Increase Your Website’s Readability in 3 Simple Steps

In our last blog, 4 Ways to Simplify Your Website Design, we discussed the importance of simplicity in design, such as keeping your branding consistent across your website, using the right images, optimizing your website to avoid long load times, and implementing an easy booking process.

Here, we’ll share tips to increase your site’s readability to drive more conversions. Travelers want a friction-free experience. The content you provide and how you display it determines how easily a visitor can navigate the page, get the right information, and find services they’re looking for.

Step #1: Use concise messaging

Communicate clearly and succinctly with relevant content. Remove unnecessary and distracting fluff, filler phrases, and lengthy text—it crowds your pages and confuses visitors. Bullet points help visitors to quickly scan the different services or options you offer. Finally, set expectations accurately with your guests from the beginning so they aren’t surprised when they arrive.

Step #2: Don’t neglect your CTA

Aside from descriptions of your property, the CTA has a high impact on driving bookings. Sojern’s design team performed a number of a/b tests on CTAs. Results revealed that CTAs should create a sense of urgency to get the viewer to click through, whether it’s “Book Now” or “Get Deal” to start the booking process, or “Learn More” to get site visitors more information. Try using a primary color to help your CTA stand out on the page.

Step #3: Adjust Your Site Content to Boost Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

To truly engage with your audience, your content should be meaningful to boost SEO. SEO is the process of improving the quality of content on your website in order to improve your ranking on search engines like Google and Bing, which will then improve the quality/quantity of traffic to your website. Then, when travelers go to search for terms that relate to your business, you’ll be more likely to be found. Hundreds of results can come up for a single search, so the higher you rank, the more likely people will see your page.

Where you are ranked on the search engine results page (SERP) is based on a number of factors, especially the content on your site, such as the descriptions of offerings and amenities, information about your business, or articles about nearby activities and events.

Tactics you can use to optimize your property’s ranking on search engines:

• Create engaging content: For example, an itinerary of things to do in your area or an article of top travel tips to help travelers.
• Use keyword-rich phrases: Think of terms that your ideal guest would use to search for your services. Take those words and phrases and add them throughout the content.
• Refresh content often: Search engines like Google check (or crawl) websites looking for fresh content. New content boosts your SEO rating because it shows you’re an engaged and active participant on the internet.
• Hyperlink to other sites: In your content, mention related attractions or nearby businesses and link to their sites. Be sure these links open up to new tabs or pages so visitors don’t completely leave your site.
• Cornerstone your content: A cornerstone article provides the best and most complete information on a particular topic. In this case, the content should reflect your business mission and why booking with you can fulfill visitors’ travel needs without being “salesy”. It helps raise brand awareness and establishes authority, trust, and positive brand sentiment.

Keep Learning

While your website is important, don’t rely on your site alone to attract guests. Social media and advertising are an absolute must to drive more relevant visitors to your site. Check out the next blog in the series: How to Be Brand Consistent on Your Website and Beyond.

Watch our webinar, 9 Tips to Help Convert Visitors on Your Website to learn more or connect with a Sojern expert to discuss digital marketing strategies.