More than Just Pretty Pictures: Developing Valuable, Compelling and Findable Trip Planning Content For Prospective Travellers

When it comes to planning a trip in 2023, globetrotters and adventurers rely heavily on digital resources to plan their journeys and a travel website serves as the virtual gateway to destination-based products and experiences. Beyond the awe-inspiring and eye-catching visuals, a travel website is a comprehensive repository of invaluable information that empowers potential travellers to shape their trip plans and itineraries.

The purpose of a travel website is to drive increased revenue expenditures for the travel industry during peak and shoulder travel seasons. To achieve this, teams can implement several strategies to ensure value, relevance and findability of their content.?

?The following sections will provide more information on how you can achieve this for your travel website, using learnings gained from our team at Destination Ontario.

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Building your team of experts

At their core, teams must have a strong foundation in digital content publishing and search engine optimization and their best practices. Your team should be made up of a complement of content designers and web editors who are versed in the content management system and a variety of research, analytics and productivity tools to inform and manage their digital content strategy.?

Training should also be ongoing and include SEO (modules through Yoast), user experience (certifications and learnings from industry leaders like Nielson Norman Group or Smashing Magazine), and opportunities to connect and learn from travel operators about the products and services available. In addition, content teams should strive to connect and work cross-functionally with other teams within your organization, this specifically includes marketing, and data and insights teams.?

?Collaborating with technical and content experts is essential for a successful travel website. If budgets allow, consider accessing specialized expertise from an external agency or consultant. Technical experts can work with your team to help reduce load speeds, and improve mobile responsiveness and overall site performance. Content experts will know how to craft engaging content that ranks well.?

?In partnering with our content agency, our team has worked to review, update and create over 260 content pieces across the site in 2022-23. Improvements to our technical and content SEO practices have resulted in a 55% increase in our organic ranking for keywords, as well as a 24% increase in sessions on page.

?If you are unable to bring in outside resources, look for opportunities to connect with other travel industry organizations and associations to share information and learnings. This could be a valuable way to increase in-house knowledge and improve processes.?

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Data-driven planning

The heartbeat of a successful travel website lies in the planning process for your content. Planning should begin 3-4 months in advance of an upcoming season. For example, at the start of August, your content team should already begin researching and planning for Holiday and Winter. This will provide ample time to ensure:

• Thorough research: Adequate planning time allows for in-depth research on topics and ensures that your content is accurate, up-to-date, and well-informed. Providing accurate information builds credibility and positions your travel website as a reliable travel resource.
• SEO Optimization: Planning content in advance gives you the opportunity to incorporate relevant keywords and optimize for search engines effectively. This improves your content's visibility and discoverability, ultimately driving more organic traffic to your website.
• Content Diversity: With advanced content planning, you can diversify your content formats. This might include articles, videos, infographics, and interactive content.
• Buffer for Unexpected Changes: The travel industry can be unpredictable, with sudden changes in trends, regulations, or events. Planning content well in advance provides a buffer to adapt and adjust your messaging as needed, ensuring your content remains relevant and timely.

In the planning phase, assess last year's content performance using Google Analytics. If your organization solicits submissions from industry, review for new articles ideas or updates. Scan relevant publications and other travel websites to spot trends and content gaps. Also, explore new research from your internal teams and industry experts.

Once you've gathered content ideas, use keyword research to gauge search interest, and refer to Google Trends to identify optimal publication timing aligned with search volume trends. This data will guide decisions on creating new content, updating existing material, or phasing out underperforming content.

Mobile-first experiences

Travellers often use mobile devices to search for local attractions, directions, and activities while on their journeys. A mobile-first experience facilitates these searches, positioning your website as a valuable resource for travellers in the midst of their adventures.

Analytics consistently reveal that over 70% of our visitors access content via mobile devices. This underscores the importance of crafting content tailored for small screens and on-the-go readers.

After conducting comprehensive user testing to gather valuable insights into our website's usability and navigation, we've made noteworthy enhancements. Our efforts are reflected in refreshed components, redesigned elements, and the introduction of a new megamenu, all geared towards optimizing user experience.

One of the biggest content learnings we gained through user testing was that certain content was too long. In order to find the right balance between valuable insights and improved readability, we tested a mobile-enhanced template to be applied to future articles and page styles. This included elements like:?

• shortened paragraphs for improved readability and scanning
• bulleted lists for increased clarity
• table of contents with anchor links for easy navigation

These new templates have since been applied across the site. See an example on one of our most popular articles, Where to go Glamping in Ontario.??

By creating a mobile-first experience on your travel website, you’ll better align with user preferences, enhance user experience, and contribute to better engagement and conversions.?

Commitment to improving accessibility and inclusivity across the site

Committing to accessibility and inclusivity across your travel website is essential to creating an environment that welcomes and caters to diverse audiences.?

Update your content style guide regularly to ensure it includes the most up-to-date language. As well, consider working with a web accessibility expert to identify how your site is meeting or missing the mark on WCAG 2.0 requirements to improve things like tabability and screen reader usability.??

Also, consider taking a consultative approach to content development when writing for priority interest groups. Look for partnership opportunities with other industry organizations or experts to help inform the topics covered and language used. Most recently, we partnered with Société économique de l'Ontario to refresh our content for both French-language travellers and people interested in Franco-Ontarien experiences. By leveraging specialist knowledge, you can greatly enhance your travel planning content and ensure the greatest level of inclusivity for your audiences.?

Final thoughts

Building an impactful travel website hinges on strategic considerations and a user-centric approach. By implementing a mobile-first strategy, optimizing content for your audiences and fostering partnerships with experts and industry peers, your travel website will become a trusted travel resource that helps your audiences create memorable travel experiences.?

Interested in learning more about our user experience journey? Join me on a digital road trip with the next article in this content series available August 29.?

Chantal Sweeting is the Senior Manager, Content & UX at Destination Ontario.?With 15 years experience, her expertise is in content, digital transformation, social media and marketing.

AI Disclosure Statement: Some aspects of this article have been produced in collaboration with AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology. The AI's contribution has been directed and refined by the expertise of the human writer to ensure accuracy, relevance, and comprehensiveness. Readers can be confident that the information presented benefits from both AI capabilities and human expertise, striving to provide a valuable and well-rounded resource.