Eight Out of 10 Travel Sites Missing Out On Traffic From Search

As many as 80 percent of the top UK travel websites are losing out on potential traffic by not covering the most basic requirements search engines look for when ranking sites. Research conducted by search marketing specialists Spannerworks has revealed that many top travel websites are not taking advantage of the growing number of travel-related searches online.

(PRWEB) August 6, 2005 -- As many as 80 percent of the top UK travel websites are losing out on potential traffic by not covering the most basic requirements search engines look for when ranking sites. According to research by search marketing specialists Spannerworks, many of the top travel websites are not taking advantage of the growing number of travel-related searches conducted daily on major search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN.

The study looked at the commercial websites of the top 25 UK travel companies. The sites were graded against factors important to the search engines, such as whether search engines can access website content, whether that content relates to their key products and any evidence of techniques search engines recommend against -- such as having text visible to search engines but not users.

Good relevant content is an important criterion used by search engines to decide who ranks top in natural search listings. Although 64% of the sites analyzed can be accessed by search engines, over half do not have sufficient content focused on their key travel offerings.

Dean Harvey, client services director, at Spannerworks says "It is surprising how many major travel sites are not exploiting the potential of search. Many ingredients go into achieving top search engine rankings and travel companies should really be addressing their search strategies to ensure they tap in to their online customers effectively."

The volume of travel-related searches has increased 40% over the last 12 months. This growth looks set to continue, at least in the short term. As the number of internet users searching for travel products and services continues to grow, the need to ensure high rankings in the major search engines will become even more important.

An effective search marketing strategy can dramatically improve the performance of a travel website in generating new business. Jo Burman, E-Business Manager at Best Western Hotels, commented "From no visibility and extremely low traffic volumes, we have enjoyed over one million visitors from the major search engines within the last year."

Contact:

Charlotte McDougall

01273 828 100

cmcdougall@spannerworks.com

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