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04-05-2006
Hotel Web Site Productivity - The New Way to Measure Your Site's
Effectiveness - By Neil Salerno
The
way I see it, search engines have become so convenient, user-friendly,
and accurate that online consumers are being converted into search
addicts. Search engines have become an essential part of the Internet.
I feel bad for many hotel web sites that are not yet search-friendly
and/or have not improved their site content to accommodate search
requirements.
The way I see it, many hoteliers still don't-get-it. While hotel sites
are getting more attractive, many simply ignore the basic requirements
to be a searchable and functional web site. Both the design of the
site and the text content make a huge contribution to the search
ability of the site. Search engine compatibility is not complicated
nor does it have to change the entire 'feel' of your web site. Many
times minor changes can make a huge difference.
It's obviously important to attract as many visitors as possible to
your site. Your site means nothing unless people can see it. But your
site's design has a great influence on how search engines spider and
rank your site; which will determine the number of visitors who will
see your site. That's right, folks, it's a 'Catch 22'; for those of
you to young to remember, that's a problem which revolves in a circle,
over and over again.
You
should no longer be satisfied with web masters who simply track the
number of visitors to your site. Site optimization includes the
ability of your site to convert 'lookers' to 'bookers'. Getting
visitors to see your site is only half the job; the easier half. How
many visitors are actually making a reservation? Productivity means
bookings.
I spoke to a professional the other day who was satisfied that the
only way to increase bookings was to attract more visitors. Well, how
about also optimizing the design of the site so that more of those
additional visitors will make a reservation?
Over time, many hotel web sites tend to become a collection of
disjointed, unrelated information due to the hotel's eagerness to
include as much information as possible, as if that would make a
difference. Sometimes less is more. Many others continually display
information which is out-dated, due to simple neglect. A web site is
not your hotel's online brochure; it's a continually evolving sales
tool.
For independent hotels, web site optimization is an absolute must.
Loyal franchise shoppers often overlook details on a franchise site
because they are familiar with the requirements of that brand. But,
only 20% to 25% of Internet searches are brand-specific. This leaves a
lot of 'opportunity' available to independent hotels. Your site's
ability to get ranked higher by search engines and its ability to
'sell' rooms, once visitors get there, is critical to the site's
productivity.
Don't kid yourself, if your site is not producing well, the solution
may not simply be fixed with search engine optimization (SEO). Getting
more visitors to view a non-functional site, fixes nothing. Creating
an effective sales tool involves a lot more than simply having pretty
pictures and listing facts about the facilities and amenities of your
hotel. Your site should be designed using sound hotel marketing
principles; that means that it has to be designed to sell. You've
heard it before; content is king. Many designers spend more time
composing photos and flash elements than developing text and links,
the most important part of your site.
Would you have your maintenance engineer write your hotel's marketing
plan? No more so than you would have your marketing director fix a
leaking sink. Why would you leave it to anyone other than a hotel
marketing professional to design your web site? I have a client who
had his new flashy site designed by a major web design company to the
tune of $6000. In six months the site produced reservations in the low
single digits each month. After content and navigation changes, it now
produces roughly thirty percent of all his reservations.
For independent hotels, it is also necessary to provide the 'instant
gratification' that only an online booking engine can provide. Most
hotel site visitors will not be satisfied with waiting for a fax or
email confirmation of their reservation. I simply cannot understand
why there are still so many hotel sites that don't have the ability to
accept an online 'real-time' reservation. Many booking engines are
seamless and easily affordable; the return on this minor investment is
huge.
Whoever has designed your site, make them accountable for reservation
production; unless, of course, your bank now accepts deposits of
unique users. According to Secure-Res, their average client site
converts 3.48% of all visitors; wouldn't it be common-sense that it
should be much higher? Can you imagine making reservations for only 4
out of every 100 people that call your hotel?
Contact:
Neil Salerno, CHME, CHA
Hotel Marketing Coach
www.hotelmarketingcoach.com
NeilS@hotelmarketingcoach.com
Hotel Marketing Coach specializes in Internet & eMarketing, training &
professional coaching for hotels around the World.
Source:
HotelNewsResource.com
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