Digital Marketing: Websites - Part 1
The value of a web site for a travel agent is real. Many continue to operate without a web site and even if they have one, without due consideration for basic design and marketing principles. However, consumers expect business operators to have a web site and the real question is more often the role the website will play in the overall marketing plan of the travel agency.
An American Society of Travel Agents report titled on Technology & Website Usage revealed some travel professionals using a Facebook page in lieu of a website indicating a degree of confusion about the role of both a Facebook page and a website in a marketing strategy. |
It's worthwhile to again consider the role of a web site in marketing your travel agency.
Having a web site without a strategic purpose in mind is worse than not having a web site. Your web site represents your business - it is marketing on your behalf 24 hours a day. It is important, therefore, that it speaks your marketing message accurately and clearly. It will many times be the first place consumers will turn to learn more about you and your travel agency. If your web site does not accurately portray your company's core marketing message, you will confuse and lose many potential clients. To properly represent your business on the web requires preparation and a strategy that is well thought.
I’ve spoken before of the fundamental problem of featuring dozens of supplier specials on travel agency websites. Doing so is absolutely a mistake, a violation of basic marketing principles. Your website should not launch the consumer into a shopping frenzy, but should instead inspire the client to be in direct contact with you to learn more about how they can travel well: that is the basic concept of the Marketing Funnel. Think long and hard before you attempt to duplicate the approach used by the mega-online agencies like Travelocity and Expedia with booking engines, "deals" and discounts. You can't compete with OTAs on their turf - price. Remember, the OTAs sell travel, but your product is YOU and your agency. Consider heading in the completely opposite direction: personal service, expertise, consultation. On that ground the OTAs can't compete with you.
Start with your core message, your mission statement and the story of your agency or travel practice. Who are you? What is your fundamental reason for being a travel consultant, and how will you project that through your web site? Is your marketing message personal service? Luxury? Insight? Price? A list of cheap travel specials, dozens of supplier logos or a heavy emphasis on a booking engine does not project a message of personalized service. The axis between message and presentation has to be clear and consistent.
A travel agency web site and your social media marketing is your most dynamic marketing tool outside of your own personality. For better or for worse, it will represent your company every minute of every day. Don't settle for a quick and easy solution. Have a well-thought plan and execute it with the best tools available to you.
Just what are you selling on your travel agency website?
Indulge me for a moment and consider the merit of my strongly held belief: consumers don’t need another place to buy travel. Consumers have an almost unlimited access to travel product. They can buy direct from suppliers, from other travel agents, from monster-sized online sites, and from organizations and clubs like AARP or Costco.
Travel, travel everywhere.
Most travel agents will overtly agree with the idea they do not sell travel. However, too often their web sites betray another self-image. On the home page of many travel agency web sites, dozens of supplier logos flash at the viewer like the reels on a slot machine. Most of the text is about suppliers, supplier properties and features. In fact, there is often very little information about the travel agency at all, and what information is available is couched in vague language about “great customer service.”
Having a web site without a strategic purpose in mind is worse than not having a web site. Your web site represents your business - it is marketing on your behalf 24 hours a day. It is important, therefore, that it speaks your marketing message accurately and clearly. It will many times be the first place consumers will turn to learn more about you and your travel agency. If your web site does not accurately portray your company's core marketing message, you will confuse and lose many potential clients. To properly represent your business on the web requires preparation and a strategy that is well thought.
I’ve spoken before of the fundamental problem of featuring dozens of supplier specials on travel agency websites. Doing so is absolutely a mistake, a violation of basic marketing principles. Your website should not launch the consumer into a shopping frenzy, but should instead inspire the client to be in direct contact with you to learn more about how they can travel well: that is the basic concept of the Marketing Funnel. Think long and hard before you attempt to duplicate the approach used by the mega-online agencies like Travelocity and Expedia with booking engines, "deals" and discounts. You can't compete with OTAs on their turf - price. Remember, the OTAs sell travel, but your product is YOU and your agency. Consider heading in the completely opposite direction: personal service, expertise, consultation. On that ground the OTAs can't compete with you.
