Time to get under the bonnet of your website

Author: Ian McAteer, Chairman, The Union

WHAT TO DO IN DARK TIMES?

Things are extremely grim for the tourism sector. We know this not only from the news, or from our membership of the STA, but also from our work with numerous tourism clients. They are suffering – and therefore we suffer too.

Martin Luther King Jr. said: “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

We have few choices these days other than to keep moving forward, doing whatever we can to survive. I am well aware that for some businesses this will not be possible. But for many, if we can hibernate, adapt and evolve, we can, with a bit of luck, pull through.

Which got me thinking as to what practical advice can I offer in these dark times for the industry? What can one possibly say about tourism marketing, when there is almost no tourism market left?

One area of marketing that has thrived in the last six months has been the internet, for obvious reasons. In 2014 we passed the 1 billion mark for the number of websites globally. Today there are 1.7 billion. A staggering number – around one website for every five people on the planet.

The growth of the internet has clearly created many opportunities; and one might argue it has been the biggest revolution in the tourism sector in the last ten years (Instagram celebrated its tenth birthday on 6th October this year). 

However, with opportunity comes challenge. How can a small or medium-sized business possibly compete with so many websites out there? The competition – and threat from the competition – has also expanded exponentially.

Well, one practical thing you can do is to really think about your website and your online presence – and get yourself ready to compete in the post-Covid digital world – whenever that arrives. Now is the time.

I’m encouraging you to get under the bonnet of your website and really understand if it’s working as hard as it should be.

HAVE YOU REALLY BEEN LOVING YOUR WEBSITE?

Be honest. Do you really know whether your website is any good? Is it well built? Does Google like it? And in your heart of hearts – have you been giving it enough TLC?

I’m guessing that many of you will confess to not being wholly confident about your website. And when you consider that it is likely to be your main source of business – is that not a huge issue?

Over the years I have often been flabbergasted as to why so many websites are so obviously and transparently failing to even meet minimum quality standards. 

Failing in such a way that they a) provide a poor user experience, b) failing so that they are ranked poorly by Google and other search engines and c) failing in the sense that they are way behind their key competitors.

SOME WEB-FLAVOURED FOOD FOR THOUGHT

I have collated a few tips for you – some advice which will hopefully help you understand whether your website is fit for purpose. As good as it should be. Advice that you should already be getting from your web designers or agencies – if you use them. But advice that is sadly often not given. (Knowledge is power – and some in the web industry find it easier to operate by being less transparent than they should.)

But first, a caveat. I am not a technical expert. My knowledge has been gleaned from working with clients and web specialists over the last 20 years. I’m a layman – and my goal is always to simplify and speak in plain English. To look at a website from a business perspective. In the same way as if I was leasing a car or signing off a contract for a photocopier.

As busy business people, you don’t have the time to learn html code or the ins and outs of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), User Experience (UX) or Information Architecture (IA). 

So I hope my tips will be easily comprehensible, relevant and practical.

TIP 1: IS YOUR WEBSITE A USAIN BOLT OR A DIPLODOCUS?

Here’s an easy and practical exercise.

Go to https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/

This is Google’s ‘Page Speed Insights’ tool. It does what it says on the tin, it measures the ‘speed’ of your website – how fast it downloads for a user.

Put in your own website’s address. (The URL or Uniform Resource Locator.)

You will then get a speed score. For your website; on both desktop and mobile.

(There is also a lot more data for web developers – giving advice as to how to speed up and improve the site.)

If you are scoring below 80/100 on desktop – then you should be concerned.

Why? Why is speed important? Simply because Google says it is. Google wants to give its users the easiest sites to use. So if Google sees you have a slow site, it will not show your site at the top of its rankings on the Search Engine Rankings Page (SERP). Your competitors, with a faster site, will most likely be above you.

The reason Google likes fast sites is obvious – people expect instant results. Indeed, research shows that If your site takes longer than one second to load you will lose 10% of your traffic. (Referred to as the ‘bounce rate’.) This increases by a further 10% for each second.

(Speed is, of course, just one factor of many – Google’s algorithm is a secret and is constantly changed.)

I’d also add something about how people expect instant results (especially on mobile), so even if you do rank. If your site takes longer than a 1 second to load you will lose 10% of your traffic, this increases by a further 10% for each second. https://www.section.io/assets/images/blog/featured-images/page_speed_graph.png

So tip number one is to make sure your site looks a lot like Usain Bolt.

