web development

Why Your Tourism Website Needs to Be Mobile Responsive

by t@aamp.agency | May 21, 2021 | Web Development

Did you know that mobile devices make up two-thirds of all web usage? With the rapid advancement of smartphone technology, surfing the web on your cell is becoming more and more commonplace than doing so on a desktop. But what does that mean for you and your tourism business? It means that in order to amplify your visibility and to start reaching your clients on the devices they use, it’s imperative your company start shifting more focus onto the quality of your customers’ mobile experience.

For business owners, the goal is to always create an excellent user experience. A first-rate online user experience often leads to lower bounce rates and stronger customer loyalty, while a negative experience can easily turn off otherwise interested customers. Components such as slow loading speed, difficulty navigating or finding information, and unresponsiveness are all factors that are oftentimes neglected when thinking about a site’s mobile experience. Could you unknowingly be turning away potential clients simply because of how your mobile site is built?

Here are 8 reasons why you should invest in making your tourism website more mobile friendly:

1) Google likes mobile friendly content.

As the most popular search engine in the world, Google knows that most people use their smartphones and other mobile devices to look up their day-to-day information, and will prioritize its search results to match the needs of the user. Optimizing your tourism website and formatting your content to be more mobile friendly will improve your SEO, and in turn, may cause your website to rank higher – expanding your visibility and widening your potential audience.

2) A well-built mobile website helps to build trust.

Approximately 57% of online users won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile website. Making your tourism website more mobile friendly will help to increase your brand’s credibility with new customers and to further legitimize your brand.

3) It makes it easier than ever for potential customers to contact you.

There are many studies that prove convenience impacts consumer behavior. Today, consumers’ lives are busier than ever. Due to this, 83% of participants in a recent study decided convenience was more important now than it was five years ago when considering which companies to give their business to.

People tend to pursue the option that will save them time and effort, meaning the more convenient it is for customers to contact you, the more likely they are to do it. Why miss out on this simple way to improve your lead generation?

4) It will give you a competitive edge.

It’s easy to put off making your website more mobile friendly, but consider this –
chances are your top competitors have already made their website mobile friendly. And as we just discussed, new customers have a tendency to choose the more convenient option. If it’s easier to book a rental, contact a representative, or find more information on your competitor’s mobile site than it is on your own, you may lose out on that client even if you provide the better service. Don’t give your competitors the advantage – make the wise choice and give your business an equal chance.

5) It may help increase your sales.

With each passing year, more and more consumers are relying on their smartphones to perform everyday tasks, such as communicating, socializing, and, of course, shopping. Did you know about 79% of smartphone users have made a purchase online using their mobile device in the last 6 months? You may be missing out on dozens of potential clients everyday solely because it’s difficult to operate your site on the device they’re using.

6) Mobile friendly websites tend to garner more page views per visit and lower bounce rates.

Like with anything else related to your business, an easy and responsive user experience is the ultimate key to a higher conversion rate. If most users are looking you up on their smartphones, it’s a no-brainer to optimize your site to be as accessible as possible for them. Mobile websites that load fast, are easy to navigate, and are legible without needing to zoom in are huge deciding factors in getting a visitor to stay longer on your site and to explore more of its pages.

7) A better mobile experience contributes to customer retention.

It goes without saying that if a customer is satisfied, the higher the chances are they may return or recommend you to others. However, this works both ways – if a customer is unhappy with their experience, it becomes equally likely they’ll never work with you again and may even warn others from working with you too.

Studies show that about 62% of online consumers are unlikely to work with a company again in the future if they had a negative mobile experience. Don’t lose the chance to gain a repeat client, as it’s well known that loyal customers tend to bring in more revenue over the long run than new customers.

8) Mobile devices are typically used to research a service before purchasing.

Did you know that before purchasing from a company, approximately 69% of users (ages 18-39) will research a product or service from their mobile device? This is usually done to compare prices, to contact the company for more information, or to learn more information about a service.

While studies show that most people will complete their purchase on their desktop, they will usually do a mobile search first to help make up their mind – but if your website isn’t mobile friendly, you may lose the opportunity to win them over. How many times have you exited out of a website because it was unresponsive or difficult to use? Don’t miss out on the hundreds of potential customers who visit your website on their mobile device simply because you didn’t invest in a better mobile experience.

What We Can Do to Help

Our professional team of web developers know exactly what your tourism business needs so your customers have a successful mobile experience every time. Here at AAMP Agency, we offer two incredible web building options – both including an optimized, mobile friendly version of your site.