Start with your core message, your mission statement and the story of your agency or travel practice. Who are you? What is your fundamental reason for being a travel consultant, and how will you project that through your web site? Is your marketing message personal service? Luxury? Insight? Price? A list of cheap travel specials, dozens of supplier logos or a heavy emphasis on a booking engine does not project a message of personalized service. The axis between message and presentation has to be clear and consistent.
A travel agency web site and your social media marketing is your most dynamic marketing tool outside of your own personality. For better or for worse, it will represent your company every minute of every day. Don't settle for a quick and easy solution. Have a well-thought plan and execute it with the best tools available to you.
Just what are you selling on your travel agency website?
Indulge me for a moment and consider the merit of my strongly held belief: consumers don’t need another place to buy travel. Consumers have an almost unlimited access to travel product. They can buy direct from suppliers, from other travel agents, from monster-sized online sites, and from organizations and clubs like AARP or Costco.
Travel, travel everywhere.
Most travel agents will overtly agree with the idea they do not sell travel. However, too often their web sites betray another self-image. On the home page of many travel agency web sites, dozens of supplier logos flash at the viewer like the reels on a slot machine. Most of the text is about suppliers, supplier properties and features. In fact, there is often very little information about the travel agency at all, and what information is available is couched in vague language about “great customer service.”
Yikes. This is no way to run a truly great travel practice. That type of website invites price comparison. Travelers don’t need another place to buy travel; they need educated, professional advice on how to make intelligent buying decisions. Good content does not equal supplier content. Your travel agency is not about suppliers. Your travel agency is all about you and your clients. Your reason for being has to do with the benefits clients receive when they do business with you. Listing the dozens of tour operators and suppliers your clients use indicates more about the transactional nature of your business than it does about the relationships you build with clients. If you are nothing more than a vending machine for travel, if you simply move from one transaction to another, why should anyone do business with you as opposed to any other travel agency?
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If all you are doing is selling travel, then everything comes down to price. My guess is that you cannot compete for very long on the basis of lowest price.You are unique. YOU can not be found for less on the internet. Your skill set, your experience, your insight, care, and patience are some of the characteristics that set you apart. Your clients benefit from the remarkable combination of qualities resident in your travel practice. You have personality! That’s what sets you apart and that’s what you should be marketing.
Travel I can get anywhere. You, I can only get from you.
Travel Agency Web Sites: Content
Most travel agency websites fall on a spectrum with regard to their function and content. At one end of the spectrum, the website’s content revolves around the travel agency and its relationship with clients with very little mention of suppliers or specific travel product. At the other end of the spectrum, the website speaks predominantly to travel product and suppliers, with travel specials, supplier offers and promotions being the central theme of the site’s content.
Most travel agency websites fall somewhere between the extremes of the above content spectrum. As I indicated in the introduction, the strategic design of the website should be in line with the core mission of the agency. The agency stressing personalized service will want to gravitate more to the relationship side of the spectrum. The agency with a business plan geared to volume and mass market will more naturally orient their site to the product end of the spectrum. Achieving a balance along the content spectrum in line with the agency’s personality is a key marketing element to consider in any web site plan or re-design.
The design elements of the site such as the layout, the navigation and the format of the content all are determined by the content spectrum. Good websites do not have to be “flashy” or complicated in their presentation. In fact, the best sites are neither. Good designs lay content out for a viewer in a manner that is easy to navigate. The personality of the agent or agency is apparent from the presentation, and sets the expectations of the viewer, indicating clearly the type of experience the client of the agency can anticipate from the agency.
Content on a travel agency site serves at least one of four functions.
All content placed on a site should be there with the aim of fulfilling at least one and ideally several of these four functions.
The tone and delivery of the content should take into consideration the audience and the demographic of the target market. A web site’s tone can be dynamic and forceful or warm and humorous. It can be off-beat. Again, however, the tone must be in alignment with the personality of the agency and properly set the expectations of the viewer for the eventual personal encounter with the agency’s personnel.
Decisions have to be made with regard to the format in which content will be presented. For example, will content be in the form of articles, videos, or a blog? Will there be an archive of agency newsletters? Does a search engine for travel specials make sense? What about supplier profiles or reviews of cruise ships or hotel properties? A booking engine? Each decision calls for an evaluation of the strategic objectives of the site and the personality of the agency.
