Unlimited Web Potential for Limited Budgets

Do you ever wonder about the state of your Website’s performance?  Maybe it’s performing great and driving reservations, but has room for slight improvement.  Or maybe it’s lagging behind and producing a fraction of the bookings it could.  If you’re not 100% sure what to expect from your site, here are some indicators that it’s underperforming:

• Less than 3% of site visitors turn into bookers


• It’s outdated – more than three years old with little changes


• It’s all about your property, with nothing about local attractions and events


• It has weak titles, descriptions and tags, which make for poor search engine optimization (SEO)


• The copy is unprofessional and not written with travel shoppers in mind


• The design doesn’t use professional photos


• The design isn’t easy on the eyes, i.e. copy is too small, photos overlap, etc.


• It doesn’t rank on the first two pages of Google searches for any of your focused key phrases


• It’s only linked to from your franchise/corporate company site – and you think that’s OK?

Due to the ever-changing nature of the Internet, most hoteliers are frustrated when it comes to managing their Website and marketing.  This means that they often outsource this area.  With so many self-proclaimed “Web designers” and “SEO experts” out there, it’s critical that you shop around and do your homework.  Using an established, experienced hotel Internet marketing company is always your best bet.  Be sure they can show you samples of their work and grasp exactly what you expect from them.

With so many scheduling demands, you won’t ever have enough time, money, staff or resources to do everything.  However, you are able to set goals and priorities to make dramatic improvements to your property’s site.  The number one priority should be SEO, because if you’re site isn’t showing up in the search engines, it’s definitely not producing bookings.  To begin, set up a modest Internet marketing budget that focuses on SEO and pay-per-click (PPC) ads, with e-mail marketing and social media in the future.  Simply having a Website doesn’t work anymore.  A site is rendered completely ineffective if it doesn’t have strong search marketing.

Before you throw dollars at a comprehensive search marketing program, give your site a long, objective critique.  Make sure the site’s design is up to par with professional photos, simple navigation and a fresh overall look.  Ask colleagues to critique the design, making sure it appeals to them.  Next, take a look at the copy.  Is it professionally written?  Does it highlight amenities and local attractions?  If your site has any of the red flag indicators that were previously mentioned, it may need a design and copy overhaul before marketing.  A properly designed site, not necessarily a brand new design, must be the foundation to build your property’s online marketing plan.

Once your Website design and content is top notch, approach the so called “SEO experts” with caution.  While there are many serious gurus and hotel Internet marketing companies that truly know the business, there are also plenty of wannabes who boast crazy claims.  Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  With your online marketing budget as the lead, carefully choose an Internet marketing company.  Do your homework to find a team that will join forces with you and commit to achieving online sales results.  Make sure the company you choose builds a solid relationship, learning about your property, local demand generators, keywords and phrases that have the most value to your business.  SEO is an ongoing, long-term process, so your relationship with an Internet marketing company should be ongoing too.

As far as PPC, if creating a Google AdWords account with keywords and an ad, and constantly monitoring a campaign and budget is too intimidating or time consuming for your staff, consider hiring Internet marketing professionals to cover it for you.  If you hire a full-service company, they can handle both the SEO and PPC, along with helping you update and refresh your site.  With PPC, expect quicker ROI.  PPC campaigns should especially be used to highlight any local events in your area.

Think of your property’s site broken down into two broad components – design and marketing.  Design consists of a modern layout, navigation and photos, while marketing consists of how you drive visitors to your site with copy, SEO and PPC.  The design should be finalized first, and refreshed with new copy and photos regularly.  The marketing of your site should begin immediately after the design is approved.  Both components are equally as vital.  Your property won’t appeal to travel shoppers if the site design doesn’t sell it, and a beautiful site will not generate reservations if it’s not showing up in the search engines.  And even with a limited budget, you can have an appealing site that actually generates revenue.