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		<title>How to improve your position in Google’s local listings</title>
		<link>http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/improve-position-google-local-listings/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[danieljohnson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2015 08:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[SEO tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Local]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/?p=433</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>With Google running up to 200 trials on its search engine results at any one time it is easy to miss many of their changes, however the evolution of Local results promises to have a very real impact for businesses who rely on being found by their location. Knowing how to improve your position in [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/improve-position-google-local-listings/">How to improve your position in Google’s local listings</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>With Google running up to 200 trials on its search engine results at any one time it is easy to miss many of their changes, however the evolution of Local results promises to have a very real impact for businesses who rely on being found by their location. Knowing how to improve your position in Google&#8217;s Local listings is an essential skill to learn.</p>
<p><span id="more-433"></span></p>
<h2>What does Google Local look like</h2>
<p>Local is a section of Google’s search engine results designed to answer queries where the searcher specifies a local area – such as ‘caravan park in Felixstowe’, or ‘B&amp;B in Reading’. Google has constantly played with the position and presentation of these results, but since early August 2015 it has settled on a box listing three businesses that appears below pay-per-click (PPC) adverts but above the organic listings:</p>
<a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Hotel-in-Preston2.png"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-437" src="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Hotel-in-Preston2.png" alt="Example of Google Local listing" width="633" height="656" srcset="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Hotel-in-Preston2.png 633w, http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Hotel-in-Preston2-289x300.png 289w" sizes="(max-width: 633px) 100vw, 633px" /></a>
<p>Local results catch the eye, appearing in their own box with thumbnail images, titles and striking design, and that undoubtedly means more clicks for the companies that feature.</p>
<p>When the user clicks on a business name in local results, an expanded view of that business is revealed along with a long list of alternative companies.</p>
<a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Hotel-in-Preston-expanded.png"><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-438" src="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Hotel-in-Preston-expanded.png" alt="Google Local listing view expanded" width="1343" height="675" srcset="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Hotel-in-Preston-expanded.png 1343w, http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Hotel-in-Preston-expanded-300x151.png 300w, http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Hotel-in-Preston-expanded-1024x515.png 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1343px) 100vw, 1343px" /></a>
<h2>Why has Google created local listings?</h2>
<p>Google is constantly trying to find new ways of improving the search results it delivers by negating the influence of people who are trying to fool its algorithms, in favour of delivering results that best meet the needs of the searcher.</p>
<p>One of Google’s responses has been to try and answer questions directly in its search results:</p>
<a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/What-is-a-hotel.png"><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-439" src="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/What-is-a-hotel.png" alt="Google tries to answer questions directly in search results" width="802" height="466" srcset="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/What-is-a-hotel.png 802w, http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/What-is-a-hotel-300x174.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 802px) 100vw, 802px" /></a>
<p>Local search is simply an extension of this.</p>
<p>Search for a “hotel in Preston”, and it makes sense that Google returns a list of hotels in Preston.</p>
<p>And Google pulls information from a variety of independent sources to level the playing field for hotels that don’t have an SEO expert helping them out.</p>
<p>So Local search is Google’s attempt to deliver results that are free of website design and SEO influence.</p>
<h2>Why is Local search important for companies?</h2>
<p>There are several reasons why local search matters to travel companies and accommodation providers:</p>
<ol>
<li>Listings are free, you don’t pay to be there (although a cynic might say this is Google’s way of forcing those businesses that don’t appear to pay for a listing)</li>