Finally give some consideration to the ongoing conversation with your web site viewers. If your content is of sufficient interest to induce the viewer to request additional information, you have to provide suitable avenues to your front door. Contact information, newsletter sign-ups and blog comments all open the door to an ongoing relationship and need to be readily apparent and easily accessed.
Building a travel agency website
Travel I can get anywhere. You, I can only get from you.
Travel Agency Web Sites: Content
Most travel agency websites fall on a spectrum with regard to their function and content. At one end of the spectrum, the website’s content revolves around the travel agency and its relationship with clients with very little mention of suppliers or specific travel product. At the other end of the spectrum, the website speaks predominantly to travel product and suppliers, with travel specials, supplier offers and promotions being the central theme of the site’s content.
Most travel agency websites fall somewhere between the extremes of the above content spectrum. As I indicated in the introduction, the strategic design of the website should be in line with the core mission of the agency. The agency stressing personalized service will want to gravitate more to the relationship side of the spectrum. The agency with a business plan geared to volume and mass market will more naturally orient their site to the product end of the spectrum. Achieving a balance along the content spectrum in line with the agency’s personality is a key marketing element to consider in any web site plan or re-design.
The design elements of the site such as the layout, the navigation and the format of the content all are determined by the content spectrum. Good websites do not have to be “flashy” or complicated in their presentation. In fact, the best sites are neither. Good designs lay content out for a viewer in a manner that is easy to navigate. The personality of the agent or agency is apparent from the presentation, and sets the expectations of the viewer, indicating clearly the type of experience the client of the agency can anticipate from the agency.
Content on a travel agency site serves at least one of four functions.
- Firstly, good content will attract the viewer to the site.
- Next, the content should be of sufficient interest to hold the client on the site.
- Good content will be a resource for the viewer and induce the viewer to return to the site whenever in need of travel information.
- Content should establish an on-going relationship with the agency and a sense of community in travel.
All content placed on a site should be there with the aim of fulfilling at least one and ideally several of these four functions.
The tone and delivery of the content should take into consideration the audience and the demographic of the target market. A web site’s tone can be dynamic and forceful or warm and humorous. It can be off-beat. Again, however, the tone must be in alignment with the personality of the agency and properly set the expectations of the viewer for the eventual personal encounter with the agency’s personnel.
Decisions have to be made with regard to the format in which content will be presented. For example, will content be in the form of articles, videos, or a blog? Will there be an archive of agency newsletters? Does a search engine for travel specials make sense? What about supplier profiles or reviews of cruise ships or hotel properties? A booking engine? Each decision calls for an evaluation of the strategic objectives of the site and the personality of the agency.
Finally give some consideration to the ongoing conversation with your web site viewers. If your content is of sufficient interest to induce the viewer to request additional information, you have to provide suitable avenues to your front door. Contact information, newsletter sign-ups and blog comments all open the door to an ongoing relationship and need to be readily apparent and easily accessed.
Building a travel agency website
One of the reasons there are so many poorly designed travel agency web sites is that they are so easy to build. It sometimes seems as though everyone is a website designer. The fact is, however, the choice of who builds your website is an important one. Professional web development services are an absolute necessity unless you possess a very solid understanding of design, layout and fundamental HTML skills. With that said, however, it is possible to “do it yourself” and some of my favorite travel agency web sites were built by agents with a lot of determination to have a quality site without breaking the bank. |
Sites can be completely customized or they can be based on a syndicated template system such as that provided by companies like Voyager Websites. A customized site is typically the most expensive option and the one requiring both the most upfront work and ongoing maintenance. Syndicated systems, at the other end of the spectrum, are powered by a third party. Syndicated systems typically provide the hosting for the site, all of the site architecture and much of the site’s content. A syndicated template typically can be customized to accommodate your company’s look and feel. Syndicated sites are often easier to manage and the content rotation is to some degree automated. Syndicated systems, properly designed, can look every bit as customized as any other site, but at a far more affordable cost.
