Location plays a huge role in the search terms and phrases couples use when planning their wedding. Here are 5 simple ways to dominate local SEO in the wedding industry.
5 simple ways to dominate local SEO in the wedding industry
We’ve already discussed why content is key to SEO success and how to make it work for your wedding business so now we want to hone in on the importance of location-based SEO and targeting.
Location plays a huge role in the search terms and phrases couples use when planning their wedding and to be frank, they’re unlikely to search without it.
Think about it; which millennial couple would search for the term ‘wedding venues’ which returns almost 22 million results (most of which will be irrelevant) when they could search for ‘wedding venues in London’ and be presented with just over 2 million relevant results?
It’s a no brainer.
Here are 5 simple ways to ensure your website is optimised for local search.
1. Ensure you’re including specific local areas in all of your content
Rather than describe your business as a ‘beautiful wedding venue in London’ be as specific about your wedding business in your content as possible.
Narrow the search field and conduct research into keyword volume and competition for terms like ‘wedding venues in East London’ or ‘wedding venues in Hackney, London’.
The more specific you can be the better, as although you’ll be optimising for a smaller search volume there will be less competition for these super long tail keyword phrases and the improved intent of those searchers will mean that they’re more likely to convert to actual bookings.
Remember that Meta Descriptions and Title Tags matter too, and you should customise these so that they reflect the content on your page and the location or area you’re looking to target.
The more relevant your content is to those looking for a wedding supplier like you, the more likely you will be to boost traffic to your website, increase your website rankings and boost wedding bookings.
2. Include related local businesses and local events in your content
What’s happening in your local area this month? By incorporating details of what’s happening in your town and how you and your business are getting involved in your content, you’ll earn ‘Google points’ for relevancy that will help you gain authority for local wedding searches.
When you write about local wedding-related events remember to include the names of wedding venues, cities, towns and regions.
Top Tip: why not offer to link to other wedding suppliers in the local area in return for them sharing your content with their contacts and social media followers?
3. Ensure you’ve claimed your Google My Business page
You know those bulleted businesses that show up underneath a map at the top of most Google results when you include location in your search?
Those businesses are featured there because they’ve set up a Google My Business page.
Here’s an example of the wedding venues that feature when we search for ‘wedding venues in London:
It’s totally free to set up a business page and the amount of local interest and ‘click throughs’ you’re likely to earn for featuring here is well worth the small amount of time needed to set everything up.
As far as local targeting goes, this one is the biggie. Set up your free Google My Business listing today.
4. Reviews matter
In the wedding industry, reviews and recommendations play a huge role in winning new business. According to a recent survey, 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation, and seven out of 10 customers will leave a review for a business if asked.
Focus on publishing reviews on your website but also on your wedding business’s Facebook page and Google My Business page. Having good reviews on these sites will attract local prospective clients and support your business in local results, as reviews and star ratings will appear alongside your contact details once you’re set up on Google My Business (as demonstrated in the example above).
5. Feature in online directories
One of the easiest ways to shortcut your way to more wedding bookings when it comes to local search is to feature on free online wedding directories.
The majority of these wedding directories have a lot more resource to throw at optimising their site for SEO, so rather than compete with them for space in the top 3 results, get listed on their site and you’ll be top of the search results anyway.
Some wedding directories even feature above local listings in the search engine results page which means it really is very important that you include complete and up to date information in your wedding business profile.
Is your Bridebook profile complete and up to date with your address, contact details, pricing and pictures?
Wedding location makes a world of difference
Let newly engaged couples know *where you are *to really drive online bookings for your wedding business.
Competition for local space is hotting up this summer and you can bet if you’re not on top of your rankings, your competitors will be.
Follow our 5 simple tips to get a head start and claim your space as the number one local wedding supplier in your area.