<li>Local results are attractive and have a prominent position in search engine results, potentially driving large levels of traffic for the companies that appear there</li>
<li>Results are highly relevant to the original search, increasing the likelihood of a conversion</li>
<li>Google seems to favour company websites over listing websites, directly linking brands to potential customers</li>
</ol>
<h2>Are Local results popular with users?</h2>
<p>Although there are no studies specifically showing the impact of Local listings, there are a couple of very strong reasons to think that they drive large amounts of traffic.</p>
<p>The first is that research have proven that the higher an organic listing, the more clicks a website receives, and organic listings generate more clicks than adverts. With Local results given prominence above organic listings, it seems safe to assume they will attract a high proportion of clicks.</p>
<p>And the second signpost to their success is that Google believes in them, and has continued to work on improving their display and promoting their visibility. Google has a track record of dropping features that visitors don’t use.</p>
<h2>How does Local search work?</h2>
<p>Understanding where Google draws local search data from helps to explain how Local listings work.</p>
<p>Google encourages all business owners to to register their business with Google My Business (formerly Google Places). Their records their address details online and creates a Google Plus page.</p>
<p>However, Google only views this as one source of data and looks for independent verification of your business details. According to the experts at Moz.com (<a href="https://moz.com/learn/local/local-search-data-uk">https://moz.com/learn/local/local-search-data-uk</a>), the search engine gets this (for UK businesses) from official sources including Companies House and the Royal Mail, and from data aggregators such as BT, Thomson Local and Central Index.</p>
<p>Google also looks at the consistency and quantity of links a business has from listing websites, known as citations sources. According to Local Visibility System, there are more than 60 of these for the UK market: <a href="http://www.localvisibilitysystem.com/definitive-local-search-citations/#uk">http://www.localvisibilitysystem.com/definitive-local-search-citations/#uk</a>.</p>
<p>The final piece of the jigsaw is the business&#8217;s own website, which Google searches for proof of location, looking for references to your local area.</p>
<h2>How can I improve my Local search listing?</h2>
<p>Keeping your business profile up to date across a wide range of sources is key to improving your Local listing.</p>
<p>Consistency is crucial to maximizing your impact with Google – every time you change ‘Sandy Holiday Park’ to ‘Sandy Park’ or ‘Sandy Caravan Park’, you potentially confuse the search engine and water down your ranking.</p>
<p><strong>Here’s a step-by-step guide to the actions you should take to boost your Local results:</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Start by ensuring the address details on your website are correct and consistent with how they appear for third-party sources. Ensure your site has plenty of references to your local area, especially on the homepage. Include your town/city in the title tag, in headings and in your body text.</li>
<li>Register on Google My Business to manually enter your business details into Google. Ensure your details appear in the same way they would on other sites. This will create a Google+ page, where you can add brilliant pictures of your business that Google can then pull through to your Local listings.</li>
<li>If you already have a Google+ page, your Google My Business section has already been created – check the details are still correct.</li>
<li>Have you moved? Check that your address details with Companies House, the Post Office and utilities providers are correct and consistent with how they appear in other places.</li>
<li>Ensure your address is listed in a consistent and correct manner on citation websites – work your way through this list: <a href="http://www.localvisibilitysystem.com/definitive-local-search-citations/#uk">http://www.localvisibilitysystem.com/definitive-local-search-citations/#uk</a>.</li>
<li>A few weeks after changing your citation listings, try searching for your business on Google and check the results. If you find any errors, track them back to the source and ask for them to be changed.</li>
<li>Can you get links from other local sources? Find local review sites, a profile opportunity with the local newspaper, the local chamber of commerce or tourist board, and local suppliers who can link to you.</li>
</ol>
<p>If you’ve followed all of these steps and your website is still not ranking at the top of your Local listings, don’t lose heart.</p>
<p>You have done everything right, so you’re in a good place for future improvements. Sit tight and you may find that your ranking improves over time, or an unannounced algorithm change may give you a bump.</p>
<p>Do you really deserve to be top of those rankings? Remember, Google’s number one mission is to return the most accurate results, so if someone searches for “Hotel in Little Bottomley”, don’t expect to outrank businesses in that location if you’re located in nearby Upper Bottomley.</p>
