How to create engaging content for your tourism website
Tourism has a significant impact on many countries’ economy. In 2022, we are experiencing a slow recovery after an unprecedented pandemic.
In our digital era, online tourism platforms are increasingly more popular (if your tourism business does not have a website, we recommend that you create one to achieve a greater reach). Most tourists, especially those who travel frequently and are therefore your main target, book their flights and accommodation online, but not before surfing the net to compare different options.
For this reason, it is crucial to take care of our online content and make it as attractive as possible to both potential customers and search engines. The key to success on the internet is “content, content and more content”, however, in order for this content to reach our potential customers, you have to make sure that Google considers it relevant and recognises the subject matter of your website. This way, when customers search for something related to what you offer, your website will appear in the search results. Not only this, the content needs to be engaging and clear.
Why content marketing is essential for your business
Marketing has moved on from traditional banner, brochures and posters to online publications, comparison sites and blogs. Digitalisation has brought with it unique marketing methods and opportunities for businesses to capitalise on.
From the Airbnb host to the hotel chain, the tourism industry has a huge potential. Competition between companies, especially in the tourism sector, is getting fierce, and authentic engaging content can make the difference.
A booking is only a clicking away and your customer’s choice lies in the content with which you market your product. When a user comes to your website, there has to be something to keep them hooked and engaged, and the only way to do that is through stimulating content. If you promote yourself with engaging content, you will get positive results. The whole “travel experience” starts with the the research and booking so your language choice and images chosen do count!
An important feature of using content to market is that it has the potential to be multiplied. Content can be reused to increase its shelf life and can be reshared. Conversions become more accessible when content is regularly updated with relevant information and your sales and online presence will surely increase if you use the concept of content marketing efficiently.
How to make your content appealing to potential customers and search engines
Once you have devised your marketing strategy, you can start to create content and, in order for it to perform its function, it is important that the following requirements offered in the Good Tourism Institute website (7 tips on how to write appealing travel content – Good Tourism Institute) are met:
1. Consider your buyer persona’s interests: if a client is interested in travelling to a location, you should provide them with the most attractive features the location has to offer. But also, if you want to stand out from the competition, you should try to offer exclusive hidden places or interesting activities.
2. Define your goal: when creating content, there are two key questions to ask yourself: What do you want potential customers to stay with after they have seen your content? What’s in it for you?
3. Use the K.I.S.S. principle: “Keep it simple, stupid”. Try to write in short sentences, divide your content in short paragraphs, use subheadings and create lists. Systems perform best when they have simple designs!
4. Visualise your content: use graphical elements such as photos, videos, Illustrations and charts and graphs. This allows you to draw attention to your content and make it stand out.
5. Write lengthy texts: If you want your content to perform in Google, your text should be at least 300 words. However, you have a better chance of ranking well with texts that consist of 1000 words or more.
6. Use outgoing and internal links: outgoing links will help customers acquire more information that is relevant to your content and help Google better understand what your content is about. Internal links can show you have more relevant information to share with them about their interests or lead them to revenue generating pages and helps Google understand the structure of your websites.
7. Strategically place keywords: writing content around keywords is extremely important. Once you have selected your keywords, you must strategically place them in your content. You can place them in your text, as well as in your URL, title, meta description, alt and title tags of images, first paragraph… This helps not only search engines but customers, to find exactly what they are looking for.
Tailor content to needs
The content of your digital platforms, as mentioned above, should be targeted to the needs and preferences of potential customers.
Tourism and travel are different for each type of tourist. Depending on age, different locations, points of interest and accommodations will be sought. If your business is based on a travel agency offering end-of-year trips to students, you should bear in mind that their budget will not be as large as if they were people who earn a full-time worker’s salary. Also, being students, they will probably be interested in visiting somewhere with a nightlife, beach and leisure activities in line with their age. On the other hand, if your business focuses on travel for seniors, you may want to offer quiet locations where seniors feel safe and secure.
Tourists are not only divided by age and economic status, but also by the reason they travel. There are tourists who travel for work, for health reasons… There are others who choose their location based on the films that were shot there, on the tragic events that took place there…
If we want customers to look at a website, we must analyse all these factors and offer them content in line with what they are looking for.
We recommend that you visit the website The Holiday Story, which shows 18 different types of tourism that can help you to target your content according to the needs of each type of tourist:
18 Different Types Of Tourism | Globally Accepted (theholidaystory.com)
If you are interested in more information about the tourism sector in translation, you can check out TranslationsInLondon’s previous Blog post: Pack your bags | TranslationsInLondon
If you would like to discuss your tourism translation needs, please contact us at Translation Agency UK | TranslationsInLondon | TranslationsInLondon