Should you decide to build a customized site, it is very helpful to use a web designer with some experience building travel agency sites. Take to your designer screenshots and examples of sites that you like and familiarize your designer with the needs of your company. Explain your content selections and the way in which you want to present the content. Ensure in your agreement that you own all of the content, the code and that no aspect of the site or its content system is proprietary to your designer. It is also a good idea to have the site hosted on a server that is under your control, not the control of your designer. In the event that you decide at a later date to move the site or to use another designer, you want to have unfettered access and control of your site. Keep in mind that the site’s architecture should be well documented so that a new designer could understand the internal code and workings of the site should your original developer no longer be available to you at some future date.
Enterprising travel agents can also build their own website. Again, I stress the serious nature of the learning curve and the risk of doing a poor job. However, it can be done and, often, done well. One of the most popular systems for building websites is WordPress. Many agents have found that WordPress provides a relatively easy way to present a professional, unique look and feel and to easily manage content. The learning curve and design demands, however, are not for the faint of heart, so be sure you are committed to this approach before undertaking building your own site.
Web sites require much care and feeding and the continual rotation of fresh content is an important factor. In the design of your web site, take into consideration how much time you can allocate to the updating of content. A site can be an extremely demanding resource and your business plan needs to contemplate maintaining fresh content. It is this very factor, along with the ease of implementation, that convince many agents to go to a syndicated template system. Many companies providing such systems also provide units of content for custom sites.
A web site is your 24 hour a day representative. Make sure to dress your site for success by spending the time necessary to give it the most professional appearance possible.
Should you decide to build a customized site, it is very helpful to use a web designer with some experience building travel agency sites. Take to your designer screenshots and examples of sites that you like and familiarize your designer with the needs of your company. Explain your content selections and the way in which you want to present the content. Ensure in your agreement that you own all of the content, the code and that no aspect of the site or its content system is proprietary to your designer. It is also a good idea to have the site hosted on a server that is under your control, not the control of your designer. In the event that you decide at a later date to move the site or to use another designer, you want to have unfettered access and control of your site. Keep in mind that the site’s architecture should be well documented so that a new designer could understand the internal code and workings of the site should your original developer no longer be available to you at some future date.
Enterprising travel agents can also build their own website. Again, I stress the serious nature of the learning curve and the risk of doing a poor job. However, it can be done and, often, done well. One of the most popular systems for building websites is WordPress. Many agents have found that WordPress provides a relatively easy way to present a professional, unique look and feel and to easily manage content. The learning curve and design demands, however, are not for the faint of heart, so be sure you are committed to this approach before undertaking building your own site.
Web sites require much care and feeding and the continual rotation of fresh content is an important factor. In the design of your web site, take into consideration how much time you can allocate to the updating of content. A site can be an extremely demanding resource and your business plan needs to contemplate maintaining fresh content. It is this very factor, along with the ease of implementation, that convince many agents to go to a syndicated template system. Many companies providing such systems also provide units of content for custom sites.
A web site is your 24 hour a day representative. Make sure to dress your site for success by spending the time necessary to give it the most professional appearance possible.
Marketing a travel agency website
A web site is a great marketing tool for your travel agency – if anyone can find it. Today, we will discuss how to properly cross market your site with your other marketing efforts.
Firstly, let’s look at your web site’s URL – its domain name. Your domain name should echo and reinforce your brand. Without a doubt, it has become much more difficult to obtain a good URL. However, names are still available with some creative effort and consideration for avoiding some common pitfalls. There are a few common guidelines often cited. Try to obtain either a “.com” or a “.travel” address. If possible, avoid hyphens and underlines. Try to keep the name as short as possible (PS. that advice comes from the publisher of a website with 24 characters in its own URL). However, even violations of these basic rules can be overcome with a strong marketing effort.
Your clients should encounter your web address everywhere they encounter your brand. Here is a list of locations where you should ensure your URL is visible:
Each marketing effort you do should cross market your website address. Promoting you site reminds clients that you have a resource where they can turn any time of day for information and research.
When you bring new clients into your fold, spend time explaining your website to them. Let them know what resources are available there and how best to utilize it as a resource. This should be an aspect of your client training. Do not assume that the clients will find it on their own or that they will understand how to use it. In fact, soliciting feedback from clients is a terrific way to drive them to explore your website.
Once you have invested in building a web site, get the most from your investment by driving clients to use it.
A web site is a great marketing tool for your travel agency – if anyone can find it. Today, we will discuss how to properly cross market your site with your other marketing efforts.
