Webs Refresh Blog

Integration and Promotions on Hotel Websites

admin — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:00:45 +0000

A hotel website is much more than just a promotional tool for your business; technology is such that the modern version will include everything from online booking services through virtual tours, along with local guides to attractions and facilities and a full range of available options. However, there is something more that you should consider: promotions need to be pushed to the fore, as people are more likely to take up an attractive offer if they see it in what is, effectively, the shop window. There is much to be said for keeping your offers fresh and changing, as this keeps customers interested.

Integrating your Systems

Offers that tend to attract customers include discounts during off-peak periods, specials on family or group bookings, and business offers for those using your premises for conferences or meetings. These can be presented in a special section on your website, but there are two aspects that are important: prominence and integration. Discounts and offers should be prominent on the website rather than hidden away, as this allows people to get to them quickly. Furthermore, by integrating the booking system so that customers can confirm their booking their and then you are providing a streamlined system that is attractive and simple to use.

Automatic Application

Integrating your booking system with your promotions makes things much easier for everyone: an experience web designer will be able to give you a system whereby the discounts on any promotions are applied automatically at the point of booking. It is always best to bring in an expert to help get the best out of your website, as the industry has moved forward at an alarming pace across the past few years. There is plenty to consider when refreshing your hotel website, and understanding what gives the best results is essential to getting the right design.

Hotel Websites in the 21st Century

admin — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:00:07 +0000

The modern hotel is much more than just a place to stay; many feature business facilities such as conference rooms and meetings centres, others offer top quality restaurants and there are various different classes of clientele. However, one thing remains – the importance of the hotel website, and why it differs from websites aimed at other businesses. Hotel websites need to be in tune with what makes the internet so important in terms of marketing, and with the goal posts changing all the time it is vital that professional advice is taken in order to get the best result.

Revamp your Hotel Website

The chances are that your hotel already has a website – if not, it really should – but when was the last time you had someone give it a serious make-over? There are so many differences in terms of the way website look, how they operate, and how the search engines treat them now, even compared to as recently as five years ago. The trick to keeping a step ahead of the opposition is to make sure your website is up to date with the latest search engine algorithms, and to keep ahead of all changes that take place in the future.

Why SEO is so Important

The all important aspect of websites is search engine optimisation (SEO) which remains the most powerful tool involved in getting your website noticed. SEO is no longer just about putting the right words in the right places – it also involves having relevant, well-written copy on your site, and keeping up to date with Google changes. The search engines like to keep ahead of the trends used to place website high on their lists, but this does not stop the experts from making sure you get noticed. Make sure to refresh your site regularly, and keep your customers keen.

Great Writing Means Business

admin — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:00:06 +0000

The internet is rapidly becoming the most popular and effective method of promoting a business, and for any type of business a website is an absolute must. Websites have become easier to build in recent years – indeed, many people make their own nowadays and with great results – but for some industries it may be better to make sure you have an expert on hand to give you the best result. The hotel and hospitality industry is one such specialist area, primarily because the site is not promoting a product – or range of products – but something much more varied.

Getting it Right

Some will tell hoteliers that all they need is an up to date website with great images, a booking system and effective search engine optimization (SEO), but there is something else that needs to be considered: the actual content of your website will be scrutinized in detail by the search engines, and they place a high value upon good quality, relevant and well-written content. Of course, not everybody is a natural writer, so where do you turn for your copy? There may be someone in your team who is adept at creating engaging and readable website copy, but these days it does not cost much to get an expert to do the job for you.

Using Modern Platforms

A further consideration lies in making sure that your hotel website is accessible by the most commonly used form of internet access – the hand-held smart phone. Even the most basic of mobile phones now has full internet access, and they are increasingly used to view hotel websites, check availability and make a booking. Your old site may not be optimised for mobiles, but without any doubt it needs to be. By asking the experts you are getting the very best, up to the minute website for your hotel – you cannot ask more than that!

Give Google what it wants!

admin — Tue, 14 May 2013 17:00:43 +0000

How aware are you of the importance of search engines in relation to your hotel website? Many hoteliers made the right move and had a neat and effective website created a few years ago, and many of them have made the common mistake of not having it regularly updated. The crux of the matter is: if you are not noticed by the search engines, you will not be seen by a massive selection of potential customers. By making sure that your website is correctly optimized for search engines you are ensuring that you get the most out of your website and keep ahead of the opposition.

