If you have the facilities that Markdownunder talked about a couple of posts ago, please advertise them on your website.
As I said in one of my first posts, I do the listings for Rainbow Tourism in the booking system they use Seekom, a nice little program by the way, add your accommodation website to Rainbow Tourism, and you get to use the system for a % of your booking, so no bookings, no pay... thats my kind of program.....
anyway enough of that, I actually wanted to say...
When looking for imformation about the facilities offered by an Accommodation website often a website will have listed things like Early 19th century architecture, or towels imported from Europe just last year, or pillows provided in a luxury villa, but don't say if there is a telephone, or internet access.
Believe it or not, many people don't particulary care how old the building is, the photos will show that, and pillows should be provided in luxury villa's, ok, the towels might be of interest, but not at the top of the facilities list, if a potiential customer is looking at booking online, they use a computer, and they want to know if they can access the internet, and if so what speed the access is.
Chances are if you have a website you have access to the internet, wouldn't you want to know about access, even if you were on holiday?
I see many websites that since I design brochures, and do copywriting for webites, I can tell that the wording is right off the brochures, and the clients you get from each type of advertising medium are different. So invest in your website, hire a website copywriter, to write the wording for your website, their work will pay for itself over and over again, with more visitors.
Lynny
NZ's best SEO
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
What is your niche?
One thing that has changed is that now you can target who you want as customers. For B&B's and smaller properties this is even truer.
So you might be environmentally minded and your accommodation may have solo water and have been built to minimise energy usage. Will make sure you state this on your website.
Then look around for websites which promote businesses which are environmentally friendly.
Your property may cater for people with disabilities and you have invested in ramps, accessible bathrooms, bedrooms, etc. Will make a feature of it on your listing.
Again look for websites which are catering for that market.
The key is too identify what your market niche is and go looking for like minded people so you can then share links.
However do check the links every so often as there is nothing worse than discovering a website no longer exists and now is a link exchange or adult site.
This is where a good SEO company will come along and do this for you. It isn't a one off but ongoing - you should be able to negotiate a good price for this service on an annual basis. See this as part of your ongoing advertising campaign.
So you might be environmentally minded and your accommodation may have solo water and have been built to minimise energy usage. Will make sure you state this on your website.
Then look around for websites which promote businesses which are environmentally friendly.
Your property may cater for people with disabilities and you have invested in ramps, accessible bathrooms, bedrooms, etc. Will make a feature of it on your listing.
Again look for websites which are catering for that market.
The key is too identify what your market niche is and go looking for like minded people so you can then share links.
However do check the links every so often as there is nothing worse than discovering a website no longer exists and now is a link exchange or adult site.
This is where a good SEO company will come along and do this for you. It isn't a one off but ongoing - you should be able to negotiate a good price for this service on an annual basis. See this as part of your ongoing advertising campaign.
What 21st Century features do you offer?
So you have a good website and booking system but how do you distinguish yourself from the competition.
You can always try price but ultimately that won't work as everyone can meet your price.
You have your rack of information brochures, great breakfast service, warm and comfortable beds but is that enough to get someone to book you place and also as importantly recommend your place.
So what you 21st century features do you have - some things you might want to consider are:
Yes there is a cost to all these services but if you look at it from the number of extra bed nights booked you will see it won't take much to payback. Remember a guest who also gets a bit extra will recommend your place.
You can always try price but ultimately that won't work as everyone can meet your price.
You have your rack of information brochures, great breakfast service, warm and comfortable beds but is that enough to get someone to book you place and also as importantly recommend your place.
So what you 21st century features do you have - some things you might want to consider are:
- Free wireless internet and/or a free computer so visitors can access there email accounts. If you are on ADSL a wireless network can be established very easily at little cost but your guests will love you for it. Having been charged $25 a night at some Australian hotels means you never ever use their service and also know next time not to book there as effectively you are paying another $25 a night.
- Provide a VOIP phone. Whether it be Skype, your local ISP or some other provider. This means you can charge a minimal amount for phone calls - and most systems allow you to track this in real time so you know what to charge guests.
- After hours phone answering service. At a minimal cost why not have your phone calls when your are not able to answer go to an answering service. Better still use a call centre service like Global Help linked in with Seekom and you can have all booking inquiries managed centrally saving you time and money. Simple requests of do you availability, I am lost how do I get to your place can be answered quickly and promptly allowing you to attend to guests. Any calls that need to can be transferred directly to you. In some cases the service may even be able to handle foreign languages.
Yes there is a cost to all these services but if you look at it from the number of extra bed nights booked you will see it won't take much to payback. Remember a guest who also gets a bit extra will recommend your place.
How to get website visitors without SEO
Hi, as you should know from other posts, I'm an SEO expert, so this might seem like an odd post to write, but hey you must have options huh.
