Search engines are constantly trying to improve their customer’s experience. When you search for something specific, you want the best and most relevant results to appear. The same principle should be applied to marketing strategies. Google affects your marketing when it comes to user privacy, google maps, and relevance at scale.
User Privacy
Google tracks everything its users do: what websites they visit, how long they visit a specific page, what ads attract their attention, etc. This lack of privacy can be a huge advantage for marketers because they can target customers more specifically. However, it also presents a few challenges. Earlier this year, Google announced new changes to user tracking which prohibits third-party cookies. This increases the money Google makes but also increases the security and confidence in knowing who is tracking your information and what you can do about it.
Google Maps is a powerful tool in helping you market your business. When individuals within a geographical area search for something you offer, you are likely to show up in the search results. High reviews and increased SEO strategy bumps you to the top of the list. It is also important to keep your business’s address up to date so users can find you easily. 52% of mobile users use the Google Maps app for directions. When you claim your listing and update your address with google, you invite free advertising for discovering and finding your business. Talk about the effect google maps can have and how to use it to your advantage.
Technological advances continue to create new opportunities for marketing. One of these advances is with AI and machine learning. With artificial intelligence, Google can help hone in on a customer’s preferences and advertise according to the relevance at scale. This targets a very specific audience with a personalized message, resulting in higher sales volume per marketing effort. This also means that a business needs to take more responsibility for finding their customer niche and fulfilling their specific needs to keep them happy. Google helps to find customers on a smaller scale that are more relevant and therefore increase the success rate.
Google is the most popular search engine out there. Set yourself apart from the rest of the competition by using it to your advantage by utilizing the engine to help with user privacy, Google maps, and relevance at scale. To get started on growing your business or for any questions, reach out to us at hey@aamp.agency
For once, Google has announced an algorithm update before it’s happened! 2020 really does just keep throwing us curveballs, huh? The algorithm update will be implemented at some point in the year 2021 according to Google, and it will be focused on-page experience. So what is the update and how can you prepare your tourism business or attraction for it? Keep reading to find out!
What Is Page Experience?
Straight from Google, landing page experience is, “…a set of signals that measure how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page beyond its pure information value. It includes Core Web Vitals, which is a set of metrics that measure real-world user experience for loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability of the page. It also includes existing Search signals: mobile-friendliness, safe-browsing, HTTPS, and intrusive interstitial guidelines.”
In simpler terms, page experience ranks how user-friendly your website is, and it will in turn affect your Google search ranking. Page experience is made up of several existing Google search ranking factors suck as their core web vitals, and more.
What Are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals are Google search signals that include real-world metrics that give scores on aspects of the pages of your website including the load time and stability of the content.
• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures loading performance. For good user experience, your LCP should occur within the first 2.5 seconds of when a page begins to load.
• First Input Delay (FID): FID measure interactivity, pages should have an FID of less than 100 milliseconds.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): CLS measures visual stability, and websites should maintain a CLS of less than 0.1. This is a new metric that looks to see if the page is stable, for example, do images, content, and buttons move around the page as it loads. Google had shared an example of CLS, check it out below.
Other Search Signals
• Mobile-friendly: Your website is mobile friendly and has a responsive page design that allows the page to shrink down to the size of the screen it is being viewed on.
• Safe Browsing: What should seem like an obvious one, this search signal checks to see if your website is safe and is not full of malware.
• HTTPS: Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (https) is a combination of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) with the Secure Socket Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol.
• No Intrusive Interstitials: The content of the page is easy to access for users.
How To Prepare For The Google Page Experience Algorithm Update
Google has promised at least a six-months notice before the new update rolls out. The only way to prepare your website now is to perform an audit of your website. Take a hard look at your loading times, content, and all of the other search signals previously discussed. Is your site mobile friendly? Do your pages load within the first 2.5 seconds? Once you’ve determined what areas of your website are in need of attention, you need to have a skilled website developer address these issues. Don’t know where to begin? That’s when you should be giving us a call. We’ve also written a few tips to help you on your SEO journey, so check those out here.
Ensure You Have Great Content
While being mobile-friendly and providing a great user experience, nothing will beat having amazing content! Google has made it clear that to rank highly in a Google search, your website needs to have great and relevant content.
Conclusion
Do you think the website for your tourism business or attraction will pass the test once the new Google page experience algorithm is released? If not, we recommend giving us a call. At AAMP Agency, we have years of experience in website development for tourism businesses, attractions, and destinations. Our team of expert web developers will ensure that your business has a beautiful and well-functioning site, while our google ad experts & social media team will increase web traffic and bookings. Contact us today to get started.
Search engine optimization (aka SEO) is thrown around often in digital marketing for the tourism industry. It is the practice of setting up your website to gain more visibility on search engines such as Google. By utilizing SEO tactics, your website could earn one of the top spots on Google and other search engines. If your SEO is done correctly, you could see a significant increase in your web traffic however you need to fully understand the process. Keep reading for our SEO Tips for Tourism Businesses, Attractions, and Destinations.
1. Prove Your Site is Secure By Being An Https Site
Having a secure https site instead of an Http site will be better for SEO in the future as Google will start to emphasize more on security.
