Winery Website SEO Tools: 10 Digital Marketing Hacks to Win More Customers

It’s a fact. To make more sales online, you need to be easy to find online. If your wine website is buried far beyond the first page of Google search results, you’re likely not getting anywhere near the traffic — or sales — that you could.

You might think that you need to constantly pump a bunch of money into online marketing to win at it.

But I haven’t put a dime into online ads or marketing, and my wine industry website has gone from somewhere in the 20th page of Google to the first page in just a month. How?

Paying for ads and the like is of course important. It should be part of your overall marketing strategy. But more money doesn’t necessarily mean more effective online marketing.

I just wrote my website content to engage two “people”: Google and my ideal customer.

And no, you don’t have to be an SEO expert to get these results.

If you’re unfamiliar, SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is using certain strategies to make your online content more findable by search engines. While it can be a complicated science, anyone can do the basics and see significant change.

Here’s 10 of those basics that I use to make my websites both SEO and customer friendly — and that you can use today to get your website closer to that first page of Google, fast:

1. Include Keywords in Your Web Content to Boost Your SEO Immediately

The foundation of SEO is good keyword research. When customers search for “winery near me” or “local winery near me,” you want to come up as a top result.

And you don’t need to do anything super fancy to do this well. Simply open Google search. Type in something you think your customers would search for.

Before you click search, look at the suggested results that Google automatically lists below the search bar. These are keywords you can use into your web content!

You can also click search after typing in a topic. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the results page. You’ll see Google suggestions there for related search topics. Sprinkle these keywords strategically into your website.

Over time, this will make your site come up more when people search for these words.

However, Google also recognizes when web content is has a ton of keywords packed into it regardless of the writing quality. This is called “keyword stuffing,” and will actually hurt your Google ranking.

So use keywords to be relevant, but do it naturally!

2. Make Your Webpage 1,000 Words Long for More Authoritative Ranking

When a user searches for something, Google will pull up relevant webpages that are over 800 words first, before shorter ones.

According to the most current research on Search Engine Optimization on Google, websites in the range of 1,500–2,000 words are most effective. So 1,000 words is a safe minimum!

At the same time, avoid being wordy just to boost your word count. Like with “keyword stuffing,” Google penalizes pages that just flash keywords on top of mountains of incoherent content.

Plus, if your content is long simply to be long, your customers won’t be engaged, and your bounce rate will increase — which can also hurt your ranking.

3. Ace in the Hole: Have a Blog You Update At Least Twice a Month

You might think that blogs just collect dust — are outdated marketing tools.

However, current research shows that 47% of customers read 3–5 pieces of material before even considering a purchase. Blogs are being read more than ever — companies with consistent blogs get 67% more leads than those without them. (1)

Blogs are also great SEO tools. Google likes websites with regular material, because you consistently provide fresh, relevant, and accurate value.

Research topics that potential customers might search and write on those (and be sure to include keywords!). Posting 2–4 times per month is the minimum frequency to keep your site climbing the SEO ladder.

4. Improve Your Credibility With Quality Backlinks

A backlink is like a good reference on a resume. When another website links to material on your website — such as your home page, a blog article, your online store, or a product — Google sees your site as way more credible.

You’ll be ranked higher because the search engine sees you more and more as an established authority.

Contact other businesses in your industry that you work with or just admire, ones that have a quality website. Ask them to link to your website in their blog, newsletter, etc.

You can also feature them in return. Even one or two good backlinks can quickly improve your Google ranking.

5. Please “Jet Ski Readers” — Format for Skimming

We all want information efficiently. If the main points in your website aren’t obvious through clear formatting, you may lose those who, like riding on a jet ski, skim for key information.

For example, help “skimmers” engage with your website content by using bold headings that summarize your main points, underlining the most important points in descriptions, and italicizing those things you want to emphasize the most.

Don’t hit readers with a wall of text. Break up paragraphs between every 3–4 sentences. This lets your content “breathe.” It may sound strange, but it makes your site more inviting and easier to read.

Keep it simple. Make information easy to find. And your “skimmers” will be happy.

6. Entice “Scuba Diver Readers” — Give Solid Content for Thorough Reading

There are also users who are more like scuba divers than jet-skiers. They like to dive deep into what you’re saying.

You please these users by being coherent and thorough. Give research from credible sources with reference links. Include plenty of statistics and data to back up your claims. Supply solid reasoning to drive home your main points.

You want a depth of information in a tone that really sounds like yourself. Remember, these customers account for around half of your sales, and will read 3–5 pieces of content before they consider buying.

Most will see through any slimy sales tactics. They just want sound info from an authentic source, and you’ve got it! Sell your wine through your vintage’s story, engaging the customer’s desires and needs with your business vision.

7. Buffer Your Last Line of Defense: Write Great Product Descriptions

As you well know, people want to hear the story of the wine they’re thinking about buying. Stories sell — humanity will always be hungry for them.

