Winery SEO Checklist: 5 Must-Do Steps to Rank on Google
Every day, thousands of people search for "wineries near me," "best Pinot Noir under $50," and "wine tasting rooms [your region]." If your winery doesn't appear in those results, you're invisible to them. Not because your wine isn't good enough. Because your website isn't speaking Google's language.
Organic search drives 53% of all website traffic. That makes it the most important channel for reaching new customers. Yet most wineries treat SEO as a technical mystery rather than what it actually is: a systematic way to show up when people are actively looking for what you sell.
This checklist cuts through the noise. Five actions. Clear outcomes. No jargon.
What Marriott Knows That Your Winery Doesn't
Marriott Hotels doesn't wait for travelers to discover them. They've engineered their websites to appear for every variation of "hotels in [city]," "best hotels near [landmark]," and "[event] accommodations." The result? Direct digital bookings through their owned channels grew 27% year-over-year (Marriott International 2023 Annual Report), outpacing every other acquisition channel.
They understand something fundamental: being present when someone is actively searching is worth more than any brand campaign. The search intent is already there. The customer wants what you have. Your job is to be findable at that exact moment.
Wineries face identical behavior. People search for "wine tasting Sonoma," "Cabernet Sauvignon gifts," "wineries that ship to Texas." The question isn't whether the searches exist. It's whether your website shows up with answers. Most don't, which is why your website might be costing you sales right now.
Step 1: Conduct a Winery-Specific Keyword Audit
Stop guessing what people search for. Find out.
Keyword research answers one question: What are potential customers actually typing into Google? Not what sounds sophisticated. Not what you wish they'd search for. What they actually search for.
Three keyword categories matter:
Brand keywords: "[Your Winery] hours," "[Your Winery] wine club," "[Your Winery] reservations"
Product keywords: "Napa Cabernet Sauvignon," "Pinot Noir gifts," "organic rosé"
Experience keywords: "wine tasting near me," "best wineries for beginners," "wine pairing guide"
Use Google Keyword Planner (free with a Google Ads account) to identify 20-30 keywords per category with at least 50 monthly searches. Then prioritize by relevance to your actual business.
Action Steps:
Create a spreadsheet with three tabs: brand, product, experience
Use Keyword Planner to find search volumes for terms relevant to your winery
Identify your top 5 keywords where you should rank but don't
Note the search intent for each (information, product, booking)
Expected outcome: A clear roadmap showing exactly which terms drive valuable traffic and where your biggest opportunities exist.
Step 2: Optimize Your Homepage and Product Pages for Search Intent
Your homepage needs to answer the question: What do you do, where are you, and why should I care? Most winery homepages fail at this basic test.
Homepage essentials:
Title tag: "[Winery Name] | [Specialty] | [Location]"
Meta description: 150-character pitch with clear CTA
Location signals throughout content (city, AVA, region)
LocalBusiness schema markup
Product pages need to work like e-commerce:
Amazon doesn't show you a product with three adjectives and a price. They provide comprehensive information because detailed pages convert. Your wine pages need:
Specific tasting notes (not "cherry and oak"—actual descriptors)
Exact food pairings ("grilled ribeye with chimichurri" beats "red meat")
Vintage information and harvest conditions
Technical details (ABV, aging, residual sugar)
Product schema markup with price, availability, ratings
Action Steps:
Rewrite homepage title and meta description with location and specialty
Expand your top 5 wine pages with complete product information
Add product schema markup to all wine pages
Include high-quality photos showing wine in context
Expected outcome: Within 30-60 days, improved rankings for brand searches and 20-40% traffic increase to product pages.
Step 3: Add Local SEO Elements for Tasting Room Discovery
If you have a tasting room, 21% of consumers use search engines to find local businesses near them every day (Digital Silk, June 2025). When someone searches "wineries near me" while driving through your region, you need to own that map result.
Google Business Profile is non-negotiable:
Claim your profile at business.google.com
Choose "Winery" as your specific category
Fill every field completely (hours, phone, website, attributes)
Upload 10+ high-quality photos (exterior, interior, products, team)
Post updates about events and releases
Respond to every review within 48 hours
Build reviews into your process:
Don't beg. Systematize. If you use Commerce7 or WineDirect, set up automated post-visit emails requesting Google reviews. Include a direct link to your review page. Train tasting room staff to mention it: "If you enjoyed your visit, we'd be honored if you'd share your experience on Google."
