6 ways to create the perfect wedding venue website (that will lead to bookings!)

When a couple starts planning their wedding, the first place they’ll head is online to search for the perfect venue. So how can you make sure yours stands out? First impressions count, and in this competitive market your website needs to deliver everything your customers want and need, or you’ll lose out.?

Your website needs to show off your venue to its fullest potential. A slow, clunky to navigate or visually boring website is going to put customers off instantly and they’ll quickly click away, but there are ways to make sure your site wows. Here’s 6 ways to create the perfect wedding venue website, guaranteed to impress – and lead to more bookings.

The basics?

Before you even get into the design and usability, you need to have the very basics in place for your venue website. SEO is essential if you want to be found by potential customers. You need to make sure your website is fully optimised with relevant keywords, long-tail keywords, image alt text, effective URLs and meta descriptions to make sure your page ranks highly in search results.

If this all sounds confusing, don’t worry, you’re not alone! SEO is a real skill so it’s worth investing in expert help to get it right. At?The Venue Experts?we offer website design and development services, so if you do need a hand we’d love to chat.

Get the visuals right

Your website is your venue showcase, and the quickest most effective way to grab a potential customer’s attention is with stunning, high-quality images. Wedding marketing is very visual – so instead of telling your website visitors how beautiful your venue is, show them. Fill each page of your website with aspirational images that really convey the style of your venue and how couples can use the space for their wedding day.?

Avoid using any stock images on your website – you have a gorgeous venue, so show it off rather than relying on pictures that don’t add any benefit to your site. Most couples and wedding photographers will be happy for you to feature some of their images on your site, as long as you ask for permission and provide credits. Real weddings add an authentic feel to your website and give customers something to relate to.

If your venue is brand new, think about arranging a styled shoot with some local wedding suppliers to get some beautiful images for your site.?

Answer their questions

Imagine the questions you’d want to ask a venue if you were booking your wedding. By pre-empting what your brides and grooms want to know, you’re instantly making your website (and venue) appealing. Nobody wants to have to go searching through wordy websites, split into confusing pages, just to find out capacity info or ceremony options. It’s crucial to have clear and easily accessible information on your site.

Be clear about pricing

Price is one of the major considerations for couples when booking their venue. Always include your pricing on your website – don’t be scared of making this clear. Having no pricing information on your site (or making it near impossible to find) really turns couples off. Including a breakdown of costs is the quickest and easiest way of ensuring you are right for them and they are right for you.

Consider a ‘Build your own wedding quote’ calculator on your website, so couples can put in details like month, day, guest numbers etc, to get an idea of who much their wedding might cost. Alternatively, give clear costs for venue hire throughout the year, as well as menu and drinks package prices.

Find your voice

Your venue needs to have its own distinct tone of voice; you need to know who you’re talking to and tailor your language and style to fit. It’s really helpful to create a customer profile – an idea of the typical person or couple who wants to book your venue –?so you can refer to this to make sure you’re always hitting the tone just right.

Once you’ve got your brand voice, be consistent. Your website, marketing, any print and all your socials need to be in sync.?The Venue Experts’ Marketing team?can help you define that voice and show you how to stay true to your brand across all these different mediums.

Make it easy to get in touch

So, you’ve got their interest, but how do you get potential customers to take the next step? The answer is pretty simple –?make it easy for them to get in touch. Make sure you include obvious ‘get in touch’ buttons or links, or a call to action on every page of your website. Automatic email links, phone numbers or ‘click here to book a viewing’ buttons need to be clear and easily accessible.

How do you feel your wedding venue website stacks up against your competitors’? Is it performing well, or do you think there’s room for improvement? Remember, your website is the first impression your potential customers will get of your venue, so make it count. If you think you need a few tweaks or even a complete redesign,?get in touch?and we’ll make sure you’re reaching your full potential.