Your website is your virtual storefront, and it needs to look sharp, welcoming, and up-to-date. If your website looks like it's from the '90s, potential guests will assume your hotel is stuck in the past. So, let's dive into why having an updated website is so vital for hoteliers.
User Experience
If you want clients to book direct, your website must be easy to navigate and visually appealing. You don't want potential guests to get confused trying to find information about your hotel, or worse, give up and book elsewhere. A well-designed website can make all the difference in helping guests find what they need quickly and easily.
An outdated website can give potential guests the impression your hotel is behind the times and out of touch. Conversely, a modern and well-designed website can make a positive first impression and give guests confidence your hotel is up-to-date and professional. Remember, your website is often the first point of contact with potential guests, so make it count.
Accessibility
When it comes to designing a hotel website, it's best to keep the ADA in mind. By designing your website with accessibility in mind, you're ensuring everyone has equal access to the information and services on your website, including guests with visual impairments, hearing impairments, or mobility impairments. An accessible website can also improve your website's search engine ranking and increase your potential guest base. So, whether it's through alt tags for images, closed captions for videos, or easy-to-use navigation, making your website accessible is just good business sense.
Visibility
You could have the most beautiful hotel in the world, but if potential guests can't find you online, you're not going to get many bookings. Search engines like Google prioritize websites that are well-designed, easy to navigate, and regularly updated. So, if your website hasn't been updated in years, you're missing out on valuable search engine optimization (SEO) opportunities. By keeping your website up-to-date, you're increasing your chances of appearing at the top of search engine results pages, making it more likely that potential guests will find and book with you.
Bookings
If we’re being honest, all the above factors work together to help you get more direct bookings. Your website is a powerful tool for increasing bookings and revenue for your hotel. An updated website with clear information and easy booking processes makes it more likely that potential guests will book with you. A well-designed website can streamline the booking process (and even nudge potential guests to click the “book now” button), making it more likely that guests will book with you and less likely to book with a competitor.
So, what should you do to keep your website up-to-date? Here are a few tips:
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Regularly update your website with fresh content and new photos. This shows that your hotel is active and engaged with potential guests.
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Make sure your website is optimized for mobile devices. More and more guests are using their smartphones to browse and book hotels, so you want to make sure your website looks great on any device.
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Keep your navigation clear and easy to use. Guests should be able to find what they're looking for quickly and easily.
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Use high-quality photos and videos to showcase your hotel. Guests want to see what they're getting before they book, so make sure your visuals are top-notch.
Your website is your virtual storefront, and it needs to look sharp, welcoming, and up-to-date to make a positive impression on potential guests. By prioritizing user experience, accessibility, visibility, and bookings, you can create a website that attracts guests and helps your hotel thrive in the digital age.
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About Vizergy® Digital Marketing
For more than 20 years, Vizergy has served the hospitality industry with leading marketing technologies, knowledgeable talent and exceptional service for clients worldwide. The company deploys complete travel life-cycle marketing solutions from conversion-optimized website design to award-winning digital marketing programs, reservation solutions, media planning and execution. Vizergy’s platform is touted as the #1 digital marketing system – easy to use, turnkey and SMART, and continually enhanced with tools to help hotels compete and maximize revenue. At Vizergy, hospitality marketing is not only our mission, it’s our sole focus. For more information, please visit Vizergy.com.