To get visitors to your website without doing SEO you can list your website in directory's like the one owned by the owner of this blog Rainbow Tourism Accommodation Directory this is itself won't get visitors to your site, but when submitting your accommodation website, you have the option of paying a fee to have a link to your website.
In most directory's that will also mean that your website will also appear first in listing and search results.
This will cost you anywhere from $100 to $1500 a year depending on the directory, and how popular it is.
As I have mentioned in another post, some... in fact many directory's will put a no-follow link on these links to your website, which means search engines will not visit your website when they see the link like this, so be careful, you will get visitors though, so some of you may think it's worth it.
Since Canz Design Web Solutions are rebuilding the Rainbow Tourism.com website, we know for sure that that this site does not have this sleazy type of link.
To get visitors to your website without doing SEO you can list your website in directory's like the one owned by the owner of this blog Rainbow Tourism Accommodation Directory this is itself won't get visitors to your site, but when submitting your accommodation website, you have the option of paying a fee to have a link to your website.
In most directory's that will also mean that your website will also appear first in listing and search results.
This will cost you anywhere from $100 to $1500 a year depending on the directory, and how popular it is.
As I have mentioned in another post, some... in fact many directory's will put a no-follow link on these links to your website, which means search engines will not visit your website when they see the link like this, so be careful, you will get visitors though, so some of you may think it's worth it.
Since Canz Design Web Solutions are rebuilding the Rainbow Tourism.com website, we know for sure that that this site does not have this sleazy type of link.
- So not only will you get more visitors,
- The link will cost close to the lower end of the prices I quoted above, and
- The link will help your site get listed higher in search engines, since the search engine will see that the link comes from a website thats about Accommodation, and going to your website which is of course about accommodaion,
- An added bonus is since your website will be listed on rainbow tourism in a category that is about the the country of the world you live in, and the area you live in, that along with the link mentioned above, is seen as a link to your wesite that worth two links.
There of course are other ways, paying for advertising on websites, I heard of a place the other day, that costs $1000 AUS per month, and there is no gaurantee that anyone will click on it.
Then there is always google adwords, but since so many other accommodation websites use adwords, you have to pay hug amounts to get your website just to appear high enough or even on page 1 of google, and then of course if someone clicks on it, you can easily have to pay, $40 + just for one click.
Lynny
The Best SEO
Monday, October 22, 2007
Scam number 2
As discussed earlier here is another example of a scam email.
Subject: Booking request
From: Dr Greenhill
Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2007 16:59:52 -0600
Some easy ways to spot it:
Subject: Booking request
From: Dr Greenhill
Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2007 16:59:52 -0600
Dear Manager,
I am Dr Murrieen Greenhill of university of public health and epidemiology birmingham uk.We have a program in your country and will be sending delegates to your hotel.Please ,kindly provide accommodation for 6guest from the 4th of Jan.to the 12th of Jan 2008 and forward a comprehensive bill for the period so that a credit card will be issued to you for the booking.
Thanks and God bless you.
Dr Greenhill
TELL:+44-702-402-345-8
E-MAIL:murrieen_greenhill28@yahoo.ie, murrieen_greenhill28hotmail.com
Some easy ways to spot it:
- Google Search - put in the name Dr Murrieen Greenhill - check the result here - you will notice the only results are for scam alerts.
- The "God bless you." - of course it may be legit but the telltale signs start to add up.
- The email address it came to - this is a generic email address
- The booking request didn't use our booking system.
- The request about credit cards.
- Yahoo email address.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Interesting Facts about Backpackers - Americans
I was just doing some reasearch for SEO for Rainbow Tourism website, and found out some interesting facts about Americans and how they are searching for Backpackers.
When speaking about Backpackers to a couple of Amercians that have been in NZ and Aussy for a while, they said Amercians don't have a similar thing in the States and the closest thing to it were hostels.
However when doing some research just now I see that Backpackers started being searched for by Americans in about July of 2004, then again in high numbers in about march 2005, still hostels are searched for mostly by Americans looking for cheap accommodation, but they are becoming aware of backpackers, bad news is that the number of searches for backpackers has remained the same since the early 2005 fluatation; while searches for hostels rises in the middle months of the year, which makes sence since it's their summertime.
Doing a few searches for backpackers in the US I find that many hostels are now calling themselves backpacker hostels, so the Americans must like the idea of backpackers, as I believe hostel's don't have such a good name, probably like they were here in NZ a few years ago, places that people especially young ones, or people that were down on their luck, stayed at longterm rather than just a night or two.
Looking at searches for
backpackers australia or hostels australia to see which one search for most, Americans just scrap in at 10th place for doing the search at all.
If you are interested the search I mentioned these are the top 10 countries in the world that do that search are....
1. Australia
2. New Zealand
3. Ireland
4. United Kingdom
5. Switzerland
6. Netherlands
7. Canada
8. Germany
9. France
10. United States
Then from that search, the cities the searchers came from...
