What do you find when you visit the website of your strongest competitors in the wedding industry? A sleek design. Perfectly styled images. Words that spark a feeling, action, response.

Polishing your website is the equivalent of creating a boutique window display. It’s your tool to attract and enchant would-be customers and generate in-bound leads for your wedding business.

When used strategically, your website can set you up for wedding business success. Here are my top five tips for making your wedding business stand out online.

1 – Master your message

What makes your wedding business yours and no one else’s? What exactly is it about your product, service or setting that makes the experience unique? This is your elevator pitch and it should be one of the first things a couple reads.

Your elevator pitch should cover the important facts, like what you do and where you do it.

It should also do more than that. Your elevator pitch needs to give the couple a taste of your brand, whether you work sustainably, are passionate about personalisation or specialise in a certain style of wedding.

Do this and you’ll immediately catch the eye of couples whose dreams directly align with what your wedding business offers. It’s as simple as that!

2 – Show your knowledge

Create advice-led content to help couples take one more step forwards on the marathon that is wedding planning. This is one of the best types of content you can share to your wedding business blog, specifically.

By providing couples with real value and genuine insight, you have the opportunity to become a wedding business they trust. Coupled with top-notch customer service and a tailored offering, you could tip the balance from being a potential supplier to the perfect one.

3 – Share the limelight

This might sound like a curve ball when we’re talking about your website. But I’m not talking about featuring any old person’s words, I’m talking about including testimonials. If a picture is worth a thousand words, so is a positive testimonial.

Glowing feedback from happy couples will resonate with your future customers because they’ve been there, done that and had a brilliant experience in the process. It’s a relatable, reliable voice with no agenda that potential customers are willing to trust.

Recommendations from vendors or venues who have also worked with you can be useful too.

4 – Become a storyteller

So many wedding vendors, venues and photographers share real weddings on their website. But if all that equates to is a gallery of images, you’re missing a golden opportunity.

Now is your chance to lead people through the experience of working with you, without sounding salesy at all. Interview previous couples who you’d like to blog about to build up the bigger picture of their dream day. With their blessing, you can weave their quotes – and voice – into the blog post, creating a swoon-worthy story other couples will be inspired to emulate.

With real wedding blog posts regularly updating your website, you’ll also see an SEO boost too.

5 – Make the first move

By this, I mean asking couples progress their relationship with your wedding business. Invite them to take action, whether that’s requesting a custom quote, downloading a brochure or saving the date for a consultation.

Including calls to action is a way to show them the way through the planning process. This means they can leave your wedding business website having taken a step forwards, and not filled with inspiration but wondering what to do next. It’s a win for both of you!

Lauren Fraser is the creative copywriter and SEO superstar for the wedding industry, having honed her craft working for a national wedding magazine. Still a regular contributor to the bridal press, Lauren helps wedding businesses to find and tell the stories that make couples swoon and see their targeted enquiries soar. Visit her website to find out more.