At CloudHotelier, we care about our clients, that's why we want them to get the most out of their websites.
CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation) is a set of techniques and methodologies that we apply to a website to increase conversion, i.e. the percentage of visitors who make direct bookings.
Normally the traffic to accommodation websites comes from people who have seen the hotel on booking.com and come to the official website for more information. If on this visit they do not receive the information they are looking for, the website seems outdated or does not provide them with confidence, then there will be no direct booking. The solution is to make the customer feel comfortable looking at the website, so that all the information is presented in a simple and clear way. You have to boost the user's feelings of security and confidence so that they make a reservation. That is what we achieve with CRO.
We have developed our own CRO index where every hotel website we make must follow all the requirements to be considered reliable enough to bring conversions.
Some of these basic requirements are
- Impact: In a few seconds the user will decide if they want to stay on the website or not, the first impression of the homepage is very important.
- Distractions: You have to get the user to book, avoiding that he/she gets distracted by external links or topics unrelated to the accommodation.
- Culture: Connecting with the hotel's target is essential, the user has to feel identified with what the accommodation offers and the activities that are recommended.
- Incentive to book: The website has to invite the user to formalise the booking, it must be clear that the website is the best option for booking. Having a search form present on each interior page helps with conversions.
Although these are the minimum requirements for a decent hotel website, there are still more points that must be met to improve conversions.
If you are interested in having us do a CRO review of your hotel website, don't hesitate to contact us.