2. Use Google Analytics
SEO isn’t all about getting a high ranking site! To measure if your SEO is successful, take a peek at your Google Analytics account to see if organic website traffic is increasing and resulting in conversions.
3. Don’t Forget To Optimize Meta Descriptions & Titles
Meta descriptions and titles may not have an impact on the search ranking, but they do affect your site. Use meta descriptions and titles of your site pages to entice a searcher to click on your site.
4. Intent Over Exact Matches
Don’t try to fill your website pages with exact match keywords, search engines are no longer looking for this. Google now matches the searcher’s intent with the general intent of your page. They do this by looking for synonyms related to your target keywords that match what the viewer is searching for.
5. Write Clear Headlines
Headlines on your website are extremely important and should be somewhere between 4 to 9 words. These headlines inform viewers (not search engines), what your page is about. In order to have stellar SEO, you need to remember that you are optimizing your website for users first & foremost.
6. Avoid Keyword Stuffing
Keyword stuffing is the practice of filling a webpage with as many keywords and meta tags as possible. While this tactic had worked in the early days of SEO, it will now negatively affect your SEO ranking.
7. Stick To Basics
When it comes to the homepage of your website, keep it simple! Less is more in this case. Your homepage content should be long enough to clarify what your business does, your location, and how to book! If your homepage is filled with too much content and feels overwhelming to users, you could not only be affecting your ranking, but you will also miss out on bookings.
8. Quality Not Quantity
When building your web pages, keep in mind that you do not need a lot of them. Focus on the quality of each page, making it user-friendly, and easy to understand.
9. Utilize Alt Text For Your Images
Optimize all of the images on your website using alt text and descriptive file names to boost your page relevance.
10. Mobile Responsive
Ensure that your site is mobile responsive, meaning it can adjust itself to a variety of screen sizes. In 2015, websites that weren’t mobile-optimized saw an average of a 5% decline in organic traffic, and that has only increased since then.
11. Create A Google My Business Account
Verify and optimize a Google My Business account with your brand and location page. Google will be continuing to take steps to show the best local content to searchers.
12. Watch Your Backlinks
Google and other search engines know when you have sketchy sites linking back to your website. If you don’t get rid of them, this will negatively affect your SEO ranking. You can monitor your backlinks in Google Search Console, and then disavow any suspicious-looking links that point to your sire.
SEO affects many aspects of your marketing strategy, from content on your website to the user experience. However, as important as SEO is, the main point is to optimize your website to provide a good overall experience to viewers. The better of an experience that viewers have with your website, the better your organic traffic will be!
At AAMP Agency | Adventure & Activity Marketing Pros, we’ve combined our extensive knowledge of digital marketing, website development and more with our passion for all things tourism-related. If you’ve got any questions or need help in growing your business, contact us today.
Around 93% of people’s online experiences start with a search engine. It’s important to know local SEO statistics so you can attract people near you to your attraction.
Local SEO can take your destination attraction to the next level. When people are searching for a company like yours, you want to be sure that your attraction’s page is at the top of the results.
You, too, can experience the glory that local SEO can create for you.
The following statistics will show you just how important local SEO is:
Local SEO Statistics
1. 72% of consumers who do a local search tend to visit stores within 5 miles of their location. By improving your local SEO, your business becomes more visible to the people in your surrounding area. People don’t want to travel far to buy goods, so your chances of scoring a sale are higher when your SEO is good.
2. 86% of people use Google Maps to look up business locations. Your attraction’s location should be clearly marked on Google so consumers can find you. Lacking visibility on Google and other search engines can cost you business.
3. 73% of all online activity is local. That means most people are searching for local businesses. By making yourself visible on the search engine, you’re making yourself more visible to potential customers.
You should also be active on social media. This increases your web presence and makes it easier to be noticed by consumers.
4. 85% of shoppers search for local businesses online. That’s right: people are literally looking for businesses like yours all the time. You should have as much information available to your customers online as possible.
That way, your customers can find your business and make purchasing decisions as soon as possible.
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Sales
Improving your local SEO will increase your sales. You will see a boost in the number of people who notice and patronize your business.
Here are some local SEO statistics dealing with sales and purchases. The numbers speak for themselves:
5. 78% of location-based mobile searches lead to an offline purchase. The more visible you are in the search engine results, the better your sales will be. Let your location work in your favor by grabbing the number one spot on the search engine.
The majority of internet users don’t look past the first page of search results, so it’s important to stand out as early as possible.
6. 61% of local searches result in a purchase within two hours. Over half of local searches work in your favor. You’re directly increasing your sales by improving your local SEO.
Make sure your site runs as quickly as possible. This will increase your SEO ranking as well as your customers’ experiences with your site.
7. Local searches convince half of mobile users to visit a business within a day of their search. Increasing your local SEO will send more customers to your attraction. This, in turn, will increase your sales via more customers and word of mouth.
Your Attraction is Counting On You
Utilizing local SEO statistics and practices is one of the smartest decisions you’ll make in your life.
You’ll see a major difference in your attraction if you get on the local SEO train soon.
Contact an expert to learn more about local SEO tactics and how they can benefit you. You won’t regret it.
