Prepping Your Website for the Engagement Season
Christmas Day is the number one proposal day of the year. In fact, nearly 40% of all engagements happen between November and February! With so many newly engaged couples starting their wedding search, what will they find on your website? Are you prepared for the upcoming engagement season?
me, myself, and i
Your website is representing your business, so it may make sense to you that you should talk about…well you! In reality, the only place where you should use words like me, myself, and I are in your About Us/Me page. Otherwise, you should be all about the bride. How do your services benefit and help her? How can you make her vision come true? It may seem harsh, but she doesn’t care about how she can help your business. She doesn’t care how long you’ve been in business or that you’ve won 23 awards. All she wants to know is how you can make her wedding the event of a lifetime. Address her wants and needs.
contact info
Your contact information should be easily accessible. The best way to do this is by having your phone number and email on the header or footer of every single page of your website. On the navigation bar, Contact Us/Me should be clear and lead directly to an inquiry form or your address and contact info – NOT an About Us/Me page. Your contact information should include your address (if you’re not run from your home), your phone number – it can be helpful to let visitors know whether or not it’s okay to text you here – an email address, and all of your social media links. Even if you have an inquiry form, you should still include an email address. Give a visitor every possible way to get ahold of you, as they may prefer a specific method, and make it easy to find. That way, there will be no excuse for why they didn’t get in touch.
Copyright date
You’ve heard us say it before and you’ll hear us say it again: make sure the copyright year at the bottom of your webpage is updated. You do not want someone coming to your website and seeing that you haven’t updated it since 2012. They’ll think you’re out-of-business or out-of-touch. You have to stay updated in order to stay credible.
Want to get more eyes to your website? We can help with that!
gallery
Regardless of the services you offer, you should have a gallery of your work. Florals, venues, cakes, and hair and makeup are the most obvious, but DJs, Wedding Planners, Rental Companies, Invitations, Transportation, and anything else should have professional photos available online, too. Whether you hire someone to come take photos of your work examples or you ask photographers for photos from weddings you’ve worked, brides want to know what they can expect from you if they hire you.
While web photos can be low-resolution (meaning 72dpi rather than 300dpi) you still want to post a good quality photo. Something taken from your phone with bad lighting and pixelation won’t give your visitors confidence when they consider hiring you. Make sure your photos are sized properly, aligned with each other, and show a variety of your services. For example, if you do flowers, show photos of your centerpieces, ceremony arches, bridal bouquets, and mother-of corsages so prospects can get a clear idea of your talents.
Good photos in a gallery can play a huge part in deciding who a bride hires for her wedding. Including and updating a gallery on your website is a MUST for this upcoming engagement season.
holiday special
Imagine shopping online for a new winter coat or a gift for your coworker and the item you love doesn’t have a price. How can you know if you want to buy it? If a bride has to contact you for a quote, you’ve already slipped down on their list of possible vendors. Now they have to wait for you to respond and if you’re out of their price range, they’ve just wasted both their time and your time. Don’t get us wrong, you don’t have to have an outline of how much you charge for every single service, but a simple “Photo Booths starting at…” will make a huge difference. One great way to do this is by hosting a holiday special. As couples get engaged this holiday season, you’re going to be getting more and more traffic on your site. Having a festive graphic showcasing a special price if they book with you by a certain date will not only assure them that you update your website often, but that you’re relevant and that they can afford you! At the very least, it will get them to contact you for more information, giving you the opportunity to make the sale.
seasonal logo
If you have the ability to update your logo to reflect the upcoming holidays, you may find that it helps drive more inquiries. It’s no secret that everyone loves this time of year. Trees are decorated with twinkly lights, the nights are the perfect temperature for snuggling by a warm fire, Hallmark is playing everyone’s favorite Christmas movies, and everyone seems to be more cheerful and loving! By updating your logo, you’re showing that you are more than a business – you are a fellow Christmas-loving human. Capturing a millennial bride is all about making a connection and developing a relationship, and by showing your human side, you’ll be one step closer.
As the holidays approach and more couples get engaged on Christmas and New Years, you’ll have more eyes on your site than ever! Put your best foot forward by implementing these tips to make a memorable first impression.