<p>Be amazing. When there are lots of relevant businesses competing for the top spots in a Local result, the usual rules of good SEO still apply. Everything from original content to quick load times to low bounce rates will help tell Google yours is a website that deserves a high ranking.</p>
<p>Good luck going Local.</p>
<p><strong>If you need help with search engine optimisation, why not <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/contact-me/">contact me to chat through your requirements</a>.</strong></p>
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<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/improve-position-google-local-listings/">How to improve your position in Google’s local listings</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
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		<title>Is Banksy the saviour of the UK travel industry?</title>
		<link>http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/banksy-saviour-uk-travel/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[danieljohnson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Sep 2015 20:23:43 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel PR tips]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/?p=429</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Now that Dismaland has closed its gates, how much of a PR windfall did Banksy&#8217;s theme park provide for Weston-super-Mare? According to North Somerset tourism chiefs, the answer is a resounding yes. Their predictions suggest the art installation billed by it&#8217;s own website as the &#8220;UK&#8217;s most disappointing new visitor attraction&#8221; has brought £20million of [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/banksy-saviour-uk-travel/">Is Banksy the saviour of the UK travel industry?</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Now that Dismaland has closed its gates, how much of a PR windfall did Banksy&#8217;s theme park provide for Weston-super-Mare?</p>
<p><span id="more-429"></span></p>
<p>According to North Somerset tourism chiefs, the answer is a resounding yes. Their predictions suggest the art installation billed by it&#8217;s own website as the &#8220;UK&#8217;s most disappointing new visitor attraction&#8221; has brought £20million of business to the seaside town.</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V2NG-MgHqEk" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Their figures are based on capacity crowds snapping up tickets for every day of the five week Dismaland season, with 4,500 people visiting daily in late August and throughout September.</p>
<p>These results are made even better by the fact that the sales have come in after the typical school holiday season, drawing out crowds of holidaymakers in an off-peak period when tourism businesses across Weston-super-Mare might normally expect to be quiet.</p>
<p><strong>But what were the magic ingredients that made Dismaland such a success?</strong></p>
<p>As a PR campaign, Dismaland had it all: a secretive celebrity, A-list stars, Britain&#8217;s hippest artists, a devilish sense of humour, all brought to one of Britain&#8217;s most famous seaside towns.</p>
<p>Dismaland was an art installation dressed up as a family theme park; a noirish twist on Disneyland with attractions created to make a cutting comment on modern society. The 58 works from a bevy of artists include a pocket-money loans shop, a Cinderella coach crash with gawping paparazzi, and a Jeffrey Archer book-burning pit.</p>
<p>Secrecy was key to peaking media interest, and Dismaland was built without local press, the tourist board and residents getting wind of what was going on. Even the teams employed to run the park were told they were signing up to work on a movie set.</p>
<p>According to Nigel Ashton, leader of North Somerset Council: &#8220;Only four people in the entire council knew what was really happening.&#8221;</p>
<p>When Dismaland launched in August, it caught press across the world by surprise and they were only too willing to write about Banksy&#8217;s newest project.</p>
<p>The launch generated millions of articles and news pieces across the world, with Weston-super-Mare piggy-backing on the widespread coverage. A Google search at the time put the number of online articles generated around the launch at more than 4.8 million.</p>
<p>The good publicity snowballed and even Hollywood royalty, in the shape of Brad Pitt and Jack Black, booked in for a visit.</p>
<p>Weston-super-Mare leaders couldn&#8217;t believe their luck. Mike Jackson, chief executive of North Somerset Council, told Radio Bristol at the time of launch: &#8220;We&#8217;ve estimated the economic benefit is at least £6m, there&#8217;s a real buzz about the town.&#8221;</p>
<p>Six weeks on, the the local economy is now thought to have benefited by more than three times the Council&#8217;s original predictions.</p>
<p>Debbie Matthews, tourism manager at Love Weston says: &#8220;A lot of people think of Weston as a tired seaside town &#8211; it&#8217;s a very common misconception. But there has been a lot of redevelopment here in the past few years, and [Dismaland] is a great way to show people that.&#8221;</p>
