Name of your website?Marry Me Maui
Your name?
Joe D'Alessandro
Your Location (city, etc)
Maui
Please give us a short summary of your website?
We offer full-service wedding planning and coordination on the island of Maui. We have packages that range from simple (two people and an officiant on the beach) to very elaborate.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
I am a photographer with 20+ years experience. When I decided to move back to Maui, I primarily made my living shooting weddings. I found that I really liked doing it and meeting people from all over the world. My wife and I then decided to launch our own wedding planning and coordination company. Based on the success of my first site, we knew we would need and want a site for this venture.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
I launched my first website www.joedalessandro.com about five years ago to showcase my photography and generate leads for wedding photography and family portraiture for people visiting the island. I now have three sites, one for photography, one for wedding planning and one for commercial photography- www.mauicommercialphotographers.com
How did you decide on a name for your website?
We bought an existing wedding planning business called Marry Me Maui. Their website was awful, so we had it redesigned.
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
I think it's beautiful and really showcases the fun that people have at the weddings that we plan. It also clearly describes our packages and services with prices and everything. I think people like that there is full disclosure right up front. It's none of this 'call us and we'll see how much money you have and then quote you a price' stuff.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
Our website is the cornerstone of our business. Many people who marry on maui do not live here. I would say that the principle way that people plan a destination wedding is by searching online. Without our site, we wouldn't have a business. Our goal is to work at this for as long as we find it enjoyable and exciting, and keep working on the site to make it the best it can be, and the best ranked it can be on search engines.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
We spend a lot of time strategizing our services based on what people say they want and need. We are constantly changing and tweaking our services and prices based on what the market will bear. We spend a lot of time on the site as well- link building, networking and trying to get our name out there. I know that we would not have had nearly the success that we have enjoyed if it weren't for diligence, and a really great SEO company (who also happen to be great friends of ours). Our SEO company spend hours each month researching new ways to promote us. It's really great to have all those eyes on what we are doing and trying to do.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I don't think I would change much. I would like to have a budget to implement some of the online marketing recommendations that have been presented to us. It would be nice to have a central place through the site where our clients can communicate with us about details of their wedding. Our web company already has something like that built, we would just need to find the $$ to implement it. I would also like to do some pay-per-click as I've been told that having a natural listing and a paid listing on the same page boosts your chances of getting clicked on.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Ours is just not that kind of market, but even if we doubled the size of our business, I think we could handle it. We have a great team of people.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
None really. Like I said, our web firm is very experienced and professional, and they also happen to be good friends, so if there is ever an issue, we can always speak frankly.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Getting the business going. Maui is the number one place for destination weddings. We have a lot of competition. We were new. We had to build up a reputation in a business that is not necessarily based on referral, but testimonials. Now that we have tons of satisfied clients whom we showcase on our sites, it's been easier to gain trust and get the business.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Having a professional SEO company who have been doing SEO since before Google certainly helps. They say, and I agree that it's the monthly link building.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
I guess I didn't realize how imperative all my sites were going to be to my businesses. I have to pay attention to them, keep them fresh and nurture them-like a baby.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
This particular site has been up for about two years. We went from "0" to having decent and even great rankings on almost all keyword phrases relating to weddings on maui. Because we are working on it monthly, and will continue to do so, I see no where to go but up. Our traffic, income and popularity has already exceeded our expectations. There have been times here and there when I have been very busy running my business and haven't had a whole lot of time to deal with the site. I think it's imperative for businesses to hire good web people and have an extra set of eyes on things, and to be working diligently and constantly to strive for those rankings. Of course, it also helps that your services deliver on all of your promises, which I know ours does.
Who is your web company?
That would be Pearsonkramer, Internet Business Specialists. www.pearsonkramer.com. Their marketing arm is called Trafficdeveloper www.trafficdeveloper.com They are based in Santa Fe, New Mexico and have been doing SEO and web work since 1996. They do great web design and have a ton of innovative ideas about how to market websites. They do it all and I would highly recommend them.
What is your website address?
Marry Me Maui
