Getting the most out of search engines (continued)

Getting your visitors' attention

Visitors have entirely different needs than the search engines. But just as search engines will make decisions on how relevant your site is when returning results to a user, a person who clicks a link from Google will also make a decision on how relevant your page is to their query.

As soon as the visitors arrive on your site, you need to capture their attention. Catchy headlines, beautiful photos, warm and relevant welcoming copy will make them want to explore your offerings in more detail and help you stand out from your competition. Impress them with the way you present your services. Make sure that your site is constantly updated by featuring promotional and seasonal offers, or interesting news from your hotel.

Make information easily available to them by ensuring that your site is clearly organized and easy to navigate. Don’t hide your homepage behind a heavy-to-load “intro” page – users do not like to wait, they want to find the information they came for immediately. For the same reason, don’t hide important selling points in downloadable pdf forms.

The next step is to guide your visitors into the booking process by strategically placing “calls to action” throughout your site – in the form of a “book now!” button linking to your g-rez engine or even better, a search form allowing them to check availability for their trip directly on the page they are viewing.

GHO can help “sign posting” your site– contact your account manager for a review of where to place your calls to action on your pages. We will even supply you free of charge with the buttons and availability search forms, which you can customize for your site.

Cont...