Make sure your website is everything a customer needs
Thousands of trips have been cancelled because of COVID-19, much to people’s disappointment. But their desire to travel has not faded away. Their desire to travel has, in fact, increased during their quarantine. People are realizing how much of a big impact travelling has in their lives and what they are looking forward to in the future. And, after quarantine, there is nothing that they will want more than to leave their house and go far away.
Moreover, when there are no opened restaurants, gyms or cinemas, people are spending more time online than they used to, and they might come across your website when doing this.
The mix of desire to travel and spending time online can only benefit you. It is now time to turn this mix into your advantage. And ensuring that your website contains everything people are looking for is a way of doing it. Of course, this is easier said than done.
So, here are a few things to take into account when updating your website to help you make the turn.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
This is a term that you must have heard about. It tells you how to optimize your website to make it rank higher in a browser search. This is so relevant nowadays, because less than 5% of the users search past the first page. So, you want to make sure that you are seen by those 95%.
When companies take into account how SEO works, their online-presence improves. SEO techniques help search engines understand your offer better, which will help your business appear in relevant searches. The words used on your website are the ones that influence the position you are going to appear in among the search results.
There are multiple types of SEO, but focusing on On-page SEO will ensure that you rank higher in the search result by simply improving your website. The good news here is that if you don’t have time to take care of SEO, Tashi can do it for you. It is integrated in our system. Tashi takes extra care to ensure your site’s code is always optimized to help establish the best search engine results possible. We’ll supply keyword optimization tools to help guests find you, and built-in tools help guests share your website on social media.
Responsive websites
The increased use of mobile phones for searching the web is a fact that cannot be denied. In 2019, mobiles accounted for 53% of global website traffic. Therefore, it is important that your website adapts to these circumstances. Responsive websites allow for one single website to adapt its layout and content to be viewed across multiple digital devices. This will enable users to make bookings or visit your web from their phone, tablet or computer, which will increment their chances of them finding your website. For example, during the worldwide lockdown, people have increased their use of social media apps. This might make them come across your social media and then leads them to your website. And they will be doing this through their phones, thus you will need a mobile version of it to satisfy their needs.
A lot of information in fewer words
In general, people don’t have the time or patience to figure out what it is that you’re trying to say. The prospective customer needs to be able to know with one glance what you are promoting and how you can help them find what they are looking for. In the same manner, texts that appear on the website need to be kept short and concise, with the important parts highlighted and clear titles, in order to ensure that the customer understands what you want to tell them.
Testimonials
Due to user-generated content, testimonials have become one of the biggest ways to influence people’s opinion. Testimonials are recorded statements of people that have previously used your service. They help persuade new buyers to buy more. One satisfied guest will help you bring multiple others to your hotel. People will leave reviews on known websites such as TripAdvisor, but it will not hurt to include those testimonials on your own website. Or let Tashi include them. With the help of website builder, we can include those testimonials for you that will boost up your sales.
Contact information
Even if everything is explained on your website, customers will have a thousand questions. And they need to be able to contact you about them. You need to make sure that all of the contact information is easily accessible for them. This will include email address, phone number, address and location on the map and work hours.
Adaptation
Keep in the loop with consumer’s demands. Upgrade the website according to the news on the market and to what people want. Adaptations of your website according to new trends are necessary to keep your business on the top. Thus, it is extremely important to understand that once a website is created, it needs constant updates according to the demands of the potential consumers. And especially if there is a time of drastic changes.
Cancellation and discount policies
This is probably one of the most important things you need to take into account at this time. While everything is uncertain during the global pandemic, people need to have some assurance. If they book a trip but they can't go because of circumstances they have no control over, they need to know that their money will not be lost. Thus, it is now time to be a bit more flexible with your cancellation policies. It might be a good idea as well to include new discounts, such as early bird discounts. Being flexible in this matter will give your customers the trust that they need to make their booking. So, make sure that you include these policies on your website.
In the past years, people have become more interested in online purchasing of trips rather than the traditional methods of travel agencies or airlines. Thus, it is important to ensure that your website is up to customers’ demands. And upgrading it will ensure it.
And do not forget that Tashi can help you upgrade it following these tips, either by a member of our team working on your website or with the system itself. Contact us for more information.
