Web design for wineries. The website, the marketing the sales.
Two of my favourite things! Web design and wine are put together in one neat package. Web design for wineries is a focused service I’m offering as I’m passionate about wine and simply enjoy helping Australian wineries succeed in their local and international markets.
I use best practice web design and digital marketing methodologies to differentiate your brand and create the outcomes you need as an Australian winery.
The rest of this post was written by my wife as she has A LOT of experience with wine.
When is web design for wineries not just a website? And why should wineries even have a web site?
Ahhhhhh, Covid. It’s changed a lot. Not least of which is an inability to travel and our increased reliance on alcohol, loungewear and zoom.
This brings me to point A. Cellar door visits are among my favourite things to do. I worked at a winery in Mudgee for 6 months, loved it and got very familiar with all the local drops. But, as they say, if the Mohamed can’t come to the Mountain, bring the Mountain to Mohamed!
I started looking online, to try and order in my favourites. I may not be able to visit them, but I wanted their wine more than I ever had…. 6 weeks of no daycare while trying to work, clean and entertain a 3 and 4 year old led to a sudden spike in my desire for a cheeky rosè!
But, most of the smaller cellar doors that I knew and loved had a minimal online presence – if they did have a website, shopping carts were either non-existent or very perfunctory. Few had PayPal or other payment methods. To solve my immediate problem, I just rang them. But it got me thinking….
Why do so few wineries, especially boutique operators in regional towns, have so little online presence? Especially when so many of their customers visit them once, then head back to their home town, never to be seen again?
Yet, I know from my own cellar door days, most of these customers leave with very fond memories of your wine, and it holds a special place in their heart – it’s not just a product, it’s memories from a beautiful weekend, a wedding, or family trip.
So why do we make it so hard for them to keep buying from us? Wine Club memberships are a common way to keep engaged with visitors, but not everyone joins up, especially not if there’s a requirement for a full case purchase or membership fee. But what if you have a beautiful, aspirational website that showcases your products and allows them to purchase anything from a single bottle of shiraz to enough cases of bubbles to satiate a greek wedding?
Then, you have a whole new market. Not just the people who can visit on holidays, not just your locals. But you’re keeping and engaging with past visitors and also anyone who stumbles across your page as they wander the web.
Those people are everywhere. And spending more time online than ever, as many people’s worlds shrank to their living room. This brings me to my next point – GOOGLE SEARCH, PEOPLE! GOOGLE RANKINGS!
Optimising a site for SEO cannot be overstated.
LINKING BACK TO WHEN PEOPLE CAN VISIT _ WHAT’S THE FIRST THING WE DO WHEN PLANNING A TRIP? LOOK AT THE REVIEWS!!!! SO, get people buying online but also set yourself up to be easily found when borders and travelling re-opens.
Improve online ratings as part of your web design for wineries strategy
Online ratings and reviews are a HUGE part of your online presence. A functioning website is no longer enough. If you don’t have a 4 or 5-star average rating it will have horrible consequences for your winery.
You need to provide an experience that people want to share and encourage them to do so.
Google business listings and Facebook business pages both give winery customers the ability to rate, review and share to their network.
Modern best practice web design for wineries needs to factor online reputation into your digtal strategy.
Boost your winery web design Google rankings and local business listing
What use is amazing web design for wineries if those websites can’t be found on Google? You need to have current and relevant content that tells your brand story, speaks to your differences and promotes your location(s).
You’re competing with other wineries, event venues, and online wine stores for a sort after top three position or local listing.
Enable e-commerce online purchasing for your winery web design
Your wine club and customer database are more important than ever now winery visits have slowed or stopped due to covid. You need to offer a product that people can purchase online through an e-commerce store.
Winery product marketing is your differentiator for web design for wineries.
Your brand story is part of your value proposition. Your brand can make or break a successful winery.
Telling your unique story as well as promoting your products is just as important for bringing customers to your site.
Web design for wineries needs to help you craft a compelling story to compliment your wine. You are selling an experience more than just wine. Your website should reflect this.
Web design for wineries conclusion
For more stories and examples of great digital strategies and web design for wineries visit this article on Wine Business Magazine.