<p>Incredibly, Weston-super-Mare avoided any bill for the development, with Banksy covering the £400,000 cost.</p>
<p>Dismaland isn&#8217;t the first time that Banksy has helped out a British seaside town. In September 2014 a Banksy mural, Art Buff, appeared overnight in Folkestone, Kent, drawing fans who were desperate to discover the new image. However just a few weeks later the image was chipped off the wall and flown to Miami for private sale. There are almost 15,000 Art Buff news articles on Google.</p>
<p>In the same month, a UKIP-inspired Banksy mural in Clacton-on-Sea, showing a posse of pigeons with anti-immigration placards, was painted over by the local council following one complaint that the image was racist. A spokesperson for the council later conceded they had acted rashly and missed out on the tourism benefits, and invited Banksy back to paint another artwork (an offer he&#8217;s yet to take up). The episode generated around 1,200 pieces of coverage for Clacton-on-Sea.</p>
<p>Whether or not you think what Banksy does is art, the impact his works have on the towns they are set in is undeniable, bringing with them massive amounts of press coverage, visitor numbers and tourist spend.</p>
<p>So the cry from tourist boards across the UK must be long live Banksy, the saviour of British tourism.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/banksy-saviour-uk-travel/">Is Banksy the saviour of the UK travel industry?</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
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		<title>Is Google+ (Google Plus) important for businesses and brands?</title>
		<link>http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/google-plus-business-brands/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[danieljohnson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Nov 2012 05:40:36 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[all]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Plus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google+]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/?p=295</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Almost 18 months after launch, Google+ (Google Plus) seems unable to crack the social media market which is still ruled by Facebook and Twitter, but does that mean Google+ can be ignored by businesses and brands? It seems to me that we should stop thinking about Google+ as a social media channel competing with Facebook [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/google-plus-business-brands/">Is Google+ (Google Plus) important for businesses and brands?</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Almost 18 months after launch, Google+ (Google Plus) seems unable to crack the social media market which is still ruled by Facebook and Twitter, but does that mean Google+ can be ignored by businesses and brands?</p>
<p><span id="more-295"></span></p>
<p>It seems to me that we should stop thinking about Google+ as a social media channel competing with Facebook and Twitter – they’re both too well entrenched and too user-friendly for Google+ to overhaul. Whatever Google says about user numbers for Google+ (currently at 400 million worldwide), simply ask yourself how many people do you know use Google+ for pleasure compared to Facebook and Twitter &#8211; chances are it&#8217;s not many.</p>
<p>But Google+ is important for businesses and brands who sell online, and here’s why:</p>
<p><strong>Google is aggressively incorporating Google+ into its search results</strong>, so having an effective presence on Google+ is likely to benefit your business profile in search.</p>
<p>Facebook and Twitter are both better for chatting to customers, but they restrict Google from accessing much of their data so this limits their SEO benefits.</p>
<h3>Here are four ways Google links (or is trying to link) Google+ to search?</h3>
<p><strong>1/ Brand Idents</strong></p>
<p>Google creates an impactful brand ident to the right of search results with information taken from your Google+ page.</p>
<p>In the example below for camping specialist Pitch Up, the company’s logo, company description and recent posts appear in a box to the right of the natural search listing, giving Pitch Up double the exposure on searches and highlights the company&#8217;s latest news. The ident also has a ‘follow’ button for new fans to join the brand on Google+.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Pitch-Ident.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-297 aligncenter" title="Brand Ident in Google+" src="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Pitch-Ident.jpg" alt="Search listings take information from Google+ to create brand idents" width="671" height="400" srcset="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Pitch-Ident.jpg 671w, http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Pitch-Ident-300x178.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 671px) 100vw, 671px" /></a></p>
<h3>2/ Personalised Search Results</h3>
<p>Google believes that we find information more useful when it comes from people we know and trust rather than from strangers, so on Google.com the search engine is trialling ‘personal’ search results.</p>
