Being present online is not only essential to growing direct bookings but can also serve as an integral way of doing so. There are a variety of methods you can take to build this presence online – one being creating a hotel blog.
An effective website that is regularly updated should be top priority, including activities, packages and events information.
1. Optimize for Mobile
As hoteliers know, having a mobile-optimized website is crucial to promoting direct bookings and increasing visitor time spent on your site. Unfortunately, many hoteliers struggle to come up with innovative and creative ways of increasing online visibility without breaking the bank.
There are various tried and true strategies and tactics available that can boost your hotel’s digital presence on a tight budget and quickly. Let’s take a look at some!
Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly
Global events, like COVID-19 pandemic, can have an immediate effect on hotel marketing strategies and the relevant digital presence and relevancy. In response to such fluctuations in external environments, hotels must remain flexible and adaptable in their marketing plans to remain visible and relevant online. A strong SEO strategy will allow hotels to adapt quickly in response to any external changes and adapt digital tactics accordingly.
To optimize your hotel website for mobile devices, it’s essential that it utilizes a responsive web design that adapts to any screen size or resolution. Furthermore, text should be kept to an absolute minimum, with more emphasis placed on visuals for communicating your message – large headers and images with captions providing an engaging way for mobile users to engage. Furthermore, too many menus could confuse mobile visitors used to scrolling pages.
One way to enhance the mobile experience on your hotel website is to offer guests multiple payment options, which will give them confidence in its security and increase the odds that they complete a reservation. In addition, it’s advisable to periodically monitor its performance to make sure everything runs smoothly.
One last tip would be to use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test Page as a final check that your hotel website meets their standards, in order to identify any issues which need addressing so it is optimized for mobile-first world.
2. Make it Easy to Find Information
Information visitors need is vitally important. This includes details about your rooms, facilities and services as well as policies and prices of your hotel. When this information is readily available on your hotel website it demonstrates transparency, honesty and an interest in their best interests; increasing trust with both yourself and the hotel which can result in direct bookings.
Your hotel website should be user-friendly for information to be easily found, which means structuring pages clearly and using legible writing style for content that’s easily readable. Nobody likes spending too much time reading lengthy paragraphs; aim for short, succinct paragraphs instead. In terms of headings, something simple like ‘F&B”, “Rooms”, or even “Accommodation” would work just fine when used for departments focusing on food & drink or rooms pages.
Visual content can help your guests envision themselves staying at your hotel, whether in the form of professional photos, videos, or virtual tours. What matters is telling your hotel’s story in an engaging and alluring way.
Add credibility to your hotel by taking advantage of guest testimonials. This could mean asking past guests to post reviews on your website, or using a tool that allows you to create word clouds from online reviews of the property. By emphasizing positive feedback from previous guests, you can show potential guests that booking your hotel is safe and secure.
Think of your website as being out there 24/7 as your primary salesperson and increase its visits by increasing time spent at your hotel, which will then reduce reliance on third-party booking platforms and boost revenue. Happy selling!
3. Make it Easy to Book
Your peers in the hospitality industry likely offer advice for increasing website traffic. Some may be more effective than others, but generally follow similar themes: hoteliers are usually told to optimise their websites for mobile devices and be active on social media; best price should also be offered directly rather than through an OTA; all great tips… but one key piece is missing: making booking easier for potential customers.
Making booking easier will increase visitor time on your site, leading to more bookings and, ultimately, higher revenues. In order to accomplish this goal, key components must be in place:
First and foremost, ensure your website is optimized for conversions by creating an effective call to action (CTA) and making sure the booking process runs smoothly – especially important if guests can book rooms through multiple channels and platforms online.
Enhance the conversion rate by offering more details about your property, such as videos, photos, and detailed room descriptions. This provides the ideal chance to showcase its distinctive features as well as set it apart from similar hotels nearby.
Your hotel reservation system and global distribution systems (GDSs) should have two-way, real-time links that make booking online reservations seamless – so no bookings get missed or lost in the system.
Finally, an effective website should provide potential customers with plenty of guest reviews and testimonials to build trust in your brand. In addition to these strategies, promoting special offers or discounts that your hotel is running can also be very effective in drawing potential guests in.
One effective strategy to increase traffic during midweek is offering two meals for one rate at participating restaurants. Promoting such offers gives your audience something exciting to look forward to while simultaneously driving up business for you!
4. Make it Easy to Contact You
Your hotel website should act as your go-to sales tool – showing off your property to visitors from all around the globe 24/7/365. Therefore, it is vital that it doesn’t miss any opportunities to convert first-time visitors into paying guests.
There are various strategies available to you for improving hotel website SEO. Beyond using relevant keywords and creating quality content, focusing on off-site marketing such as social media posts, guest blog comments and digital word of mouth will allow your hotel website to stand out among competitors and draw in new guests.
One way to increase time spent on your hotel website is to give guests incentives to book directly. These may take the form of discounts or benefits such as digital guides of local attractions and activities – either way it will help build trust with guests that booking direct will provide an enhanced experience.
Finally, it’s crucial that your guests can easily connect with you. This could include providing a contact form on the website as well as live chat or telephone support; by making it easier than ever for guests to connect, it will encourage them to stay on your site and explore everything available there.
Alongside these tactics, it’s also vitally important to closely monitor your website’s performance and analytics. Doing this will allow you to identify any potential obstacles which are hindering its progress and gain the insight required to enhance it.
If your hotel website isn’t getting the traffic or bookings that it deserves, now may be the time for change. By following this article’s tips on improving it for visitors and increasing direct bookings. So don’t wait any longer; start improving it today!