The Vow Factor How one dotcom survives--and thrives--in the ultracompetitive wedding market

Beth Drucker, 46, and her husband, Lou, 49, have found eternalwedded bliss-not only as husband and wife, but also asfounders of a tremendously successful Web site,NewYorkMetroWeddings.com. Back in 1996, after the couple launchedthe wedding supplier referral service with just $3,000, the sitebecame an instant hit. Today, with front page listings on everymajor U.S. search engine, their site averages almost 300,000visitors per month. We asked Beth what it takes to make it in thecompetitive dotcom world.

Many wedding-related Web sites fail. How have you kept yoursgoing for five years?
Because of my [design and illustration] background, I was able todesign something with a sophisticated New York look, rather thanthe pink hearts and flowers of other wedding sites. I spend about50 hours per week working on the site-that includesinterviewing vendors and experts to get site content. We also sendout e-mail newsletters to remind people we're here.

But most important is search-engine placement. We did a lot ofresearch on each engine and asked around about who was good atcustomizing submission forms. The easy route so many dotcomstake-paying a service a flat fee to submitforms-doesn't work well. You end up as No. 632 whenpeople call up a keyword. If you do it right, you'll get areputation for results, which will attract vendors.

So your site is making a profit?
We started turning one last year. About 50 percent of sales go topromo and 30 percent to freelancers. Too many dotcoms spend toomuch money trying to grow fast and fizzle out quickly. Slow andsteady wins the race if you're committed and willing tosacrifice free time in the short term.

How did you get the idea for the site?
Lou is a band leader and has been playing at weddings for 20 years.After spending 10 years doing art for ad firms, I took some timeoff to rear our children and started learning computer skills andgoing online.

We had been frustrated by the lack of results from print ads for[Lou's music services], and I saw these fun [banner] ads withvideo clips and sound on Web sites. We started thinking about howdynamic ads could produce a better response for the music businessand [wondered] what subject would draw lots of visitors to a Website. Putting together weddings is complicated, and too many peoplewant to get married in New York without knowing which vendors aregood. We decided we could be their guide and profit on advertising,while getting a new audience for Lou's music.