Cities
1. Perth, Australia
2. Brisbane, Australia
3. Adelaide, Australia
4. Sydney, Australia
5. Auckland, New Zealand
6. Melbourne, Australia
7. North Shore, New Zealand
8. Canberra, Australia
9. Dublin, Ireland
10. Birmingham, United Kingdom
So knowing that Americans do know about backpackers, if you own one, and belong to the BBH I'd suggest you start getting together and encouraging the BBH to do an advertising campaign in Amercia educating them about what a backpackers is and why they are great places to stay!!!!
Amercians especially young ones or ones with families apparently love to get a campervan and travel around staying at tralior parks, so they are used to sharing facilities, so all they need is the education that high quality cheap accommodation is avaialable here in New Zealand and Australia.
Cheers Lynny
New Zealands Best SEO
When speaking about Backpackers to a couple of Amercians that have been in NZ and Aussy for a while, they said Amercians don't have a similar thing in the States and the closest thing to it were hostels.
However when doing some research just now I see that Backpackers started being searched for by Americans in about July of 2004, then again in high numbers in about march 2005, still hostels are searched for mostly by Americans looking for cheap accommodation, but they are becoming aware of backpackers, bad news is that the number of searches for backpackers has remained the same since the early 2005 fluatation; while searches for hostels rises in the middle months of the year, which makes sence since it's their summertime.
Doing a few searches for backpackers in the US I find that many hostels are now calling themselves backpacker hostels, so the Americans must like the idea of backpackers, as I believe hostel's don't have such a good name, probably like they were here in NZ a few years ago, places that people especially young ones, or people that were down on their luck, stayed at longterm rather than just a night or two.
Looking at searches for
backpackers australia or hostels australia to see which one search for most, Americans just scrap in at 10th place for doing the search at all.
If you are interested the search I mentioned these are the top 10 countries in the world that do that search are....
1. Australia
2. New Zealand
3. Ireland
4. United Kingdom
5. Switzerland
6. Netherlands
7. Canada
8. Germany
9. France
10. United States
Then from that search, the cities the searchers came from...
Cities
1. Perth, Australia
2. Brisbane, Australia
3. Adelaide, Australia
4. Sydney, Australia
5. Auckland, New Zealand
6. Melbourne, Australia
7. North Shore, New Zealand
8. Canberra, Australia
9. Dublin, Ireland
10. Birmingham, United Kingdom
So knowing that Americans do know about backpackers, if you own one, and belong to the BBH I'd suggest you start getting together and encouraging the BBH to do an advertising campaign in Amercia educating them about what a backpackers is and why they are great places to stay!!!!
Amercians especially young ones or ones with families apparently love to get a campervan and travel around staying at tralior parks, so they are used to sharing facilities, so all they need is the education that high quality cheap accommodation is avaialable here in New Zealand and Australia.
Cheers Lynny
New Zealands Best SEO
Thursday, October 18, 2007
www or no www
Have you ever noticed that some websites will work as it were when you put the www in front of the url, and yet go to an page not found, when the www isn't there.... or vise versa?
If you are unlucky enough to have this problem, just get in touch with the company thats hosts your website, and ask them to change the settings so both url's work. It's just a setting in the control panel, which would take only 5 minutes to change.
You may not think it's a problem, but at a recently internet users conference I attended, they said a large % of internet uses, don't think to do something like that, and that if a webpage doesn't show, they will just got to another website. I have to admit, I do know about this, and only now and again, I will think to do it, so it's worth getting fixed.
Unless you have a very big website (hundreds or thousands of pages) you shouldn't be paying more than $20 a month for hosting, more like $10 or less, and if you are only paying $5 or $10 a month your host may make a charge to change it but it's unlikely and as i said it only takes a couple of minutes to do.
Most of our clients only pay $10 a month, we set that particular setting when we first start hosting a website, but would change something like this for free.
Cheers Lynny
SEO Know All
If you are unlucky enough to have this problem, just get in touch with the company thats hosts your website, and ask them to change the settings so both url's work. It's just a setting in the control panel, which would take only 5 minutes to change.
You may not think it's a problem, but at a recently internet users conference I attended, they said a large % of internet uses, don't think to do something like that, and that if a webpage doesn't show, they will just got to another website. I have to admit, I do know about this, and only now and again, I will think to do it, so it's worth getting fixed.
Unless you have a very big website (hundreds or thousands of pages) you shouldn't be paying more than $20 a month for hosting, more like $10 or less, and if you are only paying $5 or $10 a month your host may make a charge to change it but it's unlikely and as i said it only takes a couple of minutes to do.
Most of our clients only pay $10 a month, we set that particular setting when we first start hosting a website, but would change something like this for free.
Cheers Lynny
SEO Know All
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