3 Issues That Sink Your Tourism Business Website

In theory, building a great website for a hotel, resort, or other tourism-related business should be easy. Remind travelers that you offer a wonderful experience in an unbeatable locale, use some smart marketing and advertising to bring searchers your way, and the bookings should come rolling in…shouldn’t they?

It’s not always so easy in the online world. That’s because people can be very demanding when it comes to their precious vacation savings, and your competitors are only a click away. For that reason, it’s imperative you not only have a practical Internet marketing plan in place, but that your website is free from obvious errors or shortcomings.

Today, we want to highlight three website blunders in particular that can keep would-be vacationers away from your business…

#1 Your Site Isn’t Responsive for Mobile

More than half of all web traffic now originates from web-ready mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Within the tourism business, that percentage is often much higher. After all, people like to shop for vacations from the couch, not the computer desk. And of course, you can bet some people will be looking you up after they’ve already arrived in your town. 

All of this, on top of knowing it also affects your SEO, makes it incredibly important that your website be compatible with these smaller screens. That means making the easy and affordable upgrade to a responsive web design, if you haven’t already.

#2 Browsers Say You’re Not Secure

Since October of the past year, a number of web browsers (including Chrome and Safari) have begun indicating whether website connections are secure or not when anyone submits any information through your site.  If not using https (a secure server), the words “NOT SECURE” will show up next to your domain name in the Google Chrome browser window when your visitors begin to complete any forms on your site.

When this occurs, it is possible travelers may not want to submit any information through your pages to request information or secure bookings.  In fact, they may not want to remain on your website at all.

Adding secure SSL functionality to your website isn’t difficult, and it won’t cost you much.  Why not give yourself every advantage when it comes to attracting travelers and securing bookings? Just give us a call and we’ll help.

#3  Your Website Loads Slowly

Typically, when someone is looking for vacation options, two things are true: they are excited, and they are researching on their own free time. Put these two factors together, and you have the recipe for impatience.

If your website takes a long time to load – because of the way it has been built and coded, or because your web hosting package is slow – then you’re going to have a hard time keeping potential guests on your pages. The issues that cause slow web performance are typically easy to fix, but they will hurt your business if you let them persist over time.  You may even decide to forego some of those javascript imports in favor of direct links. 

Don’t Let Website Issues Hold Your Tourism Business Back

Do you have any of these site issues holding you back? If so, now is the time to correct them. Travelers start their vacation planning online, and usually finish it there, as well. A recent Traveler Attribution Study conducted by Expedia Media Solutions shows that travelers visit an average of 38 sites before they book. You want to make sure yours stands out. 

No amount of high-resolution photos, glossy brochures, or even positive word-of-mouth advertising can save you from a poor website in the digital age. Let Compucast’s tourism marketing experts take your website and online marketing campaign to the next level. Contact the creative team at Compucast today to see what we can do for you.