Firstly, let’s look at your web site’s URL – its domain name. Your domain name should echo and reinforce your brand. Without a doubt, it has become much more difficult to obtain a good URL. However, names are still available with some creative effort and consideration for avoiding some common pitfalls. There are a few common guidelines often cited. Try to obtain either a “.com” or a “.travel” address. If possible, avoid hyphens and underlines. Try to keep the name as short as possible (PS. that advice comes from the publisher of a website with 24 characters in its own URL). However, even violations of these basic rules can be overcome with a strong marketing effort.
Your clients should encounter your web address everywhere they encounter your brand. Here is a list of locations where you should ensure your URL is visible:
- Your business cards
- Your advertising
- Your email signatures
- Your itineraries and company collateral (letterhead, invoices, etc)
- Press Releases
- Brochures
- Your Blog
- Your Newsletters and email broadcasts
- Announced at public appearances and events you sponsor
- Your social media platforms
Each marketing effort you do should cross market your website address. Promoting you site reminds clients that you have a resource where they can turn any time of day for information and research.
When you bring new clients into your fold, spend time explaining your website to them. Let them know what resources are available there and how best to utilize it as a resource. This should be an aspect of your client training. Do not assume that the clients will find it on their own or that they will understand how to use it. In fact, soliciting feedback from clients is a terrific way to drive them to explore your website.
Once you have invested in building a web site, get the most from your investment by driving clients to use it.
Search Engine Optimization for Travel Agency Websites – Introduction
Ensuring that your travel agency website is visible and relevant to the internet’s search engines is an important strategic objective. Because travel is such a large segment of the transactional traffic on the internet, however, many travel agents feel daunted by the prospect of having to compete with the thousands of other sites for search engine ranking. Yet, with a bit of planning and commitment, a travel agency web site can find itself high in the rankings of the major search engines. The resulting traffic and potential for new sales opportunities can certainly justify the effort and time necessary to accomplish search engine optimization. |
Fortunately, the principles behind search engine optimization are not difficult to understand or even to accomplish. Let’s begin with a good understanding of some of the terminology necessary to the discussion. A Key Phrase, or Search Term, are those words someone is likely to type into the ‘search’ field of Google, Bing or other search engine. The search engine then returns pages of results with a Ranking – the position each result has from the first result to the last. The goal is to achieve as high a ranking as possible. Thus, one of the key tactics in search engine optimization is Key Word Analysis – determining which search terms are most likely to be used and then ensuring your content carefully and intelligently addresses those search terms.
Search engines index sites by reading them with “spiders” – robotic programs that move from page to page on a site and pick up on the topics there by phrases, links and generalized content. Search engines can only read text. They do not read images, Flash animations or other graphics. Thus, the textual content of your site is the heart of a search engine’s quest. Relevant and appropriate links from other web sites enhance the ranking assigned to your content by search engine. Search engines understand such links as a verification of the importance and relevance of your site to third parties.
A misunderstanding of the above principles have caused many companies to attempt to manipulate search engine indexing. These “black hat” techniques include loading text on a site with a given search term, sacrificing the readability of the text. Other techniques include hiding repeated search terms on a page, creating mini-sites that link to the main site, paying “link farms” to link to the main site and use of automatic article and page generators to create content. The technicians for Google, Bing and the other search engines are constantly fine-tuning the algorithms, or logic, by which rankings are determined to avoid such ruses.
There are two fundamental keys to search engine relevancy and ranking:
These two elements, enhanced with smart website preparation and maintenance, will do more for your rankings than all of the clever manipulation in the world.
The first step in any good SEO campaign is to hone in on the site’s niche. “Travel” is a big niche – too big for most agencies to contemplate. “Hawaii” is a big niche too, but we are getting closer. Try this – search Google on the term “Hawaii Honeymoons.” What site comes up in the first few results? Travel agencies!
Go Local
It is possible to localize your search engine optimization. If your travel practice is located in Nashville, for example, type in "Hawaii Honeymoons Nashville Travel Agent" in the Google search bar.