<p>This means that a search returns two lists, of ‘global’ and ‘personal’ results, the latter of which is made up of people connected to you via Google+.</p>
<p>This doesn’t limit content to that which has appeared on Google+, it includes relevant content on blogs and news sites written by people who the searcher is connected to via Google+.</p>
<p>In the example below, for a search on holiday company “siblu”, the personal results include images and content from myself and from bloggers who I know and follow in Google+ &#8211; powerful stuff.</p>
<a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Google-Personal-Listings.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-298" title="Personal search listings from Google+" src="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Google-Personal-Listings.jpg" alt="Personal search results from Google+ will affect how businesses appear in searches" width="516" height="700" srcset="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Google-Personal-Listings.jpg 516w, http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Google-Personal-Listings-221x300.jpg 221w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 516px) 100vw, 516px" /></a>
<h3>3/ Google will build you a Google+ page, whether you want it or not</h3>
<p>Google+ integrates with all of Google’s other services, such as Google Places (now known as Google Local+) and Google Maps.</p>
<p>In the case of Local+ listings, Google gathers basic information about a business from a variety of different places to build up a cluster of details such as Business Name, Website Address, Postal Address, Map Location, Phone and Images. This information is bundled together on a Local+ page in&#8230; Google+.</p>
<p>Once Google has brought this information together it does two things:</p>
<ol>
<li>it includes Local Listings in some destination-based search results (see the example below),</li>
<li>it allows searchers to post reviews of the property on Google+. In the example below, Camping La Foret already has 10 reviews which Google translates into a score out of 30 (in this case 22/30) and showcases alongside the basic information.</li>
</ol>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Local-listings1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-301" title="Google local listings" src="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Local-listings1.jpg" alt="Google creates Google+ pages for local businesses" width="732" height="700" srcset="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Local-listings1.jpg 732w, http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Local-listings1-300x286.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 732px) 100vw, 732px" /></a>
<p>Businesses can grab control of this listing information by following the Edit Listing tab on the Google+ page (you won’t be able to edit information until you have proved your link to the business).</p>
<p>So maintaining an active Google+ page will likely ensure your latest information is appearing across numerous other Google channels.</p>
<h3>4. Google+ indexes new content fast</h3>
<p>It looks as though Google indexes new content from Google+ very quickly, which is vital if you want it to be found by search engines. So when you launch a new offer, product or add new information to your website, it makes sense to share it on Google+ with numerous deep links back to your website (Google+ automatically formats urls in posts as links).</p>
<h3>Google+, the future</h3>
<p>Google is always testing how it links Google+ into search results and many of the functions that were included when it launched have now disappeared, so the advantages listed above could change.</p>
<p>However, it is clear that <strong>Google is committed to linking Google+ to search</strong>, and so the benefit of an effective presence is clear.</p>
<p>How has Google+ benefited your SEO or customer engagement?</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/google-plus-business-brands/">Is Google+ (Google Plus) important for businesses and brands?</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
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		<title>Cool content tips for travel PRs</title>
		<link>http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/cool-content-tips-travel-prs/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[danieljohnson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Sep 2012 15:45:47 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[all]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/?p=272</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>I spent a recent afternoon at Cool Content Coming Soon, a show dedicated to the power of good content with an array of speakers from Government departments, public bodies and content agencies. Here a four key points that were raised by speakers that have stuck with me as being important to travel companies: Don’t think [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/cool-content-tips-travel-prs/">Cool content tips for travel PRs</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I spent a recent afternoon at <a title="Cool Content Coming Soon" href="http://coolcontentcomingsoon.wordpress.com/">Cool Content Coming Soon</a>, a show dedicated to the power of good content with an array of speakers from Government departments, public bodies and content agencies.</p>
