tips and tricks

build a professional website

The key to a good site is to make sure customers can easily find what they are looking for, so appealing design, effortless navigation, and original, credible content is more important than bells and whistles.

start a search engine optimization initiative

Ensure your site is capable of being listed in the natural search engine results by considering SEO in its design phase. An SEO program typically involves restructuring a website to make it more accessible to search engines, integrating relevant keywords in the body, title tags and other page elements, and increasing links from popular and relevant websites.

use paid search engine marketing

Paid search marketing is a cost effective way to achieve visibility across search engines and send targeted prospects to your website. Choose relevant keywords, write compelling ad copy and develop relevant landing pages that encourage visitors to act. To optimize your campaign track sales on your site.

advertise online

Online ads can be effective but you must ensure ads are placed on relevant websites and are compelling people to click. They can be used to deliver targeted website traffic, capture data, and build brand awareness.

engage in online reputation management

Build trust and credibility by taking part in relevant forums, mailing lists, message boards and blogs. Web communities provide an opportunity, but sensitivity is crucial, as potential customers are looking for genuine advice, not a sales pitch.

build up your own e-mail lists

E-mail is a relatively cheap and effective way to communicate with customers. Encourage them to submit e-mail addresses by providing incentives such as fact sheets, competitions and discounts. Ensure your e-mails provide an easy way for customers to unsubscribe.

explore online PR opportunities

Distribute search engine-optimized press releases and thought pieces via e-mail and newswire services, but be sure to co-ordinate this with offline efforts for maximum coverage.

integrate offline and online strategies

Offline and online communications strategies need to be integrated. At the most basic level ensure your URL is displayed across every appropriate communications touch point. Advertising, PR, sales promotions, direct mail, exhibitions and word of mouth can all be used.

under-promise, over-deliver

Online customers have high expectations and are easily disappointed. If you claim to reply to web enquiries within 24 hours make sure you can.

know key elements

The key elements of successful natural search are: search term research, reviewing website structure; fresh content creation; and maintaining link equity on an ongoing basis.

decision time

Research shows that most savvy internet users search six times before making a purchase decision. For example, consumers will start with research terms such as 'holiday Bali', and move on to really qualified terms, such as 'luxury Valentine's city break Nusa Dua', or even individual hotel names.

perfect mix

Use the search engines' free tools, along with any data from your own web analytics and paid search campaigns - to research a search term list. More people will search for the generic destination terms, while fewer will search for the specific terms. Go for good mix across this research cycle.

say it again

Weave your chosen search terms through your site pages. Map the terms to the homepage, destination, resort, activity and hotel pages. Group similar terms together on one page. Mention the search term about five times on each page.

think laterally

Add destination guides, reviews, maps and other forms of engaging content to house the search terms. This will make for a more interesting customer experience, and increase your chance of conversion.

get focused

Each page should focus on one topic only and should not be over optimized. Each page needs its own title, heading and meta-description. Every page is a potential entry point for a user - so avoid driving them away with incomprehensible content designed just for search engines.

take credit

The number of credible, relevant and useful incoming links to your website is essential to top listings with all the major search engines. Google is better at crediting the quality of links, while Yahoo! and MSN rely more on on-page relevance.

visiting time

When assessing the worth of a website for a possible link, look at the type of visitors that website is attracting and whether they reflect the right type of visitor. Links on other websites will also drive visitors to your website, as well as help with rankings.

link it up

Make sure the link text pointing to your site from another describes what your company is about. Linking directly to internal pages is better for visitors and search engines, for example, 'click here for information on our holidays in the Riaus'.

stay ethical

Avoid unethical SEO techniques. For more detailed information visit each search engine's guidelines for webmasters, but most unacceptable tactics are common to nearly all of the major search engines. Basically, don't:

• hide content or links;
• create 'doorway pages' to be shown only to search engines;
• participate in link program to artificially boost link equity (link
  farms); and
• link to bad neighborhoods - those breaking the rules.