Working with Wine & Spirits - SEO

[Airbutoh]

Hello All,

I'm looking for an SEO contractor/agency who can start the SEO process here and has worked with wine and spirtis, foodie sites, or luxury. I'm having trouble finding this experience ion SEO. We're looking for a company that is willing to be tranparent in methods and show us the process. If anyone has referrals or input, I would love to hear it.

We are considered a start-up in the wine-industry and cannot devote 20 hours a month on this myself. Please chime in on your perpsective, advice.

[Airbutoh]

Hello Adam,

Thank you for your input. Though I know tactics are the same across industries, I figured that having someone who has already done a keyword strategy multiple times with their head in the mind of a luxury buyer would be useful. I spoke to one company that had done minimal work for wine.com and thought it would be a very similar process, but in fact, wine.com is the opposite end of the spectrum. People searching on there are usually looking to get a deal, not our type of wine drinker. Our buyers are usually not looking for a cheaper deal but simply for access and an experience on site or in our tasting room.

Please feel free to add more information to my comments. I'm open to hearing opinions on this.

[AdamThompson]

1. If you're looking for an SEO to start the process and show you what to do, you'll need more than 20 hours per month to implement a serious SEO strategy.
2. I have worked with a couple food/wine/luxury type sites, but I think industry experience is less important than other factors. SEO tactics are mostly the same across industries, and the goal is to showcase your industry expertise, not the SEO company's. I'm not saying industry experience isn't helpful, but it's definitely not the most important thing you should look for in a company. Probably the most important thing you should look for is a SEO company that does SEO by delivering value to users, and aims to pursue the spirit, not just the letter of Google's guidelines.
3. My company, and many other good SEO companies, are happy to provide hourly consulting services. You just pay for as much or as little as you want.

I know this answer doesn't directly answer your question, but I hope it is helpful in some way!