Creating a website can be a daunting task. There are a lot of steps to be taken and decisions to be made. From wire-framing to choosing a framework, a lot a mistakes can be made that lead to regrets further down the road. However, in today’s technology-driven world, an effective, compelling hotel website is crucial for attracting guests. So, it is paramount that you are able to display a website to be proud of. Here at Net Affinity, our goal is to ensure that your hotel gets the website that it deserves and that your guests get a straightforward but memorable online experience.
1. Preparing a Brief
First things first is the purpose of the website. You need to set a clear, detailed plan for your web design agency to put into action. What goal does your website aim to achieve? Who are the users that you want to cater to? This is directly related to something well known in content marketing called user persona, which is a close approximation of who your users are and what they need. What other websites do they visit? What do these websites look and feel like? Maybe that is the kind of look and usability that works best for your user persona. This is something that we will discuss together to bear in mind when creating your website design.
2. Designing the website
Once you have established your user persona, you can have a clearer outlook on how your website should function and look. The website of a hotel has been growing in importance throughout the years and now it acts as your hotel lobby. It is your hotel’s first impression and you need to ensure that it is making the right one on your potential guest. Here is where we can start to pitch in regarding the website’s usability and user experience. ‘The goal of user experience design in industry is to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty through the utility, ease of use and pleasure provided in the interaction with a product.‘ – Interacting with Computers.
In order to have a good UX it is important that your website has authenticity, compelling content and quality visuals. However, it also needs responsiveness, information architecture, interaction with the booking engine and responsiveness, which we can ensure.
3. SEO
An important thing to consider is your website’s SEO. You can read more about 6 SEO practises that every hotelier should know about here.
Two main SEO tips are firstly, to do your Keyword research. When you are a new website in competitive niche, aim for local and long-tail keywords. Secondly, do a competitor analysis- Who are you competing with for the keywords chosen? Are they in the same niche as you? Are they big known hotel brands or small boutique hotels?
Our experienced team of Search Engine Optimisation specialists will help you to reach your organic traffic potential and get more bookings from Google and other search platforms. Whether you’re directing traffic to personalized landing pages or to the homepage of your website, every element is optimised to make sure the audience that finds you is the audience that matters.
4. Mobile first
From March 2018, 60% of traffic across all of Net Affinity client sites were from mobile devices. Needless to say, ensuring that your website is mobile friendly should not be overlooked. We’re proud to state that our website, NetAffinity.com, has been presented with the Best Technology Mobile Website Award for Responsive Web Design by the Mobile Web Awards 2017. Encouraging a responsive web design is very important in the phase of designing your website to promote maximum cross-device compatibility. Along with this, we provide mobile reports to show you how your users behave on mobile and a mobile strategy to focus on your mobile users’ needs.
Conclusion
Are you considering a new website for your hotel? Click here to discover some of our award winning web designs and begin your journey towards a speedy, optimised website that you can be proud of.
