Getting Found
how people find a venue, and why the site is only part of it
Nobody finds a venue by visiting its website. They find it on a directory, in a search result, on Instagram, or because someone who used it told them to.
The site is where a shortlist gets made or lost. It isn't where the shortlist starts.
Where bookings come from
| Channel | What it does |
|---|---|
| Wedding and event directories | Where couples and planners start |
| Google Business Profile and maps | Where "event space near me" ends up, and where reviews accumulate |
| Search | Where "portland wedding venue" and "event space for rent portland" go |
| Where venue photography circulates, mostly through the vendors who shot there | |
| Referral | Photographers, planners, caterers and past clients. The strongest channel and the slowest to build |
| MOWP's own audience | Donors, volunteers and partners already connected to the organization, most of whom book events somewhere |
What's a website job and what isn't
- Website: structure that search engines can read, a page per event type, structured data about the venue, page speed, and a form that converts.
- Not the website: the listings, the Google profile, the Instagram account, the vendor relationships, and asking clients for reviews.
Both need owners. The second list is ongoing work rather than a launch task.
Who owns marketing the space after launch — the marketing team, whoever runs the venue, or the agency? The listings and the review requests need a person.
MOWP's own audience is the head start
A new venue normally starts with no reputation. This one starts attached to an organization with a donor base, a volunteer base, corporate partners and press coverage, in a building that already has a capital campaign behind it.
The first bookings are likeliest to come from organizations already connected to MOWP. A direct announcement to that audience when bookings open is cheaper than any advertising, and it produces the events that generate the first photographs.