IMPROVING THE DIGITAL USER EXPERIENCE
DIGITAL FOCUS 2018 Digital support to assist meeting GSOBT goals: Increase number of click-throughs from GSOBT website to Industry Partner websites Conversion points: Subscriptions to all newsletters Number of Vacation Guide requests Number of Vacation Guide downloads Provide a positive user experience to website visitors Create a stronger organic search position for the destination How are we going to do this?
SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook algorithm changes Intensify the conversation Boost posts with good engagement Video is where it s at Advertising 7,000 Reactions 587 Shares 153 Comments
LISTING IMPROVEMENTS (STANDARD) Free standard listings now include: 85 words of descriptive copy (previously 35 words) Three amenity icons Three bullet points One image
LISTING IMPROVEMENTS (FEATURED PARTNERS) Featured partner listings now include: 175 words of descriptive text, including additional amenities Five amenity icons Five bullet points Five images One video
IMAGES ADD IMPACT
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Our online Calendar of Events are some of the most frequently visited pages on our site. To make the most of this FREE opportunity to promote your events: Include all the details about your event. There s no limit on the amount of descriptive text you can provide. Include a photo. Because a picture is worth a thousand words. Include a link to your website or event page. Let our readers know where to learn more. Get it on our calendar EARLY. Our visitors are searching for events three to four months prior to their visit and many times are choosing their travel dates based on area happenings.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS IMPROVEMENTS New categories have been added to make finding entertainment options much easier.
EVENT PHOTOS HELP CREATE INTEREST
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (ORGANIC) Technical audit: Crawls, 500 errors, 302 redirects, 301 redirects Content audit: Keywords, voice search with and without screen results (Siri, Cortana, Alexa) Rewriting 60-90 web pages Mobile First Restructuring website navigation
CURRENT SITE NAVIGATION
PROPOSED SITE NAVIGATION Restructuring the global navigation will reduce noise, consolidate redundant pages for more powerful SEO, and improve user experience with more intuitive navigation options. DEALS & PACKAGES LODGING THINGS TO DO EVENTS RESTAURANTS Spring Deals Beach Houses Attractions Concerts & Entertainment Seafood Summer Deals Condos Beaches Shrimp Festival Pizza PLAN YOUR VACATION Family Fun Conventions & Meetings Fall Deals Hotels Water Activities USSSA World Series Breweries Snowbirds Winter Deals Resorts Outdoor Activities Hangout Music Fest Breakfast Girlfriend Getaways Bed & Breakfasts Fishing Blue Angels Lunch Couples Getaways RVs & Camping Golf Sports Dinner Voluntourism Pet Friendly Cruises NCAA Beach Volleyball Desserts Educational Trips Shopping Holidays Weddings Health & Beauty Keep on Summering Nightlife & Bars
NEW WEBSITE Q4 2018 As we planned and outlined our future website needs, it became apparent our current CMS could no support our efforts An exhaustive search for a new CMS and new web design company was completed in January We are excited to announce we will be working with Miles Partnership to develop the new site
GOOGLE DESTINATION CONTENT PROGRAM Open to ALL Industry Partners Maximizes the reach and quality of engagements the destination can influence across Google s vast travel audience Miles is supporting Google in the global roll out of this program Program launches in our destination during the fourth quarter of this year
2018 MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES Featured listings Email co-ops Social Media University April 24: Google Analytics 101 April 25: Google Analytics Intermediate
THANK YOU Marie Curren, Digital Operations Manager MCurren@GulfShores.com 251-974-4624