Online travelers generally abandon Web sites when faced with pricing or technical support issues. In the past, hotels felt they could address these concerns by providing prospective customers with self-service tools, such as an "About Us" page or FAQs. However, due to the complex nature of some transactions, whether making hotel reservations or booking special travel packages, companies are recognizing that they need to be more effective at securing, supporting, and retaining their online customers. Here, I offer five effective methods designed to help hotels increase revenue and secure online transactions, even in these shifting economic times. READ MORE

With tax season behind us and streamlined budgets on the mind, it is time for hoteliers to undergo an audit of their online marketing strategies as well. In this article, I will give readers an inside look at an actual nline strategy audit for a top tier hotelier. We will review their paid earch, SEO and consumer shopping feed strategy as well as determine what was working well for them and where they needed to improve. Learn the secrets of brand versus non-brand search campaigns, landing page optimization and keyword bidding strategies to keep your campaigns lean, mean and profitable. READ MORE

As the current recession impacts the travel industry, it is more vital than ever to focus on gaining incremental customers and retaining your market share. Online campaigns must quickly capture customers' attention and create undeniable incentive to visit your site and transact once they arrive. Read the insights of Blake Suggs and Teri Utley, of Range Online Media, and learn the top 10 tips for optimizing your online campaigns in today's tough economic conditions. From new ways to capitalize on travel's seasonal advantages and highlighting your property's unique features to campaign re-design and geo-targeting, you will learn the secrets of the online trade that will help you succeed. READ MORE

Hotel groups are moving an increased share of their advertising dollars to online venues for a few key reasons: Online advertising is trackable, the message can be changed quickly, and most importantly, it is in a medium where the majority of unmanaged business and leisure travel bookings take place. The biggest benefactors are of course, the large (general) search engines: Google, Yahoo and MSN. Hitwise announced recently that Google accounted for 65.13 percent of all US searches in the four weeks ending May 26, 2007. READ MORE

Today, hoteliers with varying Internet experience may certainly attempt to dabble in SEO (search engine optimization) and SEM (search engine marketing) on their own to increase bookings, but both have costs associated with them. The former does not have a participation cost, but there is still a labor cost associated with the marketing executive hired to manage the program. SEM, on the other hand, can be an expensive and risky venture, and one best managed by an individual well-versed in the metrics and methods. This person should also devote several hours a week - if not daily - on the management of purchasing the keywords from companies such as Yahoo!, MSN, and Google. A positive ROI must be maintained to keep a program like this ongoing. Costs can outweigh benefits if the marketer is not careful. READ MORE