What is SEO (Search Engine Optimization)? It’s making your online platforms and content as relevant, authoritative, and credible as possible in the eyes of search engines.
Why should wineries and wine businesses do SEO? Good SEO results in more visits and more sales for your business.
Around 50% of businesses don’t use SEO at all in their online content. Using SEO immediately gives you an advantage over half of the field of competitors.
You can check out our in-depth explanation of SEO for wineries here, if you’re looking for a deeper dive into why SEO is part of a winning winery marketing strategy.
If you want a “quickstart guide” to practically implement SEO now, with real results – you’re in the right place.
Keep reading this SEO quickstart guide for wineries to learn:
- Why keywords are the surest way to level up your SEO game
- How to make your paid ad spend really count with SEO
- What makes SEO content so important for actually selling your brand
- Why link building is the quickest, easiest winery SEO secret
- How to make your wine descriptions generate more sales with SEO
1. Add Keywords to Your Website
Keywords are at the heart of good SEO. They are the specific terms that your potential customers will search for, like “winery near me” or “Pinot Grigio.”
When you include these terms in the text of your website, Google latches onto these, and brings you up in search results for that keyword.
Keywords can be one word, like “wine,” or a group of words, like “the best Spanish wine.”
It’s both unrealistic, and not very useful, to rank for common, one-word keywords like “wine.” These are too general with almost infinite competition in search results. Your website would be buried in the thousands of pages that Google could pull up in search results.
Strategic long-tail keywords (keywords with two words or more) are more useful for SEO.
Long-tail keywords provide more for Google to reference when pulling search results, and can have lower, but more targeted, search volumes. This makes you more likely to be found online.
How do you find keywords?
Simply type something your customer would search for into Google. The suggestions that pop up below the search bar and at the end of the page are other keywords:
Google is getting smarter all the time, and the best SEO focuses not just on one keyword per page, but a strategic network of many keywords.
Google’s algorithms also recognize “keyword stuffing,” dumping a large amount of keywords at random into an article, or tagging them all on at the end.
Instead of becoming an authority, Google will list you lower in search results, since you don’t provide genuine value and are just looking to rank higher in results.
So, how can you use SEO with keywords today? Start with your “About” page, whether you have one or need to write one. This is beneficial because:
- On one hand, having a webpage with keywords, especially your front page, will rank you higher in Google searches.
- On the other hand, SEO works best when it’s rooted in a strong brand. Strong brands have a genuine story and clear values that people can relate to. You build your brand through quality content, and that content is made more virtually accessible with SEO.
2. SEO Maximizes Your Google and Facebook Ad Spend
There’s nothing wrong with “paying for clicks” with online ads – it can be a key part of a winning marketing strategy.
However, this doesn’t replace organic growth through SEO. Contrary to common misconceptions, SEO doesn’t have to take years to work, if done well.
At the same time, if you are spending money, you want to make sure that you get the most out of it.
You can combine the two – you can use SEO in your already-existing ads to get more targeted leads.
Google Ads obviously work within Google’s algorithms and platform, which rely heavily on SEO. Using keywords strategically makes these ads even more likely to appear to searchers.
However, Facebook Ads also benefit from SEO. Facebook (Meta) looks at search keywords and other data from many third-party resources, including Google.
While Meta can’t directly see you’re Googling, it can see what websites you arrive at or come from.
This data on website visits is stored on Facebook as an interest. So, when you log into Facebook, the site tracks your interests and matches you to ads with similar keywords.
You can access Facebook interests and some of its high-volume keywords to use in your ads – schedule a call with us for more details on this type of strategy, as it can get a bit technical.
Regardless, it’s helpful to include keywords both in copy for Facebook ads and any other online outreach. Websites and social media are constantly evolving in their communication with each other, but always keep search data at the heart of their advertising.
3. Create SEO Content – Because Personable Personal Brands Sell Best
SEO works best in step with a strong brand – even if you get people to your page, they need to feel and believe in your winery to actually visit, buy, or taste.
And vice versa. You have to get clients to your website over a sea of other wineries competing for their digital attention – and the most consistent way to do this without spending constantly for ads is through SEO content.
The strongest brands have quality SEO to cut through the noise and help not just users, but actually interested potential clients find them online, which ultimately drives sales.
Otherwise, your site becomes either white noise, or worse – lost in results for unintended keywords, not helping those interested users to find you.
One of the best ways to level up your SEO game is to develop written content on your website or other online platforms, since content:
- Gives you a way to include targeted keyword strategy on your site
- Gives you a space to develop your brand’s unique voice
- Boosts your authority in Google’s eyes, ranking you higher in search results
- Helps you get discovered by interested users more often
One of the best ways to accomplish content-driven SEO results is with a blog.
Not just for the poets and recipe gurus of the world, blogs are a great place to post SEO content to grow your authority on Google.
Posting at least 2-4 times per month makes a significant difference in search engines’ eyes, since you consistently provide users with valuable information on their interests. Good SEO is the “bait,” content and branding the “hook!”
If you’d like help creating content, schedule a call with us to learn how we can help.
4. References for Your Resume, Link Building for Your Website
A good reference can help with a job interview because it instantly boosts your credibility.
If Google is the interviewer, link building is the good reference for your website.
Link building, made up of backlinks or link placements, happens when others link from their website back to yours, like in an article, post, or webpage:
Try this: ask 3 people in your community – other wineries, local restaurants, retailers – to have a link to your website somewhere on their own (A plus if they’re related somehow to your winery either by location, interest, or production).
The link can be in a Facebook post, recipe post, travel guide newsletter, Google Business profile post, or local travel guide.
Though simple, Google loves these link placements. They make your website instantly more credible in Google’s eyes, since link placements show you are trusted as a resource by other users – and you’ll be ranked higher in search results.
More importantly, you’ll be found by people through other sites that may have a related interest in you, at the click of a mouse.
Leveling up winery SEO through the unique interconnectivity of the wine industry is one of the favorite parts of our SEO strategy. Schedule a free discovery call to see how we can help you build up your link placements for success.
5. Write Product Descriptions Using Keywords
No doubt you know that great wine descriptions can entice potential buyers to finally make a purchase.
Make sure you’re getting the most out of your descriptions by incorporating those long-tail keywords we mentioned earlier! Even if a description is optimal, it won’t speak eloquently to anyone if it can’t be found online.
Your descriptions already live online – make them do more work for you as a digital beacon for potential buyers.
With SEO wine descriptions, it’s good to consider not just what Google recommends in the search bar, but using what customers will actually search for.
For example, if you’re a winery in Texas, use “Texas Aglianico” or “Texas Hill Country Aglianico” instead of just “Aglianico” in your blurb.
SEO for Wineries: Quick Start and Ongoing Strategy
We’ve given you some of our best tips for a tried-and-true SEO jumpstart. But SEO is more than just getting out fast out of the gate.
While you can make strategic changes immediately, results like increased ROI, sales, and conversions come organically and increase over time with consistent strategy work. And with quality SEO, you won’t wait years to see real results.
Whether you’re looking for explosive growth through an ad campaign or a steady DTC sales uptick on your website (or both), a dedicated SEO strategist can be the best option to take the burden of SEO strategy off of your plate – giving you more time to focus on your business.
Check out our more extensive SEO Playbook for Wineries for broader SEO strategy. Or, schedule a free traffic projection with us, where we’ll explore a custom SEO strategy plan to suit your winery’s unique goals.