We know not everyone is what you would call “technologically gifted,” but in the end devoting time and resources to perfecting your website can only help your business. Actually, it may be to most helpful thing you can do.

75% of brides said they the first place they look for wedding consultation is wedding-related websites. Poke around the Internet, and you’ll see that there are plenty of wedding-related sites out there for brides to consult. So how do you make your site stand out? In a word: Professionalism. Think of your website as you would your resume; it may not land you the job, but it will get you in the door for that first interview. When brides are browsing online, your website is what’s going to draw them into your office for a first consultation. Your website is an online representation of your business, and – like we’ve said before – if your website looks unprofessional, so do you.

A couple tips to keep in the back of your mind when designing your website:
(1) Consistency. You want your website to be creative, but you also want all of it to flow together. It should coordinate with the style of all your other marketing materials, e.g., your business card, fliers, logo, etc.
(2) Have pictures of what brides deem most important. There are tons of websites with pictures showcasing pictures of rings and table settings. We asked brides about the wedding items to which they were willing to devote the most time and resources, and their answers may surprise you. 46.7% listed photography, 45.8% reception location, and 37.7% wedding dress/attire. These top areas that brides are willing to spend money on are the areas that you should emphasize you can help them with. Pictures are a great way to do that. For instance, differentiate yourself by having pictures of the bride and groom posing for pictures (in other words, have the photographer in the shot). It’s a subtle way to show brides your photographic resources.

One more thing: get a blog. 54.9% of brides say they’re looking for consulting help on online blogs, and you have an advantage over a lot of other wedding bloggers: practical experience. There are a lot of blogs by people with no real experience who just like to post pretty pictures. You have reputable knowledge to share, and brides are looking for that. Obviously, you don’t want to give away all your trade secrets on you blog, but try to post relevant information regularly. Soon you’ll be getting lots of bride traffic. Make sure there’s a link or some way to direct that traffic back to your site, and you’re good to go!

Don’t be intimidated by the world of online marketing. It’s really all about creativity (which luckily is a wedding planner’s forte). So, take those creative juices and use them to vamp up your website. The more distinct you can make your website, the better.