Months into a worldwide pandemic, many of us find ourselves with more time on our hands than usual – and with so many couples in the midst of wedding planning at home on their computers, your online presence is more important now than ever. The team at Wed Society has put together a list of 5 easy steps you can take today to conduct an online health checkup for your business.
Social Media
Consistency with your social media is key for brand recognition. Check to see if you are using the same handle across all social media channels so your business can be found easily. Identify your target audience, and review your voice in social media posts to make sure they are written with that audience in mind. Take a look at your bio – most are limited to only a few sentences so make sure yours gives an accurate description of the product or service you offer and what makes your offering unique. Consider using a tool like Linktr.ee or Linkin.Bio to allow you to link to more than one URL in your Instagram bio. Remember that many couples are looking at your social media profiles when searching for their ideal vendor, so it is important to post images that convey your best work!
Website Content and Layout
Many wedding businesses have a blog on their site, but when was the last time you posted to that blog? According to Hubspot, businesses using blogs as part of their content marketing mix get 67% more leads than those who don’t. Consistent blogging can also help with SEO (more on that below)! Try to view your website from an outsider’s perspective. Is it well-organized and easy to navigate? Is your content up to date and does it provide an accurate depiction of your services? Are all of the links and plugins working? These are just a few of the items to check for as you navigate through your site as part of your online health checkup.
SEO
SEO – or Search Engine Optimization – is tremendously important for your website’s health, and ensures your business has the opportunity to rank for specific keywords in a Google search. Without an understanding of your current SEO, it is hard to create a strategy to improve it. Ubersuggest is a free tool that can help you identify your website’s top pages and the keywords you are currently ranking for. If you are a florist in Houston, TX and your top 3 keywords are common search phrases such as carnation color, succulents for weddings, and tulip wedding bouquet, chances are you will fall so far down the list in search that your website will not receive any organic traffic from those searches. If you built your website on your own several years ago, but the words header tag, meta description, and alt attribute sound like gibberish to you, it might be time to consider a website refresh.
Reviews
Don’t overlook this important aspect of your online health checkup. From Google to Facebook to the Knot, online reviews are increasingly important for wedding businesses. Having great reviews can help boost your business, but did you know that responding to both positive and negative reviews is just as important? Harvard Business Review conducted a study which determined that replying to customer reviews resulted in better rankings overall, and according to Google, businesses that respond to reviews are 1.7X more trustworthy than businesses who don’t. Set aside some time to make a list of every place your business has reviews, and add a recurring reminder in your calendar to respond to the latest ones. Lacking in a strong collection of reviews for your business? See our tips on getting more glowing reviews!
Google My Business
An optimized, updated Google My Business profile is vital to appearing in local search results. In fact, many consumers rely on Google My Business to provide them with the information they need instead of visiting a website to search for it. If you don’t have a free Google My Business profile, visit business.google.com to set one up. To determine whether your GMB profile is fully optimized for your business, check for these items: business description, categories, questions and answers, updated imagery, and frequent business updates. Keep your profile living and breathing with fresh content to showcase your most recent work! We have a helpful blog with more tips on optimizing your Google My Business page.
How Brandlink Media Can Help with Next Steps
If all of this sounds great, but you’re not sure where to start, don’t feel overwhelmed. Wed Society’s sister company, Brandlink Media, can help! Brandlink specializes in helping wedding businesses reach new heights through thoughtful strategy and beautiful design.
Brandlink Media is offering free brand consultations and would love to connect to help your business come out of this time with a more solid strategy for the future! Learn more HERE.
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Written by Ali Chambless
