This is the Transcript of the #WeddingMarket Chat on May 4th with Anne Chertoff. The answers were made on Twitter so responses will appear different.

Anne Chertoff

For the past 15 years Anne has worked as a wedding editor, covering planning, etiquette and style advice for Martha Stewart Weddings, BRIDES, Aol’s aisledash and iVillage Weddings. Since 2011, she has been a Contributing Wedding Editor for both media outlets and branded content sites, including Huffington Post Weddings, Yahoo, WeddingWire, EquallyWed, Four Seasons Weddings, and Vera Wang. In February 2015 Anne launched TwirlWeddings.com, a wedding planning and style website and digital magazine targeting New York tri-state area couples.

In addition to her editorial work, Anne is also a marketing and communications specialist for the wedding industry. Her boutique agency, Anne Chertoff Media, offers bridal and bridal-related businesses a range of services including content creation, digital and social media strategy, media relations, and strategic partnerships. Her wedding industry expertise, wedding planning, and style advice have been featured in The New York Times, FOX News, Glamour.com, InStyle Weddings, WEtv, OK! magazine, and hundreds of other outlets around the world.
See more of Anne Chertoff at www.annechertoff.com

Q1: How did you get involved with the wedding industry?

Anne Chertoff: In a nutshell because I was dating a guy I would marry and I was reading wedding mags and got an internship at Modern Bride.

Q2: What are the biggest problem areas with most wedding industry sites?

Anne Chertoff: Their website isn’t optimized for mobile and that makes it harder for brides and grooms to browse their site. Most website traffic is mobile today so make sure your website can be easily read and navigated on a phone.

Q3: What type of content must be present in a wedding industry Website?

Anne Chertoff: The most important info is your contact info so people can email/call you. You also should have an easy to use gallery of work

Q4: How to get good feedback about your Website?

Anne Chertoff: Ask people: Have colleagues go on your site from a computer + phone & tell you what issues they had using it.

Q5: What is SEO?

Anne Chertoff: SEO is search engine optimization, which is basically the keywords people may use in a Google search.

Q6: Why is SEO important?

Anne Chertoff: You want to use those words/phrases in your site copy and metadata so Google search can find you. You don’t want to just repeat the same words, like “wedding planner” over and over again. Google is smarter than that. The words need to be used in context. If you are struggling to understand this, you may find a Cumbria SEO consultant nearby who can assist you further.

Q7: What and where should keywords be placed into your Website?

Anne Chertoff: Keywords/phrases should be used in the copy of your site, such as your about and services pages. You should also save images that you upload with those searchable words and phrases.

Q8: What should your strategy be to get on top of the search engines?

Anne Chertoff: You can find sites like Demotix that can give you some of the best SEO tips and strategies to use but in short, a blog can be a good way to boost your organic search listing because it shows Google that you’re updating the site regularly. But make sure that the copy is at least 250 words long and uses the right keywords and phrases in context. It can be worth hiring the best digital marketing agency that you can afford if you’re not SEO savvy, but want to see results.

Q9: Is it important for your Website link be on other Websites or directories?

Anne Chertoff: Yes! Link out to related sites and encourage people to link back to you. A good way to do this is via real wedding coverage. Many people will mention and link to the vendors involved. Press links are good to, so link to press coverage you’ve received too. It is also worth checking out something like an internal linking guide as internal links can be just as important as external links when it comes to boosting your SEO.

Q10: What makes a Website mobile friendly?

Anne Chertoff: You need to have an easy to use menu so people can find what they’re looking for. You want the copy to be easy to read and not too cluttered and make sure links are easy to click.

Q11: How often should you create content on your blog?

Anne Chertoff: Have a schedule of content that posts 2-3x a week for both Google search and users will know that you’re updating regularly and then they’ll be sure to come back for your updates!
Q12: How should pictures and video be included your Website?