The Secrets of SEO

Until relatively recently search engine optimization (SEO) was a simple process. You merely needed to ensure that relevant keywords were placed throughout the copy on your website. However, with the growing numbers of websites in the hotel industry and others, Google has repeatedly streamlined its methods of crawling the websites to rank them, and it is essential that you engage an expert in SEO who is up to date with the current requirements of Google and the other major search engines. Efficient SEO is among the most important aspects of marketing your hotel.

Regular Updates

The importance of regularly refreshing your website cannot be emphasised too strongly; the modern website is not something that is created and left alone, it needs to be constantly kept abreast of developments in the world of SEO and website design. The advent of smartphones – fast becoming the most popular way of browsing the internet for products and services online – has changed the way people think about websites, as well as the way in which they are presented. If you need refreshing you should seriously consider talking to an SEO expert and getting up to date with the latest ways of making your website visible.

Using Maps on Your Hotel Website

admin — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:00:48 +0000

When potential clients look at your hotel website they want to see a variety of things: they want to be able to see a full rendition of the rooms and facilities you have on offer, and to read the details of your prices. They also want to see information on any special offers you may have, and check out the availability of rooms. More than anything they want to be able to book online, in an instant, and receive confirmation that their booking has been accepted. All of this is part and parcel of a good hotel website, but how do you go one better?

Location Details

Online services these days include detailed maps that can be accessed by GPS systems, and by incorporating these services into your website you can give potential clients something even more useful, and take a step forward from your competitors. With maps on your website you can pinpoint exactly where you are, and people can see that your location is more convenient than that of nearby rivals. It’s all quite simple, and with expert help in designing and building your website, you can make sure that yours is the one that has the most impact.

SEO and Building Trade

The importance of search engine optimisation (SEO) is more relevant in hotels than in many other types of website, thanks in no small part to the competitive nature of the industry, and while you may have the greatest looking website in the business it will not bring in the business if the search engines do not rank it highly enough. It is difficult to stress how important expert SEO can be, and it pays to make sure you have an expert on hand to advise and help with your SEO strategy.

Use Technology to the Full for the Best Hotel Website

admin — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:00:32 +0000

The advance of technology in web design means that there is plenty you can do to make sure your hotel website gives the very best impression of the facilities you have to offer. It may be that you have a website already, and it needs a little freshening up, or that you want a complete redesign to keep things abreast of developments, but even if you are setting up a completely new site you need to consider certain possibilities. Visual impact is everything when it comes to a hotel website, so let’s have a look at a couple of tricks you can use to make yours as good as it gets.

360 Degree Tours

Graphics are very versatile these days, and even the most basic of smartphones can perform some amazing feats; check out the very best hotel websites and you will see that they allow viewers to take 360degree tours of rooms, restaurants and other facilities, and such features mean that your customers can get a proper look at what you have to offer. Experts in web design can make your hotel website as good as the very best, and boost your business as a result.

Online Booking Made Easy

Your clients want to be able to look at a room, check out the facilities and view availability, and then you want them to book a reservation. How great would it be if they could book online, there and then? Such interactive features are part and parcel of the best hotel websites, and can be incorporated into your refreshed or new website. Your bookings will increase if it is easy to book at the touch of a button, so it makes a lot of sense to make sure your website is geared towards online booking from hand held devices.

SEO and the Hotel Website

admin — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:00:21 +0000

Creating the perfect hotel website is about making sure you get the right information across to the right people. Search engine optimisation – SEO – is a vital part of the process, but what is it all about? Contrary to popular belief, SEO is not a dark art; it is simply a way of getting people to look at your website, rather than your competitors. Careful consideration of website content can lead to search engines finding your website more attractive than others, and this means you get more hits than you might have expected.

Planning and Design

The trick is to get the right keywords in the right places; the professionals know how to achieve the right ratio, but there is more to it than that. In addition to the content of the website, the design has to look the part, and these days it is essential that hotel websites are designed to be suitable for smartphones as well as on computer screens. The chances are that your hotel is used by travelling businessmen and women, and they are keen to use the sophisticated systems available on mobile phones to get the information they need.

