​“Where do we go from here?”

If you’re a fan of the fantasy/coming-of-age 90’s hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you’ll recognize the lyrics above. After everyone has admitted they are a little lost and unsure about what to do next, they each ask in song, “Where do we go from here?”

Just like the characters in the show, your site visitors are asking: “Where do I go from here?”

Travelers need a lot of information when they plan a trip:

• Dates
• Destination
• Room
• Availability
• Activities

If someone enters your site on a homepage, can they find this information immediately? Most likely, they’ll know your location (destination) and have the ability to search for availability.

What if they don’t want this information right away? What if they’re searching for activities near you, the types of rooms you offer or the history of your location?

The visitor scrolls to the end of your home page and has one of these questions in mind. Do you show them the way or do they need to find the correct page in a menu or by guessing?

Your homepage should provide a few distinct options for the next step. Not everyone will be interested in these three options, but they should be the most common options a visitor is interested in.

Not Just for Home Pages

If someone doesn’t convert on a page, you don’t want to lose them. You need another opportunity to showcase why you’re an excellent choice for their next stay. If they reach the end of a page and don’t have an option on where to go next, they’re more likely to leave the site. 

You’re selling more than a place to sleep for the night. You’re selling the experience of staying on your property and how that will make their stay better.

Think about this in terms of Amazon. Amazon is selling a product. At the end of the page, you aren’t presented with the footer. Instead, you see a section on “People who looked at this also looked at.” This keeps people on the site longer. It also helps them find exactly what they’re looking for.

If someone looks at your King Suite and doesn’t think it’s right for them, that doesn’t mean they aren’t interested in staying at your hotel. What else might interest them? What other pages on your site might be a good option to explore.

As an owner in the hospitality space, no one knows your customers better than you. It would be easy to say: “After someone looks at a room description, they always jump to the amenities.” Or “If they look at a map they aren’t ready to book.” However each hotel and the factors that impacts it like location, size and price point has a different ideal audience.

The general practice is the same-you want to guide your visitors. The reality is based entirely on who will be the best fit for your hotel.

Each Traveler Has a Different Path

Another reason to include clear and well-planned navigation is the new travel planning journey. After being trained for over a decade to “look for the best deal” “compare deals” and the rising importance of social proof, each traveler has a distinct journey from inspiration to booking to staying and beyond. This often includes jumping from site to site, and you want to avoid this.

Not everyone will enter your site on the same page. In fact, you have a higher chance of conversion if you create highly customized journeys based on certain criteria.

So, when someone lands on any random page on your site, do they know where to go next? What might interest them, based on the content of their current page?

Plan the Right Journey

We’re all busy, and your future traveler certainly is too. They might be searching on their lunch break, dreaming about travel and casually surfing or on a deadline and eager to find a place to stay now. Either way, like most people on the Internet, they have an intense goal and need to find the information fast.

Unlike magazine, billboard or TV advertising, the people who find your site through a search have a goal in mind. They are looking for something specific.

The journey you plan through your site should answer that specific goal, not guide them to an offer you want to promote.

Many older travel websites are built like brochures:

• An overview of what they offer
• Generic images of rooms and the dining room
• Starting price point
• A call to action of Book now or call us

These aren’t interactive nor do they reflect what a travel planner may be searching for.

If someone hasn’t settled on a destination, are they ready to book with you?

If someone knows the destination, but not the dates they want, are they ready to book with you?

If someone knows the dates they want, but not the number of people joining them yet, are they ready to book with you?

Each is a different travel planning scenario, but they are common. Instead of only guiding people to book you want to guide them to explore. With the amount of time dedicated to travel planning, especially among Millennials, part of the fun of taking a trip is in the dreaming of the trip and the planning stage. If you make it difficult to find information, or only guide visitors to a single space, you aren’t connecting with your future guests.

​This is one of ten steps I cover in my email series: Concierge Conversion: How to Optimize Your Travel Website in 10 Days. Join the challenge below.