News for the Hospitality Executive |
October 27, 2011 Everyone knows that having a successful
search engine
optimization strategy is crucial to your site’s overall success. But
how do you
know if your strategy is successful? The 2011 Google Panda Update
imposed new
SEO requirements that made many hotel websites obsolete. The new (and
constantly-updated) algorithm encourages engaging and unique content,
interactivity, and quick download speeds. For many hoteliers, it is hard to look
beyond revenue and
site traffic as key performance indicators (KPIs). Three other
indicators that
are commonly benchmarked in the SEO process are organic SERP rank,
total number
of inbound quality links, and number of social media shares across
Facebook,
Twitter, and Google +1. However, it is more important than ever to
look beyond those
five metrics to determine the true SEO success of your website. Because
the
Panda Update takes many more factors into account, there are ten other
factors
that serious SEO-ers evaluate when monitoring a site’s SEO health. Time on Site – A
user statistic gathered by Google through Google Analytics and Chrome,
this
metric tells search engines whether visitors are finding what they need
on your
site. Look at your average time on site through your analytics. If it
is under
a minute or two, you may need to tweak the information on your site. Depth of Visit –
This can be determined through your analytics and is measured in pages.
Do
visitors read your homepage and leave? Or are they browsing through
your
thoughtfully-organized navigation to find what they need? Entry & Exit
Points – Your analytics should offer some sort of path report that
shows
how the majority of visitors use your site. This should have a function
where
you can determine major visitor entry and exit points. If users are
leaving too
soon, find a way to redirect them to the information you want them to
find. Conversion Funnel
– This ties in with entry & exit points. Are people navigating to
the “fluff”
sections of your site and missing the meat? You may want to reconsider
your
navigation structure to help guide people to conversions. Newsletter Conversion
Rate – Using analytics and tracking codes, you should be able to
see the
conversion rate for people receiving your emailers. If the rate is
exceptionally low, you may want to reconsider what newsletters you are
sending
out, or what landing page you direct the recipients to. RFP Conversion Rate
– You should also be able to track information on your RFPs and forms.
If
people visit the landing page for your RFPs but do not complete the
forms,
reconsider both the information you provide and the information you ask
for – a
long form with multiple fields can sometimes deter people. Google Places Listing
– While these listings are not organic listings in and of themselves,
they do
play a role in how your site is organically ranked. A
properly-optimized
listing full of valuable information for searchers increases your
presence in
the eyes of Google. As they continue to change the layout of their
SERPs, it may
be combined with your organic listing and boosted to the top of the
page. Page Load Time –
This can be determined by an online tool such as Pingdom. If your site
is
experiencing long load times, this may affect your bounce rate as
people get
frustrated and leave. Speak with your website developer about what
could be
slowing down the loading process; frequently it is an easy fix. Number of Indexed
Pages – You can test this by visiting Google and typing in
site:http://www.website.com. However many “results” Google returns is
how many
pages Google has indexed for your site. While there is no baseline
number that
every site must surpass, keep a baseline knowledge of it so that you
are aware
if Google doesn’t index some pages that you publish, or for some reason
you see
a huge drop in total number of indexed pages. Revenue, traffic, organic SERP rank, quality
inbound links
and social media shares are the main KPIs for a reason – they give a
good
picture of how your site is performing. However, if any of those
metrics are
off, or you are looking for a way to further develop a successful SEO
strategy
in the face of Google Panda, the ten additional metrics outlined above
are a
good starting point. Remember that none of these should be analyzed in
isolation; they are all related and, together, give a more in-depth
view of
your site’s SEO health. Sue Wiker is Manager, Copywriting & SEO Dept at HeBS Digital (Hospitality eBusiness Strategies), the industry’s leading full-service hotel digital marketing and direct online channel strategy firm based in New York City (www.HeBS Digital.com). HeBS Digital has pioneered many of the "best practices" in hotel digital marketing, social and mobile marketing, and direct online channel distribution. The firm specializes in helping hoteliers build their direct Internet marketing and distribution strategy, boost the hotel’s Internet marketing presence, establish interactive relationships with their customers, and significantly increase direct online bookings and ROIs. The firm has won over 160 prestigious industry awards for its digital marketing and website design services, including numerous Adrian Awards, Davey Awards, W3 Awards, WebAwards, Magellan Awards, Summit International Awards, Interactive Media Awards, IAC Awards, etc. A diverse client portfolio of over 500 top tier major hotel brands, luxury and boutique hotel brands, resorts and casinos, hotel management companies, franchisees and independents, and CVBs has sought and successfully taken advantage of the firm hospitality Internet marketing expertise offered at HeBS. Contact HeBS Digital consultants at (212) 752-8186 or [email protected]. |
Editorial
Contact: Mariana Mechoso Safer
|