<p>Here a four key points that were raised by speakers that have stuck with me as being important to travel companies:</p>
<p><span id="more-272"></span></p>
<p><strong>Don’t think about digital content in isolation of distribution</strong> – a message needs an audience.</p>
<p>Company blogs, especially those targeted to the mass market, are a typical example of digital content that lacks an audience.</p>
<p>One way of overcoming this is to use Guest Bloggers who come with their own readership – VisitBritain does this with its fantastic Super Blog, which features 20 guest bloggers who provide expert content and come with a healthy audience.</p>
<p><strong>Run a Needs Analysis of your website.</strong></p>
<p>Get rid of content, pages and sections that your customer does not need (ie, the pages no one visits or have high bounce rates). This allows you  (and them) to focus on the good stuff.</p>
<p><strong>For successful blogger campaigns, give bloggers something valuable in return for working with you.</strong></p>
<p>For travel companies, this could mean:</p>
<ul>
<li>information about trends or new launches that a blogger can pass on to their audience</li>
<li>access to specialists who can provide expert information about a subject or make an issue easy to understand</li>
<li>access to your audience, helping the blogger increase their own readership (this is seen with the VisitBritain Super Blog)</li>
<li>money, always difficult to say no to</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>You don’t need big production values to create content&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>&#8230;but you do need a clear understanding of what your audience wants so that you can reach them effectively. Communicating the idea clearly is the most important challenge, and framing it in the correct context will help your audience accept the production values.<br />
<em>Note: apologies for not crediting these ideas back to their original sources. You can find a synopsis of the speakers on the <a title="Cool Content Coming Soon speakers" href="http://coolcontentcomingsoon.wordpress.com/meet-the-speakers/">Cool Content Coming Soon</a> website.</em></p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/cool-content-tips-travel-prs/">Cool content tips for travel PRs</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
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		<title>11 SEO pointers for online travel PRs</title>
		<link>http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/11-seo-pointers-online-travel-prs/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[danieljohnson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 19 Sep 2012 17:49:18 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[all]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SEO tips]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/?p=265</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>I was lucky enough to attend a training session with travel SEO expert Mark Hodson. Here are 11 takeaways from the day – I think all of them are quick and easy to action: 1/ Page Rank is a ranking Google gives to web pages and is based on the quality and quantity of incoming [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/11-seo-pointers-online-travel-prs/">11 SEO pointers for online travel PRs</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I was lucky enough to attend a training session with <a title="Travel SEO, Mark Hodson" href="http://www.travel-seo.co.uk/">travel SEO expert</a> Mark Hodson. Here are 11 takeaways from the day – I think all of them are quick and easy to action:</p>
<p><span id="more-265"></span></p>
<p>1/ <em>Page Rank </em>is a ranking Google gives to web pages and is based on the quality and quantity of incoming links. There are <strong>two types of Page Rank</strong> – the one that Google lets you see is Toolbar Page Rank and is not considered very accurate, so don’t get hung up on it.</p>
<p>A better measure of authority is the SEOmoz toolbar which gives Page Authority and Domain Authority (and is free to download and install)</p>
<p>2/ You can <strong>assign a monetary value to a website ranking in Google</strong>, and measure the increase in this value as your campaign helps the website ranking improve.</p>
<p>To do this:</p>
<ul>
<li>Use the Google AdWords Keyword Tool to see how many annual searches there are for a keyword</li>
<li>Assume you’ll get the following % of click throughs by ranking position: 1st = 42%; 2nd = 12%; 3rd = 8.5%; 4th = 6%; 5th = 5%</li>
<li>Multiply the number of click throughs for your ranking position by the average cost per click (found in Google Ad Words)</li>
</ul>
<p>So a #1 ranking for a keyword that receives 1,000 visits per year, with an average cost per click of £2 is worth: (1,000*0.4)*2 = £800.</p>
<p>3/ The <strong>four tasks of an SEO</strong> are to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Make pages accessible and easy to search for Google</li>