Search engines index sites by reading them with “spiders” – robotic programs that move from page to page on a site and pick up on the topics there by phrases, links and generalized content. Search engines can only read text. They do not read images, Flash animations or other graphics. Thus, the textual content of your site is the heart of a search engine’s quest. Relevant and appropriate links from other web sites enhance the ranking assigned to your content by search engine. Search engines understand such links as a verification of the importance and relevance of your site to third parties.
A misunderstanding of the above principles have caused many companies to attempt to manipulate search engine indexing. These “black hat” techniques include loading text on a site with a given search term, sacrificing the readability of the text. Other techniques include hiding repeated search terms on a page, creating mini-sites that link to the main site, paying “link farms” to link to the main site and use of automatic article and page generators to create content. The technicians for Google, Bing and the other search engines are constantly fine-tuning the algorithms, or logic, by which rankings are determined to avoid such ruses.
There are two fundamental keys to search engine relevancy and ranking:
- A focused key word analysis
- Strong, relevant and original content
These two elements, enhanced with smart website preparation and maintenance, will do more for your rankings than all of the clever manipulation in the world.
The first step in any good SEO campaign is to hone in on the site’s niche. “Travel” is a big niche – too big for most agencies to contemplate. “Hawaii” is a big niche too, but we are getting closer. Try this – search Google on the term “Hawaii Honeymoons.” What site comes up in the first few results? Travel agencies!
Go Local
It is possible to localize your search engine optimization. If your travel practice is located in Nashville, for example, type in "Hawaii Honeymoons Nashville Travel Agent" in the Google search bar.
The first and best rule of search engine optimization for travel agencies is to have strong, original content on your site that is truly relevant and useful to your viewers. Smart travel agencies with web site strategies give first consideration to their human viewers and secondarily optimize the site for search engine visibility.
Begin with the central theme of your site. As we earlier indicated, niche topics can achieve a higher ranking more easily than broader, generalized topics. Within the context of your core theme, you want to write content that readers will find useful, that is updated or supplemented often. Integrate your keywords into the articles you write in a completely natural manner. Don’t force the keywords and make the text awkward and hard to read. If your goal as a Nashville travel agent is to pull new clients to your website for honeymoons to Hawaii, then your blog should have strong, original blog content reading something like this: ABC Travel and Your Hawaii Honeymoon! ABC Travel has assisted hundreds of Nashville newly wed travelers with their Hawaii honeymoon plans. Our travel agents are experts in Hawaii and we continually monitor the best suppliers and opportunities for both destination weddings and honeymoon travel on every island in the great state of Hawaii! Thus, our title places the terms “Hawaii Honeymoon” and “Travel Agents” in close proximity to each other. Likewise, the URL of this blog article should include both “travel agents” and “Hawaii Honeymoon.” Indeed, Proximity is one of the principles of good search engine optimization techniques. Note how the same idea is situated in the first sentence of this article. This gets to the second principle of Density – enough mentions of the keyword to indicate the relevance of the article. However, too many mentions of those keywords will make the article appear to be search engine “spam” and the search engine algorithms will penalize the article’s ranking. They key is to keep the article readable and the Density and Proximity natural. |
Focus on a single topic per page. This again emphasizes the relevance of the article to the chosen keywords. Leave articles archived on your site. Search engines like critical mass on topics and also provide some weight to sites that have a longevity with regard to particular topics.
Search engines like original content. Contrary to the advice of some “experts” you are not penalized for content found on other sites, you simply will not get any SEO credit for non-original content – it won’t help your search engine visibility. If you are willing to devote the time and energy to creating fresh, original content in a niche topic, your site will almost certainly rise in the search engine rankings. Content “borrowed” from other sites or lightly re-written will not achieve your search engine goals. Likewise, computer generated pages, article generators and other “grey” or “black hat” techniques create terrible prose, are barely passable reading and are even questionable from an ethical point of view.
The more original articles you produce for your site, focused on a niche topic, the more authoritative your site becomes both for purposes of readers and search engine algorithms. The primary objective of search engine technology is to direct a searcher to the most relevant, authoritative sites on a topic of interest. Thus, content truly is king. Write often, write well and focus on a niche – you have the ingredients for strong organic search engine marketing for your travel agency.
Writing for search engines really means little more than writing well for your readership and keeping a few key concepts like proximity and density in the back (not the forefront) of your writing style.