Online Booking

Once you have drawn your potential customers to your website you need to offer them the possibility of booking from the site, and if this can be achieved on a smartphone there is much more versatility for those on the move. The technology we use to run our daily lives has come a long way in the past few years, and the speed and efficiency with which hotel bookings can be made on hand held devices means this is the way forward where design is concerned. Getting the professionals to design the very best website for your hotel means you get the business you deserve.

Make Your Hotel Stand Out from the Crowd

admin — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:00:24 +0000

One of the most common mistakes that people make when designing a hotel website is overlooking the changing face of technology. Many people have a beautifully conceived website designed, and believe that’s all they need to do. The fact is that there is much more to it, especially in the competitive arena that is the hotel market. So, what can you do to make sure your hotel website is the one people visit? Let’s talk, at first, about search engine optimisation, or SEO.

The Truth about SEO

SEO is the key to making your website more visible to potential customers. When you consider that millions of webs searches are made every day it is clear that making your hotel website search engine friendly is absolutely vital. It is a carefully considered exercise, and one that is best carried out by people who understand the situation. Search engines such as Google move the goalposts all the time; where it was once sufficient to create content that was simply heavy with keywords, nowadays the approach is one of quality rather than quantity, and experts understand exactly what is required.

Make it user-friendly

Another common mistake in website design is to concentrate on how it looks at the expense of how it works; a website can be beautiful to look at, but if it’s difficult to navigate people will not stay around. Remember that many of your potential customers will be using a mobile phone, and they want to be able to have a look at you facilities, and see available rooms, as well as booking online. Getting this right is not the work of a moment, and by using experts in the business you can come up with a beautifully conceived, easy to use and search engine optimised website that will help build your business.

Just What Your Hotel Website Needs!

admin — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:00:16 +0000

Every hotel needs a good website, but there are good websites and then there are those that are excellent. By using the services of professionals who understand both the hotel business and the online world you can get the best marketing portal possible, and you can offer your existing and potential clients a service that is second to none. All websites should be regularly refreshed in order to keep things up to date and relevant, and there are many new innovations in website design emerging all the time. Let’s have a look at some of the most important factors where hotel websites are concerned.

Efficiency and Style

One mistake that some hoteliers make is to assume that the website is there to look good and provide information; in fact, the modern website is much more than just a showcase. Websites are a vital marketing tool, but you should aim to make sure they help your clients to get what they need. Online booking services are absolutely essential; the potential customer wants to be able to take a virtual tour around your hotel, to check your location, and to book a room from their mobile handset.

Getting the Point Across

It’s all very well having a great website, but you need to get people to go to it. This can be difficult in a competitive environment, hence the need for effective search engine optimisation, or SEO. This involves making sure your content is attractive to search engines, and there are ways to do this that are best handled by the experts. Search engines use complex algorithms to determine the suitability of a site, and the methods used to work this out change all the time as the systems are improved and refined. The changing goalposts mean that you need to keep abreast of the changes, and that’s why you should keep your website refreshed and up to date at all times.oteHpH

Is Your Website Earning Its Keep?

admin — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:00:26 +0000

In the hotel industry there is no doubt that a website is an essential tool, but all too often hoteliers do not make them work to their best effect. It is all too easy to create a great looking website, and to leave it at that. But that’s only part of what websites are all about. While the idea is to portray information, it is also true that websites can now be used in an interactive fashion to provide a service. This is where the hotel industry can make the greatest gains of all.

Online Interaction

Imagine you are a businessman or woman who needs to find a hotel in a certain area, quickly and while on the move. You can use your mobile smartphone to locate a hotel in the vicinity, take a virtual look at the rooms and facilities, and check the availability of suitable rooms. Then, if you are satisfied, you can book your room, receive a confirmation, and relax, safe in the knowledge that you have a room for the night. All of this – and more – can be done, and in cases where the hotelier has been sensible, has been done.

Getting it Right

The problem is, if you have a website that is more than a few years old it will most likely not be optimised for use on smartphones, and may also be out of date in terms of search engine optimisation. This is why your website probably needs to be refreshed, and brought up to date with modern practices and systems. Building business is about getting the message across to the prospective clients as efficiently as possible, and by using the services of experts who will regularly update your system and keep it in top order, you can stay ahead of the pack.