Website Reviews for Small Tourism Businesses
Posted on | November 17, 2010 | No Comments
Looking for feedback about the design and usability of your tourism website? Wonder if you have missed SEO opportunities? Are you getting the right information in front of your readers?
Website reviews are mandatory for any small travel business and should be looked at after every redesign and on an ongoing basis. Once a year should be fine once you have a viable site in place, barring any major search engine shift.
Websites do not last forever. Technologies change, visitors expectations change and styles change. Much like cars or kitchens, except faster. Your brand new shiny car or kitchen looked great in 1980, now, thirty years later, it is a bit tired. Even if you have maintained then both, unless you have upgraded them significantly, neither your car nor your kitchen could compete with a 2009 model. The same is true with websites.
A well crafted website should last for years, but in the changing plane of the internet, renovations and upgrades must be considered at least on a yearly basis. If your website is more than 2 years old, you should look at it long and hard for missed opportunities, changing SEO techniques and new functionalities.
A few years ago, social media (eg. Facebook, Twitter) was just emerging as a marketing tool. A few years ago, local search was unheard of and is now a driving force for marketing your site. A few years ago, blogging was new and no one understood it. While you may not need to take advantage of all these new opportunities, you should stay informed and cognisant of the changes to ensure you stay competitive.
The web landscape has changed and will continue to change. This is why a website review is necessary at least once a year.
Ask your friends for feedback about your site. Ask your employees. Ask your web designer. Ask other small business owners.
Possibly the most important group to ask is your clients and you may not even have to ask. By the questions they ask you, you should have a pretty good idea what is lacking on your site. If you get tons of calls asked about your availability, perhaps it’s a good time for a booking calendar. Constantly giving driving directions? Get a map.
Do they ask for your Facebook page? Your RSS feed? Your mailing list? Your clients are the best source for the information you need to provide on your site.
Your SEO should also be looked at by your designer, or by others that know the industry.
Here are some links to forums where you can ask for independent reviews of your website:
For Bed & Breakfast Website Reviews
For All Small Travel Businesses
It is imperative you read the pinned articles at the top of these forums to understand how to ask for a review. Reviewers need details about your site to give you the advice you are looking for.
Of course, we would be happy to help you review your site, just leave a comment below or contact me to ask about your site. It’s free and I/we would be thrilled to help. We are new on the block here and are looking for friends.
i went from Phoenix Arizona, all the way to Tacoma…
Jane
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