In addition to your own writing efforts for SEO purposes, be sure to connect with the Google Local Business Center and get your business listed with them to be included in search results like the ones above. The Google Local Business Center is a must for businesses attempting to reach out to potential clients in their local community. Google allows you to include your business on a directory with information about your services. This is for now a free Google offering.
Search engines like original content. Contrary to the advice of some “experts” you are not penalized for content found on other sites, you simply will not get any SEO credit for non-original content – it won’t help your search engine visibility. If you are willing to devote the time and energy to creating fresh, original content in a niche topic, your site will almost certainly rise in the search engine rankings. Content “borrowed” from other sites or lightly re-written will not achieve your search engine goals. Likewise, computer generated pages, article generators and other “grey” or “black hat” techniques create terrible prose, are barely passable reading and are even questionable from an ethical point of view.
The more original articles you produce for your site, focused on a niche topic, the more authoritative your site becomes both for purposes of readers and search engine algorithms. The primary objective of search engine technology is to direct a searcher to the most relevant, authoritative sites on a topic of interest. Thus, content truly is king. Write often, write well and focus on a niche – you have the ingredients for strong organic search engine marketing for your travel agency.
Writing for search engines really means little more than writing well for your readership and keeping a few key concepts like proximity and density in the back (not the forefront) of your writing style.
In addition to your own writing efforts for SEO purposes, be sure to connect with the Google Local Business Center and get your business listed with them to be included in search results like the ones above. The Google Local Business Center is a must for businesses attempting to reach out to potential clients in their local community. Google allows you to include your business on a directory with information about your services. This is for now a free Google offering.
Keyword Analysis
There is no shortage of experts on the topic of SEO and keyword analysis. This brief introduction will attempt to place the topic in the context of travel marketing and will hopefully point you in the direction of other resources. The phrase “keyword analysis” refers to the study of how people search for information on a search engine for a given topic.
Keyword analysis assumes that people are predictable when they utilize a search engine for research on a topic. There is plenty of good reason for this assumption, and it is the heart of keyword analysis. Staying with the example of Hawaii honeymoons and weddings, let’s take a look at how we might conduct keyword analysis for our hypothetical travel agency site specializing in Hawaii travel.
Let’s begin with the most important point – the niche topic of your site. If you are a generalist travel agency and your site speaks to all types of travel to all destinations, you will have a much more difficult time effecting a SEO campaign. Remember, the search engines rank the most relevant, important sites highest. Thus, the more narrowly focused your site is on a topic, the more likely the search engines will rank it higher on a page of search results.
But how to know what keywords are important to people using search engines? What words and phrases will potential customers use when searching for information on Hawaii honeymoons? Certainly “Hawaii honeymoons” will be an important term. By strongly incorporating those words into our site’s content, we will no doubt attract some attention from the search engines’ algorithms. But what other terms and phrases should our site’s content incorporate? If we go back to our assumption about the predictability of the way people search, we will see that the assumption is based on a generalized use of language, our socialized culture, television and movies. As a culture, we share common phrases and a lexicon. That is the starting point for our search. In fact, it is critical.
If we used the terms “Hawaii nuptials” in our site’s content we would be technically correct. However, we also know that most people are not going to use the word “nuptials” when they search for information on Hawaii weddings. As a travel agency looking to optimize your website’s content, you have to find the intersection between your content and the way your potential customers search for information on a topic. Moreover, this type of analysis is an ongoing process because people’s habits and search patterns change over time. Developing the art of writing useful content that naturally incorporates the search terms most used by potential clients is the secret to solid SEO.
Fortunately, you have a lot of help when it comes to keyword analysis and selection. Some of that help is free, like Google’s External Keyword Tool and others, and some tools are available on a subscription basis, Wordtracker being one of the most often used. Most travel agents for whom their web sites are ancillary to their main practice can successfully use the free tools available. Those agents with a dedicated and focused web strategy, however, will want to investigate some of the more sophisticated subscription options.
Using one of the free tools, like Wordtracker, do a search on the phrase “Hawaii honeymoons”. You will be presented with a list of other keywords along with the relative frequency those words are used in searches. You want to choose terms that have a high usage by searchers, but stop short of those phrases that, though popular, are too generic (e.g. “travel”) to make a real difference in your optimization efforts.