Anne Chertoff: Brides are very visual so have as many photos as you can on relevant pages and in galleries. A portfolio or slideshow of your work can be the best way to show off your work to future clients. Videos, such as time-lapse films, can also help clients see and understand your work. YouTube is one of the top search engines so be sure to use appropriate keywords in the title and description too.

Q13: What would you like everyone to take away from this #WeddingMarket Chat?

Anne Chertoff: Don’t be afraid of technology. Learn how to use it by reading about it or watching videos on it and embrace it. Those who don’t could lose business b/c their site wasn’t easy to read or someone couldn’t find your phone number.

Questions From #WeddingMarket Audience

@Beauweddingapp Where do you see wedding websites going in the near future?

Anne Chertoff: Websites should be clean and uncluttered. Large visuals are important plus easy to follow navigation. But most important think about how your site looks on a phone because more and more web traffic is coming from phones.

@Sothisislov SEO ‘organically’ is tough for #weddingbloggers What advice can you give for a small fish In a big pond ?

Anne Chertoff: Focus on your goals plus market and don’t worry about “beating” the big guys. Optimize your site for copy and images.

@FlowerGirlWorld I’m an author. Is there a way to use the Amazon links for my books to help my SEO?

Anne Chertoff: Links back are important. Make sure to link to the book on Amazon many times when you mention your book title.

@TaylorWed What are brides saying they’s really like to see from us on our sites?

Anne Chertoff: Beautiful photos! Show off your work in an easy to use gallery or blog format so brides can see what you do.

@FrillsBridal How often do you recommend blogging to really optimize SEO?

Anne Chertoff: 2-3x a week because you also want brides to see that you’re updating regularly so they should keep coming back. It’s NEVER to late to optimize your site. What is your site in?

@FrillsBridal WordPress

Anne Chertoff: Add the free Yoast plugin to your site and it will help you optimize the metadata for search.

@TaylorWed But if your blog is separate from your site this won’t work – or will it?

Anne Chertoff: Even if you have two sites they should be linked via navigation and in your blog post back to your site or you should try to port the blog into the site. This can work with wordpress or even squarespace.

“@Beauweddingapp What role do see Facebook playing in the wedding blogging space?

Anne Chertoff: Facebook is a good place for people to see your content and link to you. Unlike Instagram which won’t link to you. The problem is that people get upset because they don’t see as many likes and comments and it psychs them out. REMEMBER, you as a vendor are NOT a wedding media company and your market is much smaller. Focus on your area and think about your numbers in comparison to who your market is. Don’t not Facebook your content. Facebook can be a good traffic driver.

@Lindsaymann What are some of your favorite wedding websites?

Anne Chertoff: @jacinfitzgerald has a good site that’s easy to navigate on mobile and desktop. Menu at top and big photos.

@Beauweddingapp Do you feel real wedding coverage works best on platforms like Instagram?

Anne Chertoff: I think RW coverage is good EVERYWHERE because it’s clickable and likable.

@TaylorWed What are brides saying they DON’T want to see on our sites?

Anne Chertoff: I don’t think there’s something they don’t want to see I think it’s more about making it easy to see your work and easy to connect via your social channels and email and phone.

@TaylorWed For me – I hate pop ups. What’s your opinion? Do any other wedding pros have pop ups?

Anne Chertoff: A pop-up done once to capture an email for a newsletter isn’t a bad idea, as long as it’s limited to first visit.

@FlowerGirlWorld Are ads the only way to get post views on FB biz pages?

Anne Chertoff: Ad buys on FB can help get views to your post as long as you are targeting the right eyeballs.

@LaughStaff how much does back-linking actually affect SEO?

Anne Chertoff: It helps a lot because search algorithms think you’re more relevant the more links to relevant content there are.

@LaughStaff Is guest-blogging still an effective tactic?

Anne Chertoff: Yes if you can partner with someone who has a good audience that would want to engage with you and them.

@FlowerGirlWorld Also, I find that my graphic images on Facebook get less views than photos – true?

Anne Chertoff: Sometimes some things work better than others, but generally emotional images do well on Facebook. Sayings in graphics do well on Instagram and Pinterest.