How to Optimize Your Travel Website for Increased Search Engine Visibility?

 

By now all online business operators and webmasters have realized there is no website in any category of search option on the Internet that could not benefit substantially from the rich dividends of search engine optimization. With the exponentially increasing e-commerce and online trade ventures floating into the World Wide Web every passing moment, it would only be foolish and ignorant to avoid implementing SEO for your website. In a highly competitive and congested industry sector such as package tours and travel, SEO is the only lifeline for newer entrants to gain identity amidst surging competition. Below mentioned are a few tips on how to optimize a travel website with simple tweaks to exploit maximum profit from SEO on traffic from Google, which contributes to more than 95% traffic for any website.

1. Device Specific Customized User Interface Experience

In the current day and age, desktop and laptops constitute a minority share amongst devices used for accessing and browsing the Internet. With the rising number of mobile users accessing the Internet on the go, it is high time webmasters and online business owners took notice of this gaping reality and acknowledge the same with necessary amends. If creating a separate website for mobile users does not seem feasible, it is expected that all websites at least have a distinct mobile version of the main website with device specific interfaces to facilitate the users query more effectively. Websites which have incompatible WebPages or disproportionately displaying queries in unaesthetic presentation usually do not result in a pleasant user experience and is most likely to end the consumer journey prematurely.

2. Creating More Avenues For Incoming Traffic

Along with an active and regularly updated website it is also very important for a travel enterprise to create strong and long-lasting digital footprints that can be traced back their timeline. This is laying the foundation stone for the branding exercise, the edifice of support on which every brand is supposed to emerge tall. Only when an organisation receives recognition for their authority in the industry for subject matter expertise from contemporaries and consumers alike do they grow into a successful brand with value. Being present and active in different and diverse mediums on the Internet not only contributes to a share of voice on the market but also leaves back the digital signature which can be traced back to the brand, hence creating scope for new incoming traffic. This contributes to increase in brand value as the visitor, although their first time on the brand website, has a prior context from the reference of origin.

3. Building Strong Brand Presence on Social Media

Social Media is one of the first and foremost tool of every webmaster and the preferred choice of weapon for every digital marketing professional. From a brand perspective too, one cannot ignore the extensive reach irrespective of territorial regulations that social media presents as a viable medium. Different social media sites have a different consumer appeal and hence the brand strategy needs to be carefully devised for every social medium that it wishes to identify its digital presence with. The same content strategy that a brand adopts for Facebook will not be successful in attracting or engaging users on Twitter as both are exclusive social networking sites with their own unique user experiences. Hence it needs to be taken into careful consideration which digital mediums one’s brand is most suited for, before launching. Instagram for example works best for travel websites with exclusive high-resolution images from exotic locations displaying rare experiences. Consistently proving an ability to reproduce content on the same level of engagement can go forward to building a strong brand presence for a travel company on Instagram, resulting in a consumer pool with relevant targeted customers.

4. Hosting an Active Blog

A blog is the most effective tool of communication that any website can boast of in its extensive arsenal of user engagement tools. A blog is not just an organisation’s voice and most natural response to an online loyalty outreach program but it also goes a long way in establishing the stepping stone for an interest-based community initiative as well.  When it comes to direct end user interaction and consumer information details, the potential and capability of a blog is extremely understated. However, bloggers have filled this gap successfully with their exemplary display of community leadership and how it substantially is a tangible reflection of influence over consumer decisions in a certain favour or direction. Maintaining an active blog is absolutely essential for every travel company to keep the brand alive in their consumer’s recollection and keep reminding them like a dutiful friend how badly they need a vacation.

5. Creating an Authoritative Presence in Industry Through Active Interaction

Apart from a strong online presence through blogs and social media, the third pillar of every successful brand is category-based engagements and interactions. Building a brand is essentially carving an identity and giving an inanimate object a relatable personality. Like the Pillsbury Doughboy, which allows every brand to expand beyond its inherent limitations and initiate and establish direct relationships with their users across all age barriers. This way an 8-year-old girl could influence their parent’s decision in favour of Pillsbury as the secondary consumer due to the direct relationship she shares with the Pillsbury Doughboy. Similarly, it is recommended every travel brand carve its unique identity with a distinct personality through their industry specific engagements and interactions. Enrolling in travel-based forums and actively participating in conventions and industry specific discussions can help in build an authoritative figure for every brand in their relevant category.

6. Improved Design for Enhanced User Navigation Experience

The Website Visual Optimizer is a tool that allows webmasters to tweak the positioning of their CTA buttons on the WebPages with respect to best chances of conversion. It has been scientifically proven that conversion chances for specific CTA buttons on every website are subject to their positioning based on extensive research and observation of consumer browsing pattern. Hence a travel company’s website needs to pay added attention to ensure its high priority CTA buttons are adherent to visual optimization norms and restrictions to ensure maximum response for their engagement initiatives. A simple yet smart and lucid website design abets the chances of a visitor completing their consumer duration on the website and results in higher conversion rates.

7. Vibrant Colour Scheme

Bright affable colours, as proven statistically have resulted in a more enjoyable user experience with returning numbers rather than strong and bold colours. Also colour scheme in context with design is an important aspect as it should make things easily perceivable and comprehensible by the users. As mentioned earlier travel is an industry that is extremely perception intensive as an online business category. Hence aesthetic presentation aided by easy readability and high resolution unique imagery and effective communication are key to breaking through as an online travel company.

8. Applying Schema Markup for Website

The schema markup tag should be included in all websites for a structured markup display on search results. This makes the websites contents systematically displayed on search results itself thereby enhancing the user experience and providing them with better choice to segregate their available choices.

9. Competitor Analysis

The last but nevertheless not the least important of all marketing tactics is to remember SEO is not scoring maximum marks in an examination. Rather SEO is about standing first in a class by outscoring the competition. Especially for the travel industry which is extremely cut throat competitive and very dynamic, undergoing change and transformation on a regular basis, the only way to hold fort and stay ahead of competition is to keep a close track of what the immediate competition and industry leaders are doing with their respective brand along with identifying the latest trends in consumer approach adapted by brands. Assimilating competitor information is half the battle won because once you know what your competitors are doing, not only can you match them in those departments but also create a scope for outscoring them in other departments. Moreover, it opens up a new window identifying areas that have not been exploited yet for profit. SEO is an intelligent mix of art and science and hence good and effective SEO can never be the product of a single action but rather the fruits born by consistent and continuous directed labour with the intent outdoing the competition.

The above points clearly illustrate how making minor changes and adjustments to one brand presence can go a long way in increasing their traction and eventually conversions. Making the above changes and introducing the recommended extensions one can definitely reap rich dividends from their exploits in SEO. Better SEO contributes to better visibility and hence more traffic including returning ones as well. So, have fun implementing these changes in your website and share your experiences of the differences you noticed in your website’s overall performance after making the changes.