The exercise of keyword analysis allows you to better understand your customers’ behavior and perspectives by analyzing the words that they use in their search engine explorations. By consistently using keyword analysis in your web site copy and intelligently integrating them into your site’s infrastructure, you stand a far better chance of obtaining a higher search engine ranking.
There is no shortage of experts on the topic of SEO and keyword analysis. This brief introduction will attempt to place the topic in the context of travel marketing and will hopefully point you in the direction of other resources. The phrase “keyword analysis” refers to the study of how people search for information on a search engine for a given topic.
Keyword analysis assumes that people are predictable when they utilize a search engine for research on a topic. There is plenty of good reason for this assumption, and it is the heart of keyword analysis. Staying with the example of Hawaii honeymoons and weddings, let’s take a look at how we might conduct keyword analysis for our hypothetical travel agency site specializing in Hawaii travel.
Let’s begin with the most important point – the niche topic of your site. If you are a generalist travel agency and your site speaks to all types of travel to all destinations, you will have a much more difficult time effecting a SEO campaign. Remember, the search engines rank the most relevant, important sites highest. Thus, the more narrowly focused your site is on a topic, the more likely the search engines will rank it higher on a page of search results.
But how to know what keywords are important to people using search engines? What words and phrases will potential customers use when searching for information on Hawaii honeymoons? Certainly “Hawaii honeymoons” will be an important term. By strongly incorporating those words into our site’s content, we will no doubt attract some attention from the search engines’ algorithms. But what other terms and phrases should our site’s content incorporate? If we go back to our assumption about the predictability of the way people search, we will see that the assumption is based on a generalized use of language, our socialized culture, television and movies. As a culture, we share common phrases and a lexicon. That is the starting point for our search. In fact, it is critical.
If we used the terms “Hawaii nuptials” in our site’s content we would be technically correct. However, we also know that most people are not going to use the word “nuptials” when they search for information on Hawaii weddings. As a travel agency looking to optimize your website’s content, you have to find the intersection between your content and the way your potential customers search for information on a topic. Moreover, this type of analysis is an ongoing process because people’s habits and search patterns change over time. Developing the art of writing useful content that naturally incorporates the search terms most used by potential clients is the secret to solid SEO.
Fortunately, you have a lot of help when it comes to keyword analysis and selection. Some of that help is free, like Google’s External Keyword Tool and others, and some tools are available on a subscription basis, Wordtracker being one of the most often used. Most travel agents for whom their web sites are ancillary to their main practice can successfully use the free tools available. Those agents with a dedicated and focused web strategy, however, will want to investigate some of the more sophisticated subscription options.
Using one of the free tools, like Wordtracker, do a search on the phrase “Hawaii honeymoons”. You will be presented with a list of other keywords along with the relative frequency those words are used in searches. You want to choose terms that have a high usage by searchers, but stop short of those phrases that, though popular, are too generic (e.g. “travel”) to make a real difference in your optimization efforts.
The exercise of keyword analysis allows you to better understand your customers’ behavior and perspectives by analyzing the words that they use in their search engine explorations. By consistently using keyword analysis in your web site copy and intelligently integrating them into your site’s infrastructure, you stand a far better chance of obtaining a higher search engine ranking.
Exercise:
Make of study of some travel agency websites and note how well the principles above are being followed by each. As you look at the sites, study them with a critical eye. What works for you and what does not. Is their sufficient interest in the site to hold you there for any period of time? Would you return a second time? Can you discern the personality of the agency from the site or is it a "cookie cutter" template with no personality?
Now, conduct the same analysis on your own website. How well is it representing you and your mission statement?
Exercise:
If local marketing is important sure to connect with the Google Local Business Center and get your business listed.
Make of study of some travel agency websites and note how well the principles above are being followed by each. As you look at the sites, study them with a critical eye. What works for you and what does not. Is their sufficient interest in the site to hold you there for any period of time? Would you return a second time? Can you discern the personality of the agency from the site or is it a "cookie cutter" template with no personality?
Now, conduct the same analysis on your own website. How well is it representing you and your mission statement?
Exercise:
If local marketing is important sure to connect with the Google Local Business Center and get your business listed.