When people are making plans for their next holiday, they move away from browsing through brochures to carrying out most of their research online. Therefore, if you have a travel agency as a client, it is essential that you offer them a well designed and up to date website.
Here are the main aspects that you need to consider.
Homepage
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The homepage is the perfect place to introduce your agency and tell any potential customers what it is that makes your business special.
This is also the page that search engines will use first to detect what your site is about, so make sure you include the main keywords and phrases that people may look for on your website.
Just consider the specifics of your business and the services that you provide and mirror them in these key-words.
Contact Information
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You need to make it as easy as possible for clients to contact you to discuss and plan their holiday. It is a good idea to provide a telephone number and an email address.
Having a form which people can use to ask for more information is also a good idea. Gathering all these contact details in the same place makes them easier to find and use.
Easy Navigation
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You will want the visitors of your site to be able to find exactly what they are looking for, otherwise, you run the risk of having them giving up and looking elsewhere.
All your pages should be clearly labeled so that a user is able to immediately get to the page he needs. It can also be useful bringing together the services that customers may be looking for at the same time – for instance, flights and hotels.
Simple URL
Image source: lonelyplanet.com
You should choose a name for your website that is easy for people to remember and easy to find online. It should be something that one is able to type straight into the navigation bar. So a short title may work best, as people are more likely to remember this.
Having a .com address can also be useful because we are more used to typing this straight into the browser.
Take the example of Lonely Planet: it is a memorable phrase, short and catchy, easy to type and find online, while the website has a .com address.
Testimonials from Customers
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Word of mouth is one of the most effective forms of advertising, so having testimonials from existing customers can help persuade visitors that they should book their holiday through your site.
Testimonials can be located anywhere on the site. You may choose to use a dedicated page or to have them located on your site in relevant places.
Search Box
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Having a search box allows people to narrow down their choices, helping them to find the holiday that they are looking for. However, you should ensure that the search box is easy to use, as anything that is too complicated may put people off.
You can always add an advanced search field for users who prefer to make a more in-depth search.
Clear and Accurate Pricing
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When people see a price for a holiday they will want to be sure that this is the price that they are going to pay. Therefore you should ensure that it is clear what the price quoted on your website includes, and whether there are likely to be any extra fees.
Having prices that are transparent is an excellent way to build up a trusting relationship with your clients, and this will encourage them to keep coming back.
Stability
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Ensuring that your website is stable is another important consideration. If you have links that do not always work or pages that won’t load, it won’t take long before visitors start to lose patience and look elsewhere.
This is something that only takes a few minutes every day to check and is an exercise that is well worth doing in order to adjust any problems that are found.
Call to Action
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When a customer has found a holiday that he is interested in, it should be absolutely clear what he needs to do next in order to book it.
You risk losing clients if they want to make a purchase and are not sure what they need to do next.
Unique Content
Image source: Greg Dlubacz
When you are concentrating on getting the design of your website right, it can be easy to overlook the content that is actually going on it.
However, this is the most important part of the website; if customers like what they find, then they will keep coming back. It is also another opportunity to convey to your customers what it is that makes your travel agency stand out from the rest.
Use of Images
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Nothing will help more in getting your customers in the mood for a holiday than pictures of blue skies and sandy beaches. Including these types of images on your website can really help to encourage your visitors to book a holiday.
It may also be useful to have pictures of hotels which can be booked through your agency.
Conclusion
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Although some of these ideas are very general, they can help you create a beautiful travel website that is also very functional.
In this manner you will attract more visitors to your site, converting them into paying customers once they are there. Setting up a website may be hard work, but the dividends will soon begin to pay off when you are increasing your customer base and making more sales.
Credit for featured image: masitupungato.com
