If I were to take a survey of Innkeepers today, I’m guessing that the majority of YOUR GUESTS who have already booked a room or stayed with you in the past have said things like…
- Your site is so easy to NAVIGATE!
- I just LOVE your Web site!
- Your site was so EASY to use!
And if you have a Newer Web site design, then we can anticipate that your Guests are probably right on target.
BUT, if you have an Older Web site, one that is missing the elements needed to be found in the search engines, shared via Social Media and to Close the Deal online with first time viewers, you may want to step back and consider the following.
- Your Existing Guests are going to LOVE you and all about your Inn, no matter what...
- After all, they are already your Guests!
If you have an older site compared to your competition, you will want to consider this…
How many NEW, FUTURE, POTENTIAL GUESTS are you losing to your competition's new EYE CANDY, WOWIER Web sites?
One way to tell is to look at your bookings…
- Are you growing your revenue, or is it declining?
Another way to tell is to review your Google Analytics...
- How many different pages does a Guest look at?
- How long do visitors stay on your site?
- Bounce Rates from your home page and subsequent pages can also be an INDICATOR, but do remember, if you haven’t had your Webmaster install the “Add-on” Google Analytics code to track visitors that click on your Reservation Buttons and Links, or any of your Social Media buttons that all lead your Guests OFF YOUR SITE to another site about you, it’s going to count as a Bounce and you won’t be able to tell if they left your site because they wanted to learn more about you or your availability, or if they simply weren’t impressed with your online presence, and they left to find another Inn to book with.
The Bottom Line...
Don’t take your Guests' word regarding the health of your Web site presence. Take time to dig a bit deeper. Your Web and Mobile sites are the nucleus of your online presence. They need to be in tip top shape to close the deal with NEW Customers and ultimately keep your Existing Guests coming back to you and not your competition!
Need help evaluating if you really need a new site or not?
Give us a call at 877-226-7699 and we'll help you dig into your data to make the best decision.
Lisa Kolb
Acorn Internet Services, Inc.
President and Co-Founder
Educating our Industry one Client at a Time!