<li>Target the keywords your custmers user</li>
<li>Build content people find valuable</li>
<li>Earn links from high authority sites</li>
</ul>
<p>Of these, the hardest is to build valuable links, and this is where PRs have the edge over traditional SEOs. PRs are used to building relationships with people, which is important to sourcing quality links. SEOs are having courses on how to be more like PRs!</p>
<p>4/ Tips on <strong>sourcing links from quality publications</strong>:</p>
<ul>
<li>Links from Twitter, Facebook and the comment sections of blogs are ‘no follow’ links</li>
<li>Want to know which websites Google considers most authoritative? Do a Google search for “News” to see which news sites the search engine rates as being best. Do the same for “travel news” (although be aware this will include traffic information too).</li>
<li>Links from <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Relevant</span> websites are most valuable. So, for travel companies, links from travel websites, newspaper travel sections, lifestyle websites and so on are better.</li>
<li>Newspaper websites have sections that never appear in print and have no budget attached to them. Know what these are and find ways you can provide free content for them</li>
<li>When asking journalists for links in articles use their language: “would you like to credit a source” or “do you want me to provide a link for substantiation”?</li>
</ul>
<p>5/ <strong>Tasks every online PR should do</strong>:</p>
<ul>
<li>Build and maintain an online press room (on your site, the client site, a third party site) so journalists can always find your information</li>
<li>Ensure your company news gets indexed by search engines, otherwise it will never be found.</li>
<li>Use tools (Google Analytics) to measure performance</li>
<li>Optimise press releases so they can be found for the right searches</li>
</ul>
<p>6/ <strong>Optimise press releases</strong> by:</p>
<ul>
<li>Include a dateline in the opening para</li>
<li>Use bullet points and bold – journalists skim, not read releases</li>
<li>Include a link to your contact details on your website or blog (so you don’t have to worry about your details changing and becoming out of date if they’re only on the bottom of the press releases</li>
</ul>
<p>7/ Being <strong>included in a good round up release</strong> (the 20 best hotels in Mauritius) can have more long term benefit that generating an article solely about your client. A well optimised round-up article on a good quality website will be visible in search results for a long time because it will always of interest; a wonderful article about your client is of less interest to the wider public and will get lost in the ether</p>
<p>8/ <strong>Metrics PRs can consider for online campaigns</strong> include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Advertising Value Equivalent, which you can measure when blogs publish charges for links.</li>
</ul>
<p>More results oriented metrics include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Growth of organic traffic</li>
<li>Improve Google rankings for keywords</li>
<li>Increase domain authority</li>
<li>Increase the number of keywords driving traffic</li>
<li>Increase the number of pages generating visits from search</li>
</ul>
<p>Tailor your metrics to every campaign depending on the understanding and requirements of the client.</p>
<p>Set out your metrics at the start of each campaign.</p>
<p>9/ <strong>Tips when using Twitter</strong>:</p>
<ul>
<li>Only around 7% of your followers will be on Twitter at any one time, so it’s okay to resend interesting news two or three times to give more followers the chance to see them</li>
<li>Travel journalists looking for information on Twitter sometimes use the filter #travjournoreq. #journorequest is more popular, but broader than travel</li>
<li>#travelmassive is a popular networking events for travel PRs and journos announced via Twitter</li>
</ul>
<p>10/ <strong>Useful tools for online PRs</strong>:</p>
<ul>
<li>SEOMoz Premium is a useful tool for onlines PRs. It includes:
<ul>
<li>OpenSite Explorer which is useful for analysing the authority of websites and the incoming links</li>
<li>FollowerWonk: which analyses the influence of your followers; you can search by Twitter biography to find key phrases such as “travel blogger”</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>BlogRank is a useful tool and shows the 150 Top Travel Blogs in the World.</li>
<li>Bit.ly url shortener allows you to analyse you tweets that include bit.ly shortened urls</li>
</ul>
<p>11/ <strong>PRs</strong> (beautiful and blonde) <strong>are better looking than SEOs</strong> (nerdy geeks)!</p>
<p>What tips would you add to this list?</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/11-seo-pointers-online-travel-prs/">11 SEO pointers for online travel PRs</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
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		<title>Travel PR – great public relations ideas and issues of the week</title>