Your tasting page needs:
Embedded Google Map
Complete address with LocalBusiness schema
Detailed directions from major landmarks
Parking and accessibility information
Action Steps:
Optimize Google Business Profile with complete info and 10+ photos
Set up automated review requests through your CRM
Add LocalBusiness schema to your website
Embed map on tasting room page
Expected outcome: Within 30 days, appear in "near me" searches. Within 60 days, a measurable increase in walk-in traffic from Google Maps.
Step 4: Create SEO-Driven Blog Content That Actually Ranks
Most winery blogs announce releases to people already on the email list. They generate zero new traffic because they answer questions nobody's asking.
SEO blog content has one job: answer high-intent questions your potential customers are actively searching for, establishing your authority and driving them toward purchase decisions.
Focus on proven search demand:
"Best Wines for Thanksgiving Dinner" (seasonal, high volume)
"What to Pair with Cabernet Sauvignon" (evergreen, commercial intent)
"How to Ship Wine Gifts Legally in [State]" (solves real problems)
"Wine Tasting Etiquette for Beginners" (removes barriers to visiting)
Notice the pattern: these answer actual questions and create natural paths to your products.
Blog structure that ranks:
H1 with primary keyword
Answer the question in first 200 words
H2 sections for each major point
2-4 internal links to products and other posts
Article schema markup
Unlike social posts that die in 24 hours, well-optimized blog content generates traffic for years. A single post about "Pinot Noir food pairings" can drive hundreds of monthly visitors indefinitely if it ranks well. As we discussed in millennial-focused wine marketing, younger consumers want education without pretension. Give it to them.
Action Steps:
Identify 10 high-intent questions from your keyword research
Publish one comprehensive post (1,200-1,500 words) per month
Add article schema to all posts
Review Google Search Console after 90 days to identify traction
Expected outcome: Each post generating 50-200+ monthly visits within 6 months. Overall blog traffic increasing 30-50% quarter-over-quarter.
Step 5: Leverage Schema Markup (The Secret Weapon)
Schema markup is code that tells search engines exactly what your content means, also playing a role in the emerging field of AI search. Without it, Google guesses. With it, you control how your information appears in search results.
The proof: 72.6% of first-page results use schema. Your competitors ranking above you are likely using it.
Four schema types wineries need:
Product Schema: Includes price, availability, ratings. Your wines appear in Google Shopping with stars and stock status.
FAQ Schema: Displays answers directly in search results. "Do you require reservations?" "Can I bring my dog?" "Do you ship to [state]?"
LocalBusiness Schema: Connects all business information for rich results, knowledge panels, maps.
Event Schema: Your wine dinners and release parties appear in Google's event search with dates, prices, booking links.
The real benefits:
36.6% of searches show featured snippets derived from schema (Target Internet)
Users click rich results 58% of the time vs. 41% for standard results (Sixth City Marketing, August 2025)
Better visibility in AI Overviews and AI search results
Action Steps:
Install Rank Math or Schema Pro plugin (WordPress) or ask your developer for JSON-LD implementation
Add Product schema to top 10 wines, then expand
Create FAQ section with 8-10 questions, add FAQ schema
Add LocalBusiness schema to homepage and contact page
Mark up all events with Event schema
Test everything with Google's Rich Results Test tool
Expected outcome: Within 30-60 days, rich results appearing for your queries. Within 90 days, 10-20% CTR improvement on schema-enabled pages.
Stop Waiting. Start Ranking.
Every day without proper SEO is a day your competitors capture customers who should be yours. Unlike paid ads that stop working when you stop paying, SEO compounds. Your website generates more traffic in year two than year one, and even more in year three.
The wineries treating SEO as strategic priority will capture disproportionate share of DTC sales. The barrier isn't complexity. It's the discipline to do work that doesn't generate instant gratification but builds exponentially over time.
These five steps work. Implement them methodically. Measure quarterly, not weekly. Show up where your customers are searching.
Ready to turn search traffic into revenue? Highway 29 Creative helps wineries implement comprehensive SEO strategies that drive measurable DTC growth. From technical optimization to content creation to ongoing monitoring, we handle the details so you can focus on making exceptional wine. Contact us for a personalized SEO audit.
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