TIP 2: IS YOUR WEBSITE MOBILE FIT?

I’m sure most readers will know that in 2018 mobiles overtook desktops as the main device that we use to browse the internet. From your own web analytics you will know what percentage of your users are on mobile; I’m willing to bet it’s around 50%.

This trend was triggered by the launch of the iPhone in 2007, which was the first popular touchscreen smartphone. The combination of touch and the ability to easily browse the internet triggered the huge shift to mobile – with all its opportunities, challenges, and changes in behaviour.

Given this, it is both vital and logical that you pay attention to how your website works on mobile phones. There are two key methods for designing for this. One is ‘mobile first’ – where designers start with the mobile design and then scale it up to meet the requirements of tablets or desktops. The alternative is ‘responsive design’ where usually the start-point is the desktop format which is then designed and adapted to meet the requirements of other formats such as tablet and mobile.

Either way, it is essential that your website is mobile ‘fit’. This is especially true for the tourism sector. Time and time again research shows that travellers search on a smartphone for tourism and leisure decision making and purchasing. For example, c.80% leisure users use mobile versus c.35% who use desktop – with some using both. 

This should be obvious, when you consider that most of your customers are by definition ‘on the move’ and thus much more reliant on their smartphones.

There is another extremely good reason to focus on your mobile version of your site. And that is that in 2015 Google made an announcement of major significance. “Google will create and rank its search listings based on the mobile version of content, even for listings that are shown to desktop users.”  

So there you have it. Google has made mobile their new BFF.

Tip number two: if you want to be seen on a smartphone, be a smarty pants and get your site mobile fit.

TIP 3: ARE YOU A SCHEMER?

I know I promised to keep my article in plain English. So I apologise that this bit is a little technical.

There is a very important ‘hidden’ bit of code that should sit inside your website. You may or may not have it. But it’s important to investigate, because it is important.

If the agency, or person, building your site, has a thorough and professional approach, you will already have this code. If not, then you need to get it sorted.

The code I’m talking about is called ’structured markup’ or ‘schema markup’. 

Put simply it’s code inside your website (not visible to the user) which means it is easier for Google or other search engines to look at your content and present your website in the search results.

It’s like a secret language that tells the search engines what your site is all about. Without structured markup, search engines have to work harder to work things out.

So for example: you have some contact information for your business or for sales enquiries. The information could simply be on a page on your website or perhaps in the footer. That’s fine for us made of flesh and blood. We can read it.

But search engines have to work harder to figure out what the data means. And that’s where the ‘markup’ comes in. The beauty of schema markup is that it  tells Google, in very direct terms, that your contact information is your contact information. Sounds crazily simple, doesn’t it?

(If you want to delve deeper into this topic just go to https://schema.org)

“Why should I bother?” you might well ask.

Well, there is an obvious benefit in helping the search engines. If you are their friend, they will be your friend.

There is some debate as to what extent structured markup will help you improve your search ranking – many believe that feeding the search engines structured data, therefore helping them understand your website faster, will result in a better overall ranking. So that’s one good reason, why leave it to chance?

The other reason is that it definitely allows Google to display more complete and informative results – as it draws directly from your structured mark-up and displays this information in the SERPs.

So, tip number three: look under the bonnet of your site to check if you have any structured markup. And if not, get it sorted.

TIP 4: ARE YOUR SOCKETS SECURE?

Oh dear, another slightly teccy point here. (I’m not doing too well with my promise of keeping it simple.)

You will probably have noticed that some web addresses start with http:// and others start with https://

The https:// version signifies that the website has a ‘SSL certificate’. This means that the site has an encrypted connection. SSL stands for ‘Secure Sockets Layer’ and it ensures that all data passed between you and your customers remains private and secure. It can help prevent hackers from stealing private information such as credit card numbers, bank information, names and addresses.

This used to be standard for e-commerce sites, but is now considered a basic standard for any site, even if there is only a small amount of data being passed.

There is another very good reason for getting an SSL certificate for your site. Yes, you’ve guessed it. Google likes SSL certificates and will use this in deciding where to rank your site. So if Google likes it, we like it.