Our AAMPsite Template Website is available for only $750 down, with a $199/mo managed service subscription. Or for more complex sites, our AAMPsite+ Custom Website is available for $2500 down, with a $299/mo managed service subscription – an incredible deal with a great value. We provide everything your tourism business needs to create a strong online presence – from conversion focused designs to on-page search engine optimization. Whether you need 5 pages or 500, we have the skill and experience to create a site you can be proud of that will work great on both desktop and mobile. Start reaching thousands of potential customers on the devices they’re already using – schedule a call with us, and start optimizing your tourism website for mobile today!

9 Must-Haves For Tour Operator Websites

by t@aamp.agency | Aug 4, 2020 | Web Development

together now — Photographer: John Schnobrich | Source: Unsplash

Have a website but it’s not ranking well on search engines or leading to online conversions? Don’t have a website at all and you’re still using expensive mailers and billboards to promote your tour? Stop messing around, because now is the time to assess your digital presence and fix what is broken. In the digital age, consumers are looking for a trustworthy website before completing a purchase. What does your website say about your tourism business? Here are the top 9 Must-Haves For Tour Operator Websites!

1) Clear & Fixed Navigation

One of the most important things you can do for your tourism website is having clear navigation! Make sure that your navigation makes sense, not just to you but your team and anyone with an outside perspective. Before launching your website, ensure that everything in your navigation leads to the appropriate page or content. If a website visitors takes a look at your page and wants to explore further, how can you expect them to if your navigation is confusing or not set up correctly? Chances are, they’ll leave your site and head straight to your competitor.

Another feature that your site should include is a sticky menu! A sticky menu, AKA fixed navigation, is when your navigation bar is locked into place so that it does not disappear when the user scrolls down the page. By having fixed navigation, your website visitors will be able to quickly navigate through your website and find what they want.

Stars & Stripes – Sail USA 11 | San Diego, CA Sailing Charters

2) Easy Booking

Booking with your tourism business needs to be simple! If a visitor wanted to book with your business, but you require them to fill out a contact form and wait to be emailed by you, you are making a HUGE mistake. Booking online should be as easy a 1, 2, 3. One way to accomplish this is by integrating an optimized booking flow with partners such as FareHarbor, XOLA, or PeekPro. While we’re on the topic of easy booking, ensure that your website has prominent booking buttons with an engaging call to action (CTA)! Include “Book Now” buttons on your homepage, and wherever you have a tour or offer.

Vegas Jeep Tours – Prominent "Book Now" Buttons

3) Facebook Pixel & Google Analytics

A Facebook Pixel is a short snippet of code integrated into your website. It collects data that helps you track conversions from Facebook Ads, optimize ads, build targeted audiences, and remarket your tours to website visitors.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that provides information about your website and visitors. More than 56 percent of all websites using Google Analytics, it’s also one of the most popular tools out there for digital marketers — and for good reason. The tool gives you access to tons of information regarding your site’s visitors such as the amount of overall traffic your site gets, where your leads came from, demographic information, and so much more.

By having both, a Facebook Pixel and Google Analytics, integrated into your website, your tourism business will be able to run highly-effective advertisements that will lead to a higher conversion rate!

Photographer: Stephen Phillips – Hostreviews.co.uk | Source: Unsplash

4) Mobile Responsive Design

Another feature that is an absolute must-have is a mobile responsive design! This is where your site has the capability to shrink or expand to the size of whatever screen it is being viewed on. Not only will this increase your conversions, but search engines appreciate this function and will give your tourism website a better ranking.

5) WOW Factor

You’re in the tourism business – everything about it is a WOW factor! What about your tour or tourism business sets you apart from your competition? What is the most captivating and interesting part of your business? Ensure that your website reflects that by adding photos, videos, and eye-catching designs to captivate your website viewers.

Vegas Rally | Rally Racing Experience in Las Vegas

6) Testimonials

Featuring testimonials on your website helps build brand authenticity with your audience. It helps website viewers get an understanding of what your business is about, how well you treat your customers, and what they will experience if they book with you!

Gone Sailing Charters | Sailing Charters in San Diego, CA

7) Live chat support

We live in an age of instant gratification and access to information at our fingertips! By including live chat support or a chatbot, any customer with a question can quickly get their answers, and they will be more likely to book with your business.

