This is a “Belated Happy Valentine’s Day” Post for your Website!
I cannot count the number of times I’ve had an Innkeeper, who has an older Website (2 years or older), tell me: "My guests just LOVE my website".
Unfortunately, I hear those words from a variety of Innkeepers no matter how Awesome or Not-So-Awesome their Website is.
The the reality is, people that are telling you they LOVE your site are those who have already booked a room and are staying with you. And of course they LOVE you. They LOVE everything about you. They LOVE their room. They LOVE your breakfast, and they LOVE your Website. But what about all those people who didn't book a room, and chose lodging elsewhere because they didn't like your Website?
- Possibly it was too hard to maneuver (or)
- It didn’t have the information they were looking for (or)
- It took too many clicks to book a room online (or)
- It took too long to load and the user moved on
You should NOT base the value of your Website on what your current guests are saying, but on what your future guests are thinking based on their first impression of your business. Are you truly winning over those potential guests whose first experience with your Inn is through your Website?
You need to know for sure if your Website is providing a good return on your investment. Log into Google Analytics and check your bounce rates for:
- Desktop
- Tablet
- Mobile
If you have a high percentage of potential guests bouncing away from your site, whether it be on desktop, tablet or mobile, the odds are, they are NOT LOVING your site. Remember, these are those future guests that never book a room because they leave your site, never to be heard from again. Most likely they are moving on to another Website that better meets their needs.
It’s always a nice warm and fuzzy to have a guest say they LOVE your site, but don’t rest on those laurels, know for sure if it's true or not, and then make the necessary decisions required to keep more future guests on your site, all the way through to your front door.
