Making online visibility count in every possible way

Dubai: As we approach 2015, the widespread use and complexity of digital marketing increases, especially within the travel sector. So this is the perfect time to share five tips to optimise your digital marketing and improve the travel business.

* Invest in your most valuable online asset — the website

Whether you are a travel agency looking to generate more inbound leads or a hotel wanting to reduce the burden of commission payments to Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), your website is the place to start. So, make sure the first impression is positive.

Online audiences have little patience when browsing, so if a website takes too long to load, or the content is confusing or unclear, they will hit the ‘back button’. Reduce the risk of this by dropping the file size of images to fit the website. Use the Google tool to check how the website rates.

Over 50 per cent of travellers use their mobile devices to search for hotels or tourist attractions, but most websites are not designed for mobile and do not display well. Or worse, they appear as a blank screen if the site was built using outdated technology such as Flash. Today, a mobile website or ‘responsive websites’ is an inexpensive, must-have tool as the backbone of any digital marketing activity.

Calls to action are vital. Most website visitors want to click or interact with your site. If you are a hotel or travel agency, this could be a ‘Book Now’ or ‘Search for Packages’ section on your website. Making these sections very visible to website visitors can often be the factor that turns a visitor into a customer.

Even if your website doesn’t have a searchable booking engine, make sure elements such as ‘Send Enquiry’ box or telephone number appear prominently on every page and not just the home page.

* Don’t hide — be found

When was the last time you went on to page two or three of Google to find a product or service? As many as 54 per cent of clicks on a Google search go to the first three websites listed on the first page.

There is a science to how Google ranks websites. Make sure you have good quality content that contains relevant keywords because Google’s robots will read all of your text. Make sure your website loads quickly.

Google also uses your website’s loading speed as a ranking factor. Google reads web pages in the same way that you would read a newspaper, so each web page should have a header or title.

By understanding the title, Google then highlights your webpage and this in turn will help that page rank better. There are tools available to help.

* Be sociable

If your business targets consumers, you should have a social media strategy. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter provide your business with access to billions of people worldwide — and a lot of information about each user.

This means more than simply posting a few messages on Facebook. Facebook’s recent updates now mean that only 1-2 per cent will ever see your message, unless you spend advertising money to promote it. Social media can increase your business’ visibility affordably and with a high return on investment.

* Don’t forget the email

Why do OTA’s such as Booking.com and Expedia send you email alerts for destinations or hotels that you have previously searched? Because highly targeted, personal and interesting communications from a brand you are aware of or have a relationship with is generally welcomed with open arms. Email campaigns work not only with existing customers but also past customers. Most e-commerce sites will tell you that emails still provide the highest return on investment.

* Market your business online

Even if you ignore all the other tips, the one thing that every business should do is to engage in paid online marketing campaigns. Most businesses in the travel and hotel sectors do … but many still do not.

Paid campaigns — or PPC campaigns or search engine marketing — allow you to use technology to showcase your business to those who are searching for you. Search engine marketing and paid online campaigns specifically identify user intent and place relevant ads to help that user find the information they are looking for.

For example, if you are searching for Hotel in Singapore on Google, at the very top of the search engine results page will be a number of adverts relating to your search query.

These adverts take just a few hours to create and, most importantly, will only cost you if a user clicks on your advert. Even if your website isn’t ranking at the top of Google, you still have every chance of being visible at those times when you need to be.

The writer is CEO of Dubai-based Nexa, an integrated digital marketing agency.