Hoover Dam Scooter Tours | Scooter Tours in Las Vegas, NV

8) Social media integration

Adding your Instagram feed is an easy way to keep your site fresh and to avoid becoming static. By adding an Instagram integration, visitors will be able to see new pictures every time they visit (unless you’re not actively posting). By doing so, you will develop better social proof, increase your brand awareness, and potentially gain more followers.

SinCity Moto | Slingshot Tours & Rentals in Las Vegas, NV

9) Email Capture

If you do not have a section to capture emails, you are missing out on another marketing avenue. Whether you have an email pop-up with an offer, or a simple form at the bottom of your site pages, growing and utilizing your email lists will help with customer engagement, brand awareness, and customer retention. When starting your e-mail marketing campaign, avoid these top 10 mistakes!

Our Shameless Plug

When either refreshing your current site or building a new site, there are many factors and “Must Haves” to consider. Using our top 9 must-haves will ensure that your business has a website that is eye-catching, functional, and gets your tourism business more bookings.

At AAMP Agency, tourism website development and design is our specialty! We understand the tourism business because we’re in it with you. We know just what it takes to make highly-effective websites and digital marketing campaigns for businesses in the tourism industry, and just so you know we’re not lying to you – all of the websites featured on this blog were made by yours truly! So whether you have questions about making a website, or simply want to hand the dirty work to someone else, the experts at AAMP Agency are here to help. Start growing your business, contact us today!

Google’s Page Experience Algorithm Update & How To Prepare Your Website

by t@aamp.agency | Jun 15, 2020 | Search Engine Optimization

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.

12 SEO Tips For Tourism Businesses, Attractions, and Destinations

by t@aamp.agency | Jan 24, 2020 | Search Engine Optimization

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.

How To Make Your Tour, Attraction, or Destination Website More Credible

by t@aamp.agency | Jan 9, 2020 | Web Development

Tea at a laptop — Photographer: Dai KE | Source: Unsplash

When you're a tour operator or run an attraction or destination, your website is everything. It features your product, builds your brand awareness, can increase your conversions, and shows that your business has credibility. However, what may seem like small or simple mistakes can affect your business greatly. Keep reading to learn how to make your tour, attraction, or destination website more credible.

1. Show Your Reviews

If you're claiming to be the best tour operator in town, you better have the customer feedback to prove it! On your website, your business can include testimonials from TripAdvisor that link back to the original review. Also, don't share reviews where it says that it's written by "John Doe" if possible include the photo of the person leaving the testimonial.

2. Show That You're the Real Deal

Showing that you're a legitimate business will boost your credibility. Ensure that you have a physical address and accurate contact information on your website. Visitors need to feel like they are interacting with a legitimate business and not someone that is shady. To take this step even further, implement a Google Map on your contact page or the bottom of your page in the footer

3. Show That You're An Expert

If you've got experts on your team, include their credentials. If your business is affiliated with an organization, include that too! You can also include team member bios where you discuss their experience. When you're focusing on this step, of you link to another site always ensure it's a credible site!

4. Make It Simple to Contact Your Business

Site visitors do not want to have to dig to find your contact information. The harder it is to find, the less credible you seem, which makes them less likely to book with you. Include contact information in the header and footer of your website, and you can even include a contact page where they can send a message directly to your business.

5. Have A Professional Design

Visitors quickly evaluate your site's design to determine if it is credible. When designing your website, pay attention to layout, fonts, images, and more. Need help with your website? Start here.

6. Show Off Your Team

On your site, show the people behind your business and find ways to convey their trustworthiness through images and text! Include quality headshots and engaging bios.

7. Make It Easy To Use

A simple site that is user-friendly is the best thing that you can do for your business. To do this, ensure your site is responsive, that all media works, that booking software is simple, and that your business and its products are clear & concise.

8. Keep It Updated

If your site is out-of-date or not updated/reviewed regularly, be prepared to lose a lot of credibilities. Keep your website updated with its upcoming tour dates, keep up with technology, and keep your plugins updated to avoid any technical issues.

9. Go Easy On The Ads

Avoid having ads on your site as much as possible. If you must have ads, make it clear what is sponsored content and what is your content. Avoid using any sort of pop-up ads, although one simple email sign-up or promo is something that you can get away with, viewers don't want to see it more than once.

10. Check For Errors

From issues with plugins to small typos and grammar errors, run through your site with a fine-tooth comb and fix any kind of error you can find.

There you have it, How To Make Your Tour, Attraction, or Destination Website More Credible. If you have any questions or need help developing your website, AAMP Agency | Adventure & Activity Marketing Pros specializes in web development & digital marketing for the tourism industry. Contact us today.

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