As a tourism provider, whether travel agent, tour operator or local guide, reputation is one of the most important aspects of the business.
This can become more difficult to manage when you put your business online, with loads of realms of interactivity available which you can’t always control.
However there are a few easy ways you can boost your credibility, which can take your online brand from zero to trustworthy hero in less than a day.
Make it easy for people to verify claims
Ensure the content on your site links back to evidence to support any claims you make. For instance, you could link a customer testimonial back to their original Trip Advisor review. Even if links aren’t followed, it provides a confidence and reassurance in your content.
Show you are real
Anyone can open a website these days, and unfortunately not everyone who tries to sell something on the internet is legitimate. Prove your legitimacy by including things like your physical address, photos of the team, Google Map and member organisation logos on your site.
Be easily contactable
This isn’t necessarily about having your email address and phone number visible on site (though this can be helpful if you’re willing to do this), but about making sure a customers’ contact options are simple enough to make them want to take that next step. For instance, a simple contact form with name, address, phone number and email works far better than a complicated forming about their holiday preferences
Ensure your site is well designed
In addition to having a visually attractive site which looks professional and appealing, it needs to be easy for customers to use. That means a responsive site which works across a number of platforms, which takes no more than a couple of clicks to navigate to a desired section.
Update the content on your site
Sites are automatically perceived as more credible, both by users and Google, if content is regularly updated and reviews are frequently added. You can add things like a booking calendar, or page with upcoming booking dates/tour dates which can be updated regularly.
These are just a few things you can do yourself which will severely boost your credibility online as a tourism provider. They only take a short time to implement, and there is minimal cost involved, so there’s no reason not to update your site using these guidelines above.
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Chris and his team will send you a weekly email offering high-value insight and advice about a variety of marketing and business development topics related to the tourism industry. We address specific destinations, tours and activities, and the hotel industry. We also provide important travel industry news and updates.
