United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Experts share tips on web content
Travel companies should now be using web content to generate bookings, not just to attract customers to their website.
This was the advice from Giles Longhurst, director EMEA of Frommers’ Unlimited, who sat on a panel of web content experts at TravelMole’s Travel Industry Question Time yesterday, sponsored by Microsoft.
“Before, it was all about search engine optimisation and driving natural search, but in the last 18 to 14 months it’s been about conversion,” he said,
“It has to take the customer deeper into the content and allow them to book.”
Longhurst said Frommers was now using technology to package content more carefully to make it more relevant for the target audience.
But he warned that content should not distract from the booking process.
“Take the content away once the customer is in that booking cycle. Make sure there are still links to useful content, but don’t let the content get in the way once they have made their decision,” he said.
According to the Question Time panel, good web content should be fresh, unique, up to date, and useful.
Holiday Extras CEO Matthew Pack said all of the company’s staff are now trained to generate web content for its website.
“All our staff can now take a call from a customer, understand something isn’t clear on our site and can get onto that site and change it," he said.
"If a customer tells us they want more information about the parking at an airport, we will provide that information. If we can get hold of a hotel menu, we will put it on our site."
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Walt Leger on New Orleans’ Resilience and Major Events Ahead
Cindy Mackin Shares Estes Park’s Winter Thrills
Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026
Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange
North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
BA suspending all Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flights
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Report: Cruise guest died after ship lashed in heavy storm
British teen in serious condition after paraglider collision
JetBlue scraps London Gatwick flights