Tip number four: Secure your sockets, get an SSL certificate!

TIP 5: THINK YOU HAVE GDPR COVERED? THINK AGAIN.

You will know that your website, if it holds or processes any data, will need to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).

And no doubt you will have been told by your IT person or web manager or agency that all is OK. Which is fine, and probably is the case.

But you need to be very careful. We have seen examples where data is left lurking in your website (it’s just been overlooked), or on social media platforms, and in a way that breaches the legislation.

Tip number five: double check that there is no data lurking anywhere that exposes you to heft penalties of up to 4% of your turnover.

TIP 6: DON’T MAKE ME THINK.

When someone lands on your homepage – does your website grab them by the eyeballs? Does it immediately and simply let them know what you’re offering, why it’s better and what to do about it?

In other words does it persuade, engage and suck the potential customer in?

Much of this seems obvious. However, so many sites don’t pass this test. And you need to ask yourself if your site really is working hard enough for you.

If there is one thing you do after reading this article, please buy the book ‘Don’t Make Me Think’ by Steve Krug. Since its publication in 2000 it is, in my view, the defining text for the web design and build industry,

The book is an easy read. It’s short, concise, has lots of diagrams and is written in a very approachable style. It can be read in less than two hours and covers all the most important concepts of web usability and user experience (UX).

So much of what Steve Krug advises is common sense – so it immediately appeals – as it’s easy to understand. The overarching principle which Krug applies to all websites is expressed clearly in the book’s title. The principle is that if you force your web users to ‘think’, you’ll lose them.

Krug’s three key messages are 1) don’t make people think – users need to ‘get’ the message immediately; 2) make every click instinctive – in other words so easy that no thought is required; and 3) keep the word count and information minimal – to reduce distractions. (Although common sense is required here; you need to make sure you get your message across.)

Tip six: read ‘Don’t Make Me Think’ by Steve Krug. Your website will improve if you apply the principles.

TIP 7: ANALYSE, ANALYSE, ANALYSE.

Forgive me if this is obvious, and I suspect most of you are doing this, but if not, it is vital that you use Google Analytics (GA) to examine how your site is performing and gain insights as to how to improve it.

GA allows you to:

• See how many people visit you, when they visit, and where from, geographically.
• How long they stay on your site and which are your best pages.
• Understand a bit about your users – where they are from but also what devices they are using and what browsers – and how they have come to you.
• See how well you are ‘converting’ – whatever it is you want to achieve – and how you might be able to improve conversion. (You can create a ‘conversion funnel so as to accurately monitor your performance.)
• Create some ‘goals’ (clicks or actions you want to achieve) and then track and monitor these.

(There is of course a lot more that can be done.)

It’s free and really easy to use, so there are no excuses.

Tip seven: stop running around in the dark. Switch the lights on, use Google Analytics.

CONCLUSION

I’m encouraging you to lift the bonnet on your website and get your hands a bit greasy. Any improvements you make now will definitely put your business in a much better place come next Spring, when we can all hope that the world is in a better place and our businesses can start to recover.

^[1] At The Union we aim to deliver websites with a desktop score of over 85 and a download speed of less than three seconds. For example https://www.jacobite.co.uk has a desktop score of 93/100 with a speed of 1.3 seconds and https://www.timberbush-tours.co.uk has a score of 84/100 with a download speed of 1.4 seconds.

^[2] At The Union we would say that structured or schema markup is not a fancy ‘add-on’ – but simply a hygiene factor. It should be there in all sites. Sadly in about 80% of the sites that we inherit we find no attention has been given to it.

^[3] The actual first ever touchscreen phone was  the little known LG Prada which beat the iPhone by about a month.

^[4] Research shows that people generally spend an average of 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phones every day, with the top 20% of smartphone users spending upwards of 4 and a half hours. Source: RescueTime, August 2019.

^[5] Google’s algorithms are a complex system used to retrieve data from its search index and instantly deliver the best possible results for a query. The search engine uses a combination of algorithms and ranking signals to deliver webpages ranked by relevance on its search engine results pages (SERPs). In the beginning Google only made a handful of updates to its algorithms. These days Google makes thousands of changes every year. Most updates are so slight that they go unnoticed. On occasion, Google makes some major algorithmic updates that significantly impact the SERPs.