10 Tips for a Top-Notch SiteBy Julieta Jimz, ZankYou Mexico, MexicoIs your wedding website up-to-date? Are you dedicating the time and energy needed to keep it current and trendy? If you want to increase sales through your wedding website, then you should be putting in the time and resources to make it happen. The main purpose of all wedding industry professional websites must be to attract brides. The new generation of websites has moved from a simple site with five menus, the most important of which is a photo gallery that wasn't even up-to-date, to a multimedia, integrated social platform that is frequently updated and is clean, clear, crisp, and trendy. Do you have what it takes to stay current? Consider the website strategy of many popular wedding magazine sites. They share updated information on proposed wedding styles and trends, along with photos of real weddings. The difference between wedding professionals and these bridal magazines is that you are the creator and designer of the very weddings these publications feature. And they need your permission to share your work. Take advantage of the fact that you have the original material that makes other wedding websites so popular. Take advantage of your own expertise, and then devote the time needed.Want another good reason to stay current? Before paying for any services for their wedding, today’s brides typically conduct a search on the Internet to create their inspiration boards. They’re using the images on wedding vendor and planner websites to create these boards. But they also use your site to get to know you first—making it indispensible that you stay current, share what you do, and keep it friendly and approachable. Later, the same brides will get estimates from different vendors before they decide whom to hire. If you want the kind of website that draws brides like a bee to honey, then use the following tips:

1. Don’t play hide and seek. Make sure your wedding website can be found in search engines like Google and Bing. Choose keywords that best define your business, for example: “artificial bouquets in Miami.” Then be consistent and use those words on your website as well.
2. Belly up to the bar. Create different categories concerning your product or services and put them in your wedding website menu bar. For florists, consider “bouquets by color,”  “bouquets by trend,” and “bouquets by material.” A well-organized menu bar, rich with information, helps attract brides and keeps them on your website because it's easy for them to find exactly what they need.
3. Showcase snapshots. Put the best photos of your wedding products or services online for all to see. Share them on your website to show what you’ve done, telling viewers the story behind the image when helpful—perhaps how the bride decided on the style and design you created. Be sure to get the photographer's permission to use these images on your site.
4. Give the 411. For every project you publish on your wedding website, don’t forget to put three important pieces of information. First, include the name or description of the image. Second, include links to the other businesses involved. Third, include your contact information.
5. Tip them off.  Brides are always looking for ideas. Think about offering usable and useful tips for their wedding day, from timelines and current color trend resources to DIY ideas. Be sure to offer what is useful and supportive to your business. The DIY ideas could be related to your area of expertise, product, or service, or they could be DIY ideas about other wedding areas.
6. Get credit where credit is due. Brides like to see photos and use them or “pin” them to their inspiration boards. To ensure you and the photographer or other vendor(s) get credit, put a discrete watermark on all your photos.
7. Platforms aren’t just for shoes. Use different platforms to create content to keep your site fresh and relevant. Publish videos on YouTube about wedding trends, behind-the-scenes wedding setup, your designs and ideas, or DIY tips.
8. Seek and ye shall find. Add a search bar to your wedding website, and add tags to all of your posts. Brides should be able to easily find any topic they search in your wedding website.
9. Be more social. Your website should be integrated with all social media like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Youtube. Make it easy to share your articles on different networks. Above all, be sure to update and keep content fresh no less than weekly.
10. Get personal. The main objective of attracting brides to your website is to convert these visits into clients. You can achieve that by establishing a relationship with the brides. Invite them to subscribe to your wedding website, blog, or newsletter. Ask brides to follow your social media posts, and motivate them to ask questions. And be sure your contact information is in a visible place.

Above all, remember that you must be diligent. Making your website work with these strategies requires perseverance and discipline to create, write, and share material frequently. Never abandon the project. It will be like a love lost if you give up on your wedding website.