If you are a small property owner still not sure if investing in a modern website is the right thing to do, you will find the below information very informative and in all probability experience a rapid change of mind.
There are loads of reasons why your accommodation business needs a website, but the key factor is that your potential guests are all online. At least 3.5 billion Google searches are made every day! That’s a huge amount of people looking for various things, including accommodation in your town or area. If these potential visitors can’t find you, you are missing out on a massive amount of opportunity.
Investing in a great website is absolutely worth it and it doesn’t have to cost the earth either. Here are some reasons why getting your own website, or having an outdated one upgraded, is absolutely key to the success of your business.
- Establish Credibility
Nowadays internet searchers expect businesses to have a website. They expect businesses to provide online content about their business and more than half of them will head straight to your website for more information.
Potential guests are using smartphones and tablets to decide where to go, so if you don’t have a website, or if your current site is dated and old, they will simply go somewhere else instead.
More than 80 % of internet users trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations. By adding great reviews to your website you bolster your credibility and social proof. This, in turn, builds trust and makes it easier for potential guests to decide to book.
- Be Competitive
At this point, it is very likely that all your competitors have an established online presence, including a modern-looking website. Not having a website or having an out of date looking website, will raise questions in the eyes of your potential guests. Why don’t you have one? Do you not care enough about your business to have one built? Is there a cash flow problem? Do you not see the value of using technology?
These are all things you definitely don’t want your potential guests to think about your establishment. If you don’t care about your online presence, why then would you care about your establishment? With all the choices out there, this will just reinforce their decision to rather go with your competitor.
- To Showcase your Establishment and Generate Direct Bookings
Make sure you have beautiful and informative photographs on your website, upload video content showing off your establishment and add a blog where you can showcase weekly events, brag about your establishment even more and add exciting information about your local area.
More and more travelers are turning to Google search for making their travel plans. With platforms like Booking.com and AirBnB cornering the reservations market it makes sense to have your own, modern, well-optimised website in order to generate more direct bookings and eliminate all those pesky commissions. If your website trumps the listings visually and has a convenient contact and booking platform, visitors are much more likely to book with you directly.
- Google Loves new Fresh Content
We all know how important SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is for any website these days. The fact is, that Google likes websites that publish credible information on a regular basis. If you never change your website or never make any updates, Google will start ignoring your website after a while thinking that you are irrelevant. This is obviously a very bad thing.
You can, however, send the right signals to Google by publishing a regular Blog, posting on Facebook or Instagram weekly and supplying a link back to your own website or blog or making better use of the platform that is your Google Business Listing. The more effort you put into your website, the better your search results will become over time. Google loves new fresh content!
If you feel like your website is a little old and tired, or you are in the market to have a brand new one designed, please let us know. We offer web design packages for all budgets and with our expert knowledge in the tourism marketing industry, we’ll be sure to design the perfect website for you and your property!