This is especially true for product descriptions. Product descriptions/wine blurbs are the place to sell through the power of story and by appealing to the emotions and desires of customers.

They’re often the last piece of content a customer sees before a sale, what can make or break a purchase. Since you aren’t there to make a pitch in person, this piece of content needs to sell for you.

Don’t lead with wine specs to avoid alienating those customers who may not be interested. However, it’s good to include them for those “scuba-diver” readers or devoted wine enthusiasts who will want extra insight (see P.S. below).

Overall, tell your story simply, targeting your customer’s interests, problems to be solved, or desires to be fulfilled.

P.S. — Pro tip: Many are interested in technical information, so it’s good to include it, just not up front or as the bulk of your description. Have it in a secondary section following the primary description, a drop down option, or a link that opens to a PDF or page in a new window (that way, customers can see the info separately but won’t be lose your website page).

8. Clear, Frequent Directions & Link Buttons

It sounds too simple to be something worth its own section. But a key hack is to have a button or link right on the first page of your site, visible before users have to scroll down (called being “before the fold,” before the break in the digital page).

Have the button tell your customers exactly what they should do, like “Shop Our Award-Winning Wines Here” or “Book a Tasting.” When they tap it, make sure it goes right to the appropriate page. Be sure to keep the wording simple, clear, and inviting.

Customers are much more likely to stay on your website when they see a clear, action-driven link before the website fold. So don’t miss out on this easy but effective strategy!

9. Wine Club Pages — Sell Your Wine and Memberships by Targeting with Relevant Content

Of course, you want to have the normal “you get x bottles per month at this club level,” etc. People need to know the benefits.

But don’t miss the opportunity to persuade someone who has clicked through to your wine club page. In a world where there are over 800 wine clubs in the United States alone, you need an edge. (2)

To compete, you just need to know your ideal customer. Who are they? What age? Most importantly, what problem does your product solve for them? What desires does your wine membership fulfill for them?

Maybe it’s a sense of luxury. Maybe it’s a down-to-earth, terroir-obsessed following. Or it’s a desire to break into wine tasting for the completely unfamiliar. Imagine that, and then meet those desires and emotions in your description.

P.S. — Somewhere (even on every page, but especially the Wine Club page), incorporate a link/field to collect their email address. Even if you get only this piece of information, it can pay off in the long run.

Around 50% of leads take a long process of nurturing before they buy or commit to a subscription.(3) And where less than 30% of businesses stay in touch with customers after a purchase,(4) this long game of nurturing customer relationships is a largely untapped source of revenue.

10. Have a Picture Gallery of Your Winery, Tasting Room, & Surroundings — With Professional Pictures

Most customers aren’t interested in the super technical details of winemaking or every nuance in a glass of wine. And that’s OK.

Wineries provide a tasting experience. One of the most important draws of that experience is the tasting environment itself — providing a welcoming environment where people can have a memorable time.

Seeing the area is attractive and often sells a tasting reservation before the wine is even considered. Countless winery websites do not have a photo gallery, leaving customers in the dark. And if they aren’t into wine for wine itself, you may lose the lead.

Also, don’t be afraid to invest in a good photographer/the time to create quality pictures. People instinctively judge the quality of a website — and the business’s professionality — based on the look of the photos and design.

P.S. — SEO hack: for each picture, go into the back-end of your website and type descriptions for each photo. It’s tedious, but Google likes it.

Include a keyword or two if you can. But also just have an accurate description. For example, for the picture to the left, you’d write something like “friends toast at garden party wine tasting,” where ‘wine tasting’ is the keyword, and the photo is still described accurately.

Implementing These Strategies Gives You an Advantage Over 50% of Businesses

Sound like a lot? It can definitely be a full time job making sure your website works for SEO! But don’t worry. Even implementing just one or a few of these can really improve your website. You can see changes even within a couple weeks.

Hiring an outside marketing specialist to work on your website full-time can also be a investment that boosts your conversions and revenue. With more time to run your business and optimized marketing, you’ll end up making more overall.

You can check out my website at www.cellarmastercopy.com, where I show why investing in a wine copywriter is a strategic move for wine businesses now and in the long-run.

If nothing else, don’t skimp on having a simple and professional-looking website.

Just having a website that looks professional convinces customers subconsciously that you are the real deal.

And keeping the process simple for booking tastings, buying wine, or contacting you is the most important element. If they can get to the endgame quickly through clear directions, you’re more likely to make a sale.

Incorporate all or some of these marketing tips and you’ll be doing better than 50% of businesses, who either don’t know about or just don’t have any SEO strategy.

Cheers!

Jonah

Sources:

1. https://www.impactmarketing.net/blog/
2. https://www.cnet.com/news/best-wine-club/
3. https://officialsarahturner.com/
4. Ibid.