How to keep your website in tip-top condition

It's absolutely essential to keep updating your website, not just for SEO purposes (which should always be a priority) but to engage with your clients and stakeholders about how your business is doing and what you are doing. Now is not the time to go dark. Far from it, you need to be a guiding light now if you want to continue doing business in the future.

Don't let your website become static. Think of it as a constant work in progress and give it as much attention as your social media pages and make it work for you. There is no point putting everything you have into social media if you are not going to have your website speaking the same language and sharing the same messaging. Social media needs to lead back to your website because your website is where business takes place.

People do business with other people they like, know and trust. All of those things depend on you being proactive and providing the people you do business with the kind of information and reassurances they need to feel safe enough and sure enough to continue that relationship. Your website is where you create that sense of security and safety.

Your clients need to know that you are thinking of them, and empathising with them. It's not about what you are going through right now, but what they are going through. They love travelling but most don't want to leave their homes for anything other than essential reasons. They're scared. And confused. And unsure.

They see signs that things may be moving in the right direction but have no idea if, when or how they are going to be able to travel again. The prime questions they are asking are: will it be safe to fly? Will it be safe where I want to go? What will my hotel/lodge/camp be doing to make me feel safe? What are the risks? Is it going to be worth those risks? Should I rather wait and see?

If you want to stay ahead of the curve (pardon the pun) then how about reworking your Home page on your website to both welcome your clients and put them at ease by answering some of these questions and telling them what your business is doing to help shape the future travel landscape? Share your thoughts and feelings in a short COVID-19 statement, put them at ease, show them you are working on solutions.

Now is also the time to be blogging. Share your knowledge through storytelling - tell them about the destinations you offer, the people they will meet and the places they will stay. Show them who you are and why you do what you do. And how much you care. If you have "star" team members that your clients and guests will meet, tell their stories as this helps your clients to "connect".

An important tip about blogs is that you need to blog regularly. One a month is fine, but use it as a minimum. And remember, blogs are different to news. Blogs go into more detail and tell stories, where news is important information that dates quite quickly.

Where news is concerned, creating a "News" page or section on your website will ONLY work if you are committed to ensuring that it stays current. Nothing turns visitors to a website off more than going to a news page to find that the last post was more than a year ago. The same goes for blogs. Either blog or don't blog.

Doing it half-heartedly could do more harm than good. Also remember, if something important happens, send out a "news release" to your client base telling them about it, and make sure you post this under your News section as well.

Feel free to get in touch if you'd like to find out more or need personalised help and advice!