Everyone is being more careful about how they spend their money these days, and travel is no exception. Even those with higher discretionary income are feeling the pinch. Here are some tips from Synergy Point, an award-winning travel/tourism web design firm, to make it easier for visitors to find you and keep them coming back:
1) Lodging, Meals and Events. First the obvious: Visitors to your site will want to see what accommodations, restaurants, and attractions are available in their area. But, you also need to get them to your website first and that’s where keywords and a description are important. For example, to promote Chimney Rock Park, your description includes “a 1,000-acre scenic attraction” and “North Carolina,” “mountains,” “hiking” with keywords like “Western North Carolina,” “Chimney Rock,” and even the “rhododendrons”, which are especially colorful in spring. Both the description and the keywords are essential for the ranking of the site.
2) E-Newsletter – You want to keep visitors up to date with what’s going on and that includes special offers and promotions. Remember, even if they choose a different destination this round, you are reminding them of all the wonderful reasons why it should be on your list for next time.
3) E-Commerce: If you’re a hotel, real estate/vacation rental agency, or room that recommends “places to stay,” it’s a good idea to have a way for visitors to make reservations or purchases, or check out the package details. , without leaving the site. At the very least, use a popup window to make navigating back to the original site or home page simple.
4) A good content management system – Managing all your content, especially if you’re working with a camera or large group, can be overwhelming. Melinda Massey Young, Director of Tourism for Polk County, North Carolina, uses Synergy Point SiteManager(TM), a turbocharged content management system built specifically for tourism and travel. Polk County’s website, “First Peak of the Blue Ridge,” recently won Synergy Point for the sixth consecutive award from a regional public relations association.
The reasons Young cited for using the system, so that visitors return and content is up to date, is the “ease of use” of the system. Synergy Point SiteManager(TM) is far ahead of CMS, providing seamless integration of news, events, images, videos and points of interest and maps. It even helps with email marketing and leads. In addition, the system offers advanced database-driven technology and custom class components at standard prices, all WYSIYG compliant. And finally:
5) Maps. There was a time when you could pull up at the gas station, and while some guy came out and filled up your tank and cleaned your windshield, you could walk in and get a free map with great and useful information. Well, that era may be over, but now there are simple solutions to get interactive maps on your website. Make it easy for your visitors to find everything your area has to offer and they’ll keep coming back to their destination, and to your website, for more.
