the most important factor which affects SEO and determines the popularity of your website (and at the same time company) in the search results. Therefore, it’s worth focusing on appealing copywriting and proper optimization of the whole website content. It’s not only about “filling” your website with keywords, it’s about quality content (After all, content is king and we’ve written about it in one of our articles: https://delante.co/content-marketing-from-the-outset/).
Your texts need to be one-of-a-kind and valuable, the keywords should be implemented naturally and skillfully. It’d be perfect if the authors of the articles were experts in the field or if they at least studied the subject well enough to be perceived as specialists.
Optimize your graphics
Photos incorporated into the text should not only be of excellent quality and composition, they should also match the style of the whole content. However, when it comes to SEO, optimizing graphics that are supposed to promote your services online is the most important step. Use alternative descriptions to ensure that your photos attract potential clients not only with their composition but also with appropriate keywords.
Link properly and in appropriate places
Where to link?
- On wedding websites and blogs related to a given field,
- On industry websites (e.g. sites of other service providers),
- In social media,
- On wedding online forums.
Due to the fact that the online world is full of popular wedding portals and blogs, you can advertise your company by means of guest blogging or comments. Providing links to your website enables you not only to improve your visibility in the search results but also to gain trust of potential clients. Recommendations increase your chances of a better position in Google and higher sales of your services.
After all, when someone recommends, the service must be really top-notch..
Be active in social media
In the wedding industry, you’re obliged to assure brides and grooms to be that you offer only top quality and impressive services. Thus, it’s worth spending some time to make sure that your services are presented properly on the most important social media platforms, including Instagram and Facebook.
Having an Instagram account is a must for all companies operating in the wedding industry. This portal is one of the most popular services used by couples searching for inspirations and wedding providers. In order to be noticeable and advertise yourself properly on this platform, your pictures need to be accompanied by appropriate wedding hashtags.
Keep in mind that although Instagram is all about photos, you can’t forget about providing there your contact details and link to your website. Moderate the comments because they may often include some questions about the services on your offer. Your Instagram profile is also a place which shapes your brand image, therefore, it requires special care.
Most couples approach their wedding planning very emotionally and consequently, comments or reviews are something they focus on right after seeing the photo. In order to benefit from the whole emotional involvement of your potential clients, you need to be active on your profiles, regularly read comments and reviews or include links to specific services on your offer in your posts.
It’s also a good idea to join various wedding groups or forums where couples search for advice and companies recommended by others. You have to focus on this aspect as almost 80% of couples are more eager to choose a service provider with both negative and positive reviews than someone who has no feedback at all.
To conclude
Thanks to statistics we know that we’re about to face a very serious decline in fertility rates. Consequently, wedding service providers will have to compete for clients. Thus, the way you present your offer online is going to be more important than ever. If you want to make it easier for future newlyweds to search for inspirations and products from home and if you wish to expand your business and gain more clients, you can’t forget about the online existence of your company.
A well-designed website may not be enough, apart from that you need to be active in places visited by couples planning their weddings, meaning all sorts of wedding portals, forums, blogs or the most popular social media platforms. Remember about providing information about your location, prices, services on the offer and other clients’ reviews.
