People always say, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Well, it sounds nice, but people usually don’t take the advice, and often do judge a book by its cover. Whether it’s right or wrong is another topic, but it happens for all sorts of things, including hotel websites.
Based on an instant feeling from the look and feel of your property’s website, a travel shopper can move on faster than the speed of light. This is the worst case scenario for any property. After all, the shopper’s interest is not the only thing lost. You can kiss increased online bookings, revenue, branding and potential guest loyalty goodbye.
Let’s review five signs that your site needs a makeover. If none of these apply to your property, you’re in good shape. If any of them do apply, it’s time to make some tweaks.
Five signs that scream YES!
1) Dated Imagery
How current are the photos on your website - have they been updated in the last year or two? Have your property’s rooms recently been remodelled?
Photos, especially if they’re rotating in flash or the largest feature on the page, are what visitors notice first, meaning photos should constantly be up to date and professional. If a visitor sees photos of a dim, empty lobby and a room with old TVs and fixtures, it may immediately cause them to start their search over. And hiring a professional photographer is usually worth it in the long run. The difference between professional photos and random photos taken by the hotel staff can be significant.
2) Non-compelling Imagery
Does you property look empty, with no cars in the parking lot, or zero guests walking the grounds? Does your property have vibrant photos of local attractions – whether it’s the outdoors, shopping areas, theme parks, etc.?
Your property’s website should have exciting, professional photos at all times, especially on the homepage, since it’s seen by nearly 100% of your website visitors. Don’t have two rotating photos of an empty lobby and a bed. Have four rotating photos of guest/staff interaction in the lobby, a wide angle of one your best rooms, an active pool that show guests relaxing, and most importantly, a photo of nearby local attractions, such as people enjoying a theme park, businessmen interacting at a convention centre or hikers enjoying the outdoors.
3) Non-engaging Content
Does your site’s content instantly spark interest in the travel shopper?
With the short attention span of consumers and the assault of ads and content they’re exposed to, they hardly ever read an entire page worth, but they do at least skim it… after they’ve been engaged with the imagery of course.
Besides the fact that your content has to be written with keywords and key phrases to help with search engine rankings, it’s crucial that it sells what the travel shopper wants. If you’re a luxury resort, you should sell the luxuries and amenities of your property – things like a spa and room service. You should also, even on the homepage, have relevant content about local attractions or demand generators. Often times, guests search for a property with close proximity to a place or event, not just for the property itself. If you’re located within a mile from the zoo or a botanical garden, emphasize that in your content. Capitalize on your proximity to the attractions, and try to form an emotional connection with the shoppers immediately.
4) Poor Navigation
Is your site map organized in a manner that’s easy for visitors to navigate?
Once a visitor sticks on your website, easy navigation is a must. First and foremost, no matter where a visitor navigates to, there should always be a clear link directly back to the homepage. Think about the goals of your website, and make sure the most important links are prominent and easy to reach from anywhere.
Second, the booking engine should be a distinct call to action on the homepage, always above the page break. Visitors should be able to quickly select a date range and click search. Third, don’t have too many sub pages on different levels. If a visitor clicks on “Event Space” from the homepage, gets to a second page, clicks on “Ballroom,” gets to a third page and clicks on “Weddings,” before clicking to yet another “Bride and Groom” page, then it’s too deep in the navigation. A visitor should never have to go through more than two or three clicks from the homepage to navigate anywhere on your site.
5) Alarming Website Statistics
Are travel shoppers staying on your site longer and viewing more pages than they did last year? Is your site ranking higher in the search engines for crucial keywords and phrases? Is your overall site traffic growing?
All of these questions and more need to be answered regularly at your property. Review how shoppers find your site, which pages they are visiting and how much time they’re spending there. Look at your Web analytics, and learn what every statistic means to your bottom line. These are key indicators about how well you’re engaging shoppers, and how you can improve your site to increase online bookings. An overall “health review” of your site should be done quarterly.
So, your site does or doesn’t need a makeover…
Now that you’ve thought more about your property’s website and considered the aforementioned five potential issues, how do you feel about your site? Does it need a design and/or layout makeover. Do you feel your visitors are engaged with photos and content and compelled to book? Your website is your 24/7 sales tool, so it must be up to par to consistently fill the rooms.
If your property clearly does not have any of these five issues, chance are, the design and layout is in excellent shape. But if any of these signs ring true, whether it’s one or all five, it’s probably time for a site revision, including updated images and content and a professionally diagrammed layout.
This is where hiring an hotel Internet marketing company would be beneficial. A content management system that allows you to make updates to the site without much design or technical knowledge is also a cost-effective, beneficial option. Because after all, improving your site will only help increase the time visitors spend on it, which will in turn, boost your direct online reservations.
For more information about website design and development, speak to one of the marketing consultants at TA Fastrack today on 07 3040 3588.
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