How many fields should an inquiry form have?

Few enough to finish on a phone, and enough to give a first answer. For most venues that means name, email, event type, date and guest count, with a free-text box for anything else. Add a field only if you will use the answer in your first reply.

Should I publish my prices on my website?

It is a business choice. A starting price or a minimum spend saves time for both sides, and planners tend to move on from venues that show nothing. If you do not publish, say what drives the price and invite the question.

Do I need an online booking calendar?

Not necessarily. A way to check whether a date is free helps, and that can be a form that asks for the date and replies quickly. A live calendar is only worth it if you keep it accurate.

Does my website need to work on a phone?

Yes. Many people look at venues on their phone, and Google uses the mobile version of a site for indexing and ranking. Test your inquiry form on a phone before anything else.

How to get more event inquiries from your venue website

You get more event inquiries by making it easy for a planner to ask. That means a clear inquiry button on the homepage, a short form that asks for the event date, guest count and event type, a starting price or minimum spend, spaces with capacities, photos of events like theirs, and a Google listing that matches your website. Fix the form and the button first, because they stand between a visitor and you.

What do planners look for on a venue website?

Planners look for answers to two questions: can I book an event here, and does this place look like it hosts events like mine? They usually send the same request to several venues, so the website that answers fastest, and in the fewest clicks, tends to get the reply.

The free Venue check is built around these two questions. It looks at your public website and your Google listing the way an event planner would, and reports in five areas:

Inquiry and booking. Can clients book an event easily?
Price and terms. Do you show your prices and terms?
Spaces and food. Can a planner picture their event there?
Event types and proof. Does it look like you host events like theirs?
Google and website. How do you show up on Google and on a phone?

The sections below follow that order.

How do I make the inquiry easy?

Put an inquiry button where the visitor is already looking, and keep the form short. Four things matter most:

A real inquiry form. A form gets the request to you in one step. An email address makes the planner write the request from scratch.
A clear call to action on the homepage. "Inquire" or "Check availability" is the next step. "Contact" is vaguer.
The right fields. Ask for the event date, guest count and event type. Without them, your first reply is a round of questions instead of an answer. The guide to replying to inquiries shows what to do with them once they arrive.
A way to check dates and book a tour. A "check dates" option keeps visitors on your site while they find out whether their date is free, and an easy tour booking turns interest into a visit.

Also put a phone number and an address on the site. Some planners would rather call, and everyone needs to know where you are before putting you on a shortlist.

Should I show prices and terms?

Showing a starting price, a rental fee or a minimum spend, and your deposit and cancellation terms, tends to bring better-matched inquiries. Planners need to know how much it costs to hold a date and when the rest is due before they can get a booking approved. A venue that shows nothing leaves them guessing, and many will not ask.

You do not have to publish a full price list. A starting price with what it includes, or one or two named packages, is enough to answer the first question. If your pricing is complicated, say what drives it. The rate card guide and the deposits and payment schedules guide cover how to decide the numbers, and the cancellation policy guide covers the terms.

How do I help a planner picture their event?

Show each space by name, with its seated and standing capacity, and say what is included. Planners shortlist by headcount, so if they cannot see which of your spaces fits their group, many move on without asking. Add the practical details that decide a booking: indoor and outdoor options, parking and access, the catering arrangement, sample menus and bar service.

If you are not sure of your capacities, the capacity guide explains how to work them out. A floor plan or a layout photo helps a planner place their own event in the room.

How do I show I host events like theirs?

Show the event types you host, with a page or section for each, and photos from real events. A wedding planner wants wedding details, such as the ceremony options and the timeline. A corporate planner wants meeting details, such as the AV and the end time. List your end time and your vendor policy, since both come up in nearly every inquiry.

Reviews and testimonials help, but only real ones, used with permission. Do not write testimonials for customers you do not have, and do not copy another venue's. Photos should be your own, from your own events.

A smartphone resting on a hallway table with an inviting event space visible beyond

How do I show up on Google and on a phone?

Make your Google listing and your website say the same thing, and make the site work on a phone. Google Business Profile lets you share your business's website with customers on your profile,¹ so check that the link is there and points to a page that makes sense for an inquirer. Keep the hours, photos and category accurate, and reply to reviews.

Google says it uses the mobile version of a site's content, crawled with the smartphone agent, for indexing and ranking.² So the phone version is the version that counts. Check that it loads quickly, that the text is readable and that the inquiry form works with a thumb.

How do I find what to fix first?

Check your site as a planner would, then fix the biggest gap first. The Venue check does this for you: search for your venue on the Venue check page, and it reads your public website and your Google listing, and runs Google's PageSpeed test on your site. It reports where you stand in each of the five areas and shows the fixes to make first. It looks only at public pages. It does not log in to anything, and it does not need access to your website. You may be asked for your email to unlock the full report. [REVIEW]

The check tells you what it can see on your public pages. It cannot tell you how many inquiries you will get, and it makes no promise about your ranking. Use it as a to-do list, then make the changes yourself. VenueDirector is in early access, and you can join the list on the home page. [REVIEW]

Google Business Profile Help, "Edit your Business Profile", https://support.google.com/business/answer/3039617. States that you can share your business's website with customers on your Business Profile. ↩
Google Search Central, "Mobile site and mobile-first indexing best practices", https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/mobile/mobile-sites-mobile-first-indexing. States: "Google uses the mobile version of a site's content, crawled with the smartphone agent, for indexing and ranking." ↩