Usability, visual design and functionality are the three key elements that determine the success or failure of a website. It’s not just about making the website look pretty - use design to effectively guide a user through a path and make an impression of your brand upon the customer.
1. Space
Our website for Tika Tours is a great example of how space can be used effectively to direct a users focus on important elements.
Space is one of the most important elements of design because it dictates everything from flow to readability to colours and layout. Every design needs space to breathe. For example, a user would never see your ‘Book Now’ button if it was cluttered with 10 other elements around it.
2. Layout
Our website for Touch of Spice shows how a consistent grid...
Over the past month Google has changed the way Adwords is displayed on desktop search results. Have you noticed the difference yet? Here's how the changes may affect your business.
What changed?
No more text ads shown on the right-hand side.
Up to four ads are now shown above organic (natural) search results – when previously the maximum was three.
Three ads are also now shown at the bottom of the page.
This means the number of maximum text ads has been reduced to seven whereas before there could be 11.
Why did it change?
Many people will say the answer is money, but by removing the ads on the right, Google has created a cleaner user experience that is more consistent with how mobile search is displayed. The right-hand space is also now used for other...
The Twitter community is buzzing this morning with ground-breaking news - a new set-up for the timeline has rolled out to a limited audience.
This change is to a relevancy-based feed, as opposed to the time-based feed that we’re used to. An algorithm determines this on the back end of the platform. The “instant” feed made Twitter unique, gave voices equal weight (visibility) and helped establish the platform as a premier news source.
An algorithm feed will prioritise tweets with higher reactions and “better” content, similar to Facebook. This is good news for advertisers, allowing brands to compete for relevancy and followers. It may be a problem for small businesses to have a voice however, in an increasingly noisy space, when timely posts may no longer be visible to the...
Learn how to recapture visitors who have abandoned your website and turn them into bookings!
Introducing New and Returning Traffic
There are two types of traffic that comes to your website: “new” and “returning”. If you have the chance, login to Google Analytics and take a look under Audience > Behaviour. How does your new and returning traffic compare?
Commonly, you’ll find your returning traffic stays on your website longer, viewing more pages. This is because the people who have come back for another look are those who are more interested in your product or service. Hence, your chances of converting returning traffic into a lead or sale is higher than with new traffic.
Therefore it makes sense to increase your returning traffic by encouraging more visitors back...
Shoulder Season.Definition: Noun. The time of year right before and after high season when the weather is still favourable and tourism operators worldwide want more bookings. (Also: shoulder period)
With some forward planning and tactics before your shoulder season starts, there are tried and true strategies to stretch out the peak season and boost bookings.
1. Create a New Inclusive Package
Offering the ability to have an “easy to book in one click”, all-inclusive package motivates bookings. Create a multiple day stay with tickets to a local event, or negotiate a favourable rate with a local activity and/or restaurant.
Besides adding the package to your website and booking engine, add it to your business listing on TripAdvisor and be sure to promote on all online...
Gina's November presentation to the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand delves into the Big Question - will virtual reality help or hinder tourism business?
Virtual reality is the biggest game-changer in our lives since the launch of the iPhone.
The seemingly simple ability to see an image or video in 360 degrees is about to revolutionise the way we live.
Imagine being able to virtually travel anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own home. Fly over the Grand Canyon looking up, down and all around you as if you were really there, or “dive” underwater at the Great Barrier Reef and watch as a turtle swims past you.
Jaunt, a VR technology and content company, claims “You will feel transported directly into the middle of the action. Look anywhere. See...
Shoulder Season. Definition: Noun. The time of year right before and after high season when the weather is still favourable and tourism operators worldwide want more bookings. (Also: shoulder period)