So where do you start when launching a winery website? The list is long and the process can often be intimidating. There’s new technology to navigate, creative considerations to agree on, messages to craft, not to mention a significant financial and resource investment.

Website technology is changing rapidly – it’s a media landscape that’s as vibrant as the audience that consumes the content. The role of your brand website has never been more important. It no longer performs the perfunctory duty of being an online brochure. Your website is now the core hub of your online activities and needs to be accessible from multiple devices.

You may have heard the buzz around “responsive website design” or RWD. This is a way of automatically adapting the way your website appears according to the device or screen on which it is viewed. So the content on a desktop screen looks different when viewed from a smartphone or a tablet – and this is all to improve the user experience.

 

Ready to start work on your new website? Before you embark on the journey, answer a few questions:

  • Have you identified the role of your website? Do you want to effectively communicate your brand story, sell more wine online or create a bigger database?
  • Have you written a brief? This can often help clarify the requirements upfront and manage the agency working on your project.
  • Are you driven to provide a compelling stream of content to motivate people to return to your site, or is it merely an online brochure with no reason to revisit?
  • Have you thought about the future needs of the site? Just like designing plans for a house, you may not be able to afford the entire renovation at the beginning, but if the foundations are set for future growth, you can build effectually and efficiently in the long term.
  • Do you have the facility to capture customer details in a secure way so you can target your marketing based on needs and purchasing behaviour?
  • Have you planned your website content based on every other winery – our story, our wines, our vineyards? Imagine how effective your site could be if it stood out from the crowd! Make it professional, but also make it unique and tell your own story.
  • How will the user experience look and function from a mobile device?
  • Have you thought about how you’ll integrate your social media content to help people talk about your brand and actively share?

Software solutions can make it easy

It’s worth exploring the specialised wine website solutions on the market – they provide great value and allow you to simplify the process so you can focus on your content, and connect with your customers in a way that is meaningful.

Platforms like Vin65, Black Boxx, eWinery Solutions, Qdos, eCellar Door provide a range of benefits that factor in the specific needs of the wine industry.

For inspiration, why not have a look at the websites Mastermind has helped launch on the Vin65 platform – Best’s Great Western  and Scarborough Wine Co. Don’t forget to visit these sites from a mobile device, too.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or confused about how to approach your website redesign, give us a call. The Mastermind team has extensive experience working with wine brands to re-launch their digital presence. We can help you navigate this space to make it easy and effective, in the short term and the long term.