After doing tourism website reviews for large number of tour operators worldwide
I´m more than ever convinced that you shouldn´t leave your tourism website development to a traditional IT company. You need tourism competence to make it work. Here´s the top ten most common mistakes I´ve found.
1. No SEO work implemented on the site.
It´s amazing how many professional websites that´s been left to internet invisibility. There are at least two reasons for this: a) IT companies offers cheap websites without keywords, meta descriptions, tags etc. Then offer SEO as another -expensive- service. b) The tour operator leaves keywords and tagging to externals without tourism experience. The result is completely useless tags like “safari”, “holiday” and “beach”. All of them facing a competition of, roughly, 593 million other web pages.
2. Webhosting on non-certified servers.
Free online hosting, anyone? Big mistake. Your site might show up on blacklisted servers, most often redirected to spamlisted domains.
3. Contact Us
Using a free email service? Have you checked the mailservers they use? Others are also using the same free servers for suspicios purposes which most often makes them show up on spamlists.
4. A lot of small images
In an attempt to present as much as possible from a destination, many tourism websites are stuffed with small images. Put them in a gallery instead. To seduce customers to buy, it´s better with one -BIG- image. Or a rolling slideshow with your best shots displaying one at a time.
5. No strategy chosen
Why should I choose you for my trip? Are you the cheapest? Do you have the broadest tour program? Are you specializing in something that fascinates me? Too many tour operators offers everything for everybody, anytime. It. does.not. work. And you know it. The websites should visualize your overall competitive strategy. Make your choice carefully.
6. No calls for action
Interactivity is the key to customer relations and sales. Nevertheless, 9 out 10 tourism websites are a one-way monolog and then just “contact us”. Why should I? Ask me questions instead, revealing my interest. Give me a chance to win something. Challenge me to have an opinion about you. Ask for my email and save it in a customer database. Build a relation with me and I´m yours forever.
7. Competing with your agents
If your direct sales are cheaper for your customers than booking through your overseas agent, you will soon loose your distribution network.
8. No sales support
Internet is changing the tourism market in it´s foundations. No longer can you rely on one agent in a country providing a full group with a tour leader. Today you´ll get 1-2 customers each from a number of traditional travel agents -and they´ve already checked up what they want to do. Why the travel agents knowledge about you and your services are limited compared to a distributor you´ve worked with for a while. A knowledge you´ll have to provide if you want to help them close the deal.
9. Marketing through destination portals
Just like your own website, a destination portal have only a limited number of characters for meta-descriptions, keywords, page desicriptions and tags to get the portal on top of search results. And a huge amount of suppliers… all of them urging for their services to be mentioned. Of course, they are linked to from the portal. Or presented on the site. But check if your most important products are included in the portals SEO-work (“view source” in explorer). Most probably not. If it is, make sure it´s not useless tags like “safari”…
10. No social media
Today, tourists are talking to each other before calling a travel agent or contacting you. Allow them to discuss you. Set up a facebook page, a youtube channel or join some travel communities. However, bear in mind that social media e-marketing is not the whole story.
Hi Elisabeth,
The best is to visit them in person at the TUR travel trade fair: http://nemonet.swefair.se/templates/FlexiblePage____172283.aspx
There´s a list of exhibitors on the website. Go to the product register, “tour operators”.
Good luck /Curt
I’m so sorry it took me so long to thank you dear Curt, but believe it or not i just saw your reply!!! Many many thanks.
I might perhaps see you summer time in Kefalonia!
Thanks again,
Elisabeth
How can i get in touch with Swedish tour operators. Could you please help me. Many thanks,
Elisabeth