Tourism Website Common Sense

I cannot count how many times I have heard people in the tourism industry state, ” I get allot of my online business from my website.”  But your website is no where to be found on the Internet unless I type in the business name.   Then I ask, ” How do people on the internet  find your website?”  They answer, “HUH, I do not know” . Good answer?

This is a shaking of the head moment. How can companies, accommodations operate a business online when they have no idea how people contact them through their website.  Where do these travelers come from?

It does not work this way! Unless your business website comes up on the first page of search engine results for hundreds of searches there has to be a secondary source online sending travelers to your website.  After a secondary source sends travelers to your website the travelers email or phone the business.

My point is simple.. just having a website does not cut it. The website has to be marketed on websites which have high traffic and are created to send travelers to your busness website.  The only tool that tracks which websites are sending travelers to websites is what is called “Website Referral Statistics”. Again many in tourism have no idea what these are.

Website Referral Reports are tracking reports provided by  Hosting Providers.  Without a good tracking tool many tourism businesses advertise on tourism websites which produce very little.  Many of the poor performing  websites which produce no traffic and generate little business are chamber websites.  Go ahead search online like a tourist and see if you can find your local chamber.

How do we know all this?  Because we supply Website Referral Statistics to many of our clients we host. It is clear from hundreds of these reports that our websites are tops in British Columbia. Now try and educate the tourism industry whom are brainwashed by local associations and government groups. It is so sad to see this as this is clearly not in the best interest of the tourism industry.  So take the time, do your research and advertise on websites which work.. do not follow blind perceived loyalties.

Please make note.. not all tourism businesses are out to lunch. There are a good mix of tourism businesses that we communicate with regularly who are doing very well online and know exactly where their online business is coming from.  All advertise on our EH websites. All have Website Referral Reports. All are showing increase in business.

Good Luck!!