Accommodation Providers: How To Increase Online Bookings

Being an editor in the Scottish accommodation category of a directory is similar to hearing a broken record. Almost 99% of all accommodation websites that want to be added to the directory have the same type of information:

Tarrifs, location, bedrooms, facilities, parking, some local attractions and sometimes an online inquiry or booking form are all that these websites provide their visitors with. The same holds true for most tourism websites. None of them stand out. But what if they did?

By standing out, many businesses understand getting a great looking website. At the end of the day, however, it is the words on a website that make that a tourism or outdoors business stand out, not its looks.

The Internet is an overcrowded travel marketplace where every website looks and reads like the next one. A website that stands out through the information it provides has the highest chance of getting noticed.

Getting noticed through words has two tangible benefits:

• Other website owners will be inclined to mention your website on theirs and send visitors your way. What's more, these prospects are already pre-qualified which makes them twice as valuable because they're more likely to become bookers.
• The more and the better the information you provide, the more likely are people to book with you than with another website that reads like a brochure and doesn't inspire as much confidence.

Suggestions For Getting Noticed Through Information

The most popular travel websites (in terms of visitors and profits) are the ones where people find valuable information, not marketing pitches. There are too many of those bombarded at them every day, online and offline.

People tend to trust editorial-style websites because they feel that these carry their best interests at heart. But you are a business, not an online magazine. However, editorial-style information carefully placed next to sales copy will have a positive effect over your booking rate.

Prospects appreciate advice they receive and the reward many of them give back is their business. So, what could you write about that would be of real interest to them and of real benefit to you?