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If You Build It They Will Come not
bout twice a week now I am East)...and barely an extra room
contacted by a hotel night to show for it.
General Manager or
Marketing Director who has seen Why? Because the site turns up on
some of the recent research page 17 on Google, Yahoo! or MSN
figures for hotel internet when you search for a suitable
revenues that says something like keyword or phrase (usually
"In 2005 hotel revenues from the "destination + hotel" eg "Sydney
internet were 25.0% of all hotel hotel" is the most popular search
room revenues...". term in most cities).
The conversation very quickly 70-80% of online activity is
gets to "I've just checked my people searching for
on-line revenues and they are something...all those lost souls
nowhere near that. What can we who are eager to buy your hotel
do?" rooms, if only they could find
you...in fact in one recent case,
Naturally, the first thing I do when I was searching for the
is look at their web site. Some prospective client's hotel by
are visually stunning, especially it's very own name their web site
on a high speed turned up way back on page 8 of
connection...beautiful "flash" Google. You and I both know that
movies (loading, loading, when we search, if it ain't on
loading), navigation buttons that pages 1 or 2 or at a pinch page
do pirouettes, music...and 3, we're just not going to look
usually a mega investment has further...and neither does anyone
been made (please give me the else.
name of that sales person, I have
some sand that I would like them If you retain nothing more from
to sell for me in the Middle my article please remember this:
search engines are blind to articles).
images (and deaf if you play
music on your site) and Some web sites I see, even for
especially can't see "flash" premium properties, are just dogs
movie files or the text in those that were last updated in 2003
fancy navigation buttons (these (because every time they want a
are images too)...a search engine change their designer charges
is a code and text driven binary like a wounded bull); and lots of
agent that reads written others are in-between but because
instructions and words...so the sites are not actively
without the right code in the managed, they still don't turn up
"back" of your site and the right in the first few pages.
text and density of keywords on
the "front" pages of your Believe the research data! With
site...you just won't turn up in 25% of revenues arriving via
the first few pages of search online channels and a further 25%
results. being influenced by their online
experience but booking via
Don't get me wrong...there IS a another channel, you just have to
place for great visuals and get your head into this space.
dynamic, inspiring content AFTER Can you imagine what would happen
you have got them to your site. if you ignored your convention
The overuse and abuse of these market or stopped dealing with
dynamic elements is indeed a the travel industry...as a first
hurdle to your search engine step, at least sign up to my
results, but once the user has weekly "best of the best" e-mail
arrived, then you need some (www.hotelmarketingworkshop.com/r
"bells and whistles" to convert egister/), so you can start to
them into a sale (more about develop your knowledgebase in
conversion in one of my next this vital area.
principles.
Over the next couple of articles
I'll address some of the other And you know what? I never get
questions that I usually ask such calls from hotels that have a
as: what e-mail marketing they smart, well designed but not too
are doing and how, have they "tizzy" site. One that is edited
investigated the Pay-per-click in-house utilising a
options at Google Adwords, Yahoo! user-friendly Content Management
Search Marketing or MSN (coming System. Sites where you can
soon) or how easy is it to book easily navigate around without
on their site. I'll also touch on needing a helmet lamp and pick,
conversion but let's focus in the that have fresh, recent content
short term on driving traffic to and special value-added packages;
your site. where you can actually book in
real-time through a secure
So, what can you do? Invest in connection and get an instant
the Search Engine Optimisation of confirmation. And when you need
you site... the art and science to make an online enquiry, it is
of maximising a web site's easy and doesn't ask for my shoe
ranking in the "natural" Search size and twenty other compulsory
Engine Results for a key phrase. fields before begrudgingly
There is a lot to understand but sending off the data, only for it
if you visit our web site you to take two days for someone to
will find some very useful tips respond...
and specific things that you can
do to optimise your hotel web These sites already turn up in
site...or of course you could the first few pages, offer a
give me a call or send me an great user experience and these
e-mail and I would be more than hotels actively manage their
happy walk you through the basic online presence...they are well
on their way to achieving and shameful plug but, quite a few of
exceeding those 25.0% of revenues them are our clients!
online that the research people
are telling us...and, pardon the
About the Author:
Keith Paulin is the General Manager of Hotel Marketing Workshop (http://www.hotelmarketingworkshop.com). Keith has worked in senior marketing roles both within the hotel industry (Hilton, Regent, Hyatt, Accor) and in other industries (HP, Lion Nathan, Shell) and has formal qualifications in Marketing and Business Management.
Read more articles by: Keith Paulin
Article Source: www.iSnare.com
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