Optimizing conversion on the homepage
There are a few different tools that contribute to raising conversion. This proces starts on the homepage of your website. Take the image below, for example: Lauswolt Estate. When opening the homepage, a ‘Review Summary’ opens. The customer can check your average review score provided by the most important OTA’s. It’s also possible to show written reviews. There’s complete freedom in choosing the amount of OTA’s to be shown. The phrase ‘Top 10% of hotels in…’ helps emphasizing your advantageous position.
Notes
The next part of the conversion booster are ‘personalized notes.’ There are a few different notes like the standard one, that shows the amount of bookings made that day, promocodes and advantages that come with booking directly through your website. Notes are fully customizable as well, including colours, links and time on screen. By clicking on hyperlinks in notes, site visitors can be sent directly to room pages, special arrangements, or, if used, a Booking Engine. See the example below of Estate Lauswolt.
Point Out Layer
With the help of an extra layer on the homepage visitors can be easily made aware on extra deals, special arrangements or any other message you want their attention settled on. By integrating extra CTA’s (call-to-action, like “Best price, book now!’), your visitors are more likely to use links. Personalised CTA’s are a big help in increasing the amount of potential bookings. See the example below of Piet Hein Hotel.
Optimizing conversion in your bookings engine
Once your visitor has arrived in the booking engine, multiple tools can be used to help speed up the process. These tools help point out the advantages of booking directly on the hotel website.
Notes
The use of standard and personalized notes is also possible within the bookings engine. Take the example below: Luxury Suites Amsterdam. With the help of these notes, the visitor is once again made attentive to the advantages of booking directly (instead of booking through OTA’s). These notes are also effective in pointing out interesting advantages like extra discounts, free Wifi or the unique location of your hotel.
Price Check Widget
Within the Bookings Engine, the Price Check Widget compares your price to the prices of the OTA’s. It’s possibe to only show the prices of OTA’s when higher or equal to your own price and to not show the OTA’s prices when higher than your own. With the help of 3 USP’s (Unique Selling Points) you can point out why visitors should book directly through your engine. The next example of Estate Lauswolt shows you these perks.
Saved Search
With the help of the ‘saved search’ tool, your visitor has the option to send their last search in the engine to their own inbox. Making the process easier and quicker when your visitor returns, when he/she was not able to make the booking the first time, to finalize their booking at your hotel website. The pop-up appears when your visitor is about to leave the site without having made the desired booking. See the example below of Estate Lauswolt.
After the finalized booking
Notes
The appliance of notes is also possible after a booking has been made, to express gratitude with the help of a more personalized message. Messaging your visitors after they made a booking is a very important way of assuring your guest he or she made a good decision. You're taking away any doubt and letting them know you’re excited! The example below of is from Starlodge Hotels Utrecht.