		<link>http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/travel-pr-great-public-relations-ideas-issues-week/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[danieljohnson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:57:58 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[all]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maldives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel PR review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Virgin]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/?p=249</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>These are a selection of interesting public relations (PR) led travel stories that appeared in the travel press in the past few days &#8211; good, bag and ugly. The Maldives will be thinking long and hard about future Twitter campaigns after their PR company’s efforts to get posts about the holiday destination trending on Twitter. [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/travel-pr-great-public-relations-ideas-issues-week/">Travel PR – great public relations ideas and issues of the week</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151014776924411&amp;set=a.10151014774919411.447288.5832584410&amp;type=1&amp;theater"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-251 aligncenter" title="Virgin America signs up Boo Dog" src="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Boo-Dog.png" alt="Travel PR stories from the week" width="500" height="278" srcset="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Boo-Dog.png 500w, http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Boo-Dog-300x166.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">These are a selection of interesting public relations (PR) led travel stories that appeared in the travel press in the past few days &#8211; good, bag and ugly.</p>
<p><strong>The Maldives</strong> will be thinking long and hard about future Twitter campaigns after their PR company’s efforts to get posts about the holiday destination trending on Twitter. The campaign, which uses the hashtag #sunnysideoflife,  was latched on to by critics of the Maldives’ military rulers who posted comments and links to information about the suffering of ordinary citizens, using the same hashtag. The issue was compounded when <a title="Maldives tourism campaign back fires" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/12/maldives-twitter-tourism-campaign-backfires">the Guardian</a> picked up on the comments and published their own article about the backlash to the Twitter campaign. The negative responses helped #SunnySideofLife trend, but probably not with the message they were hoping to convey.</p>
<p><span id="more-249"></span></p>
<p><strong>Virgin Atlantic</strong> launched a new route to Mexico with a star-studded launch party leading to massive <a title="Virgin Mexico launch on Mirror" href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/travel/usa-long-haul/virgin-atlantic-direct-flights-to-cancun-1142006">coverage on mirror.co.uk</a>, which combines text, photos and a two-minute video. Outstanding PR result that an advertiser would be proud of!</p>
<p>The <strong>Virgin PR team</strong> has been working overtime with several other ideas securing outstanding coverage in the travel press. The DailyMail.co.uk features two Virgin stories on its travel homepage – <a title="Virgin America picks boo" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2173074/Boo-worlds-cutest-dog-paw-fect-pet-ambassador-Virgin-America.html">Virgin America picked Boo </a>– the cutest dog in the world to be the airline’s ambassador. Virgin has added pictures to its own Facebook page of Boo patrolling San Francisco airport to meet and greet guests &#8211; 5,000 likes have already been received. They obviously hope that Boo’s own legion of fans, including 5 million Facebook followers, will help the campaign go viral. The very cynical might think that the Daily Mail is trying to cash in on Boo&#8217;s popularity and fan base too. Top marks for online coverage though, the campaign has enjoyed stacks of coverage &#8211; the power of a cute picture!</p>
<p>And <strong>Richard Branson</strong> has kept the Virgin PR juggernaut rolling by declaring his kids will join him to be among the first passengers on the <a title="Virgin space flight" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2172462/Sir-Richard-Branson-children-maybe-Angelina-Jolie-Virgin-Galactic-space-tourists.html">Virgin Galactic space flight</a> which launches next year – garnering press coverage and heading off any negative stories about safety before they get going.</p>
<p><strong>Butlins</strong> was another company to make use of video on the Mirror website, to launch their newest Wave Hotel in Bognor Regis. The Mirror’s feature includes a <a title="Butlins launches Wave Hotel in Mirror" href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/travel/british-breaks/butlins-wave-hotel--apartments-1138616">20-min video about the new launch</a>, which uses the format of a panel show with celebrity guests to introduce viewers to the new accommodation. The major launch was also covered by nationals including The People and Daily Mail, who sent travel journos along to cover the updating of a traditional favourite event in depth.</p>
<p><strong>Gatwick Airport</strong> has identified a new type of traveller – the OAT (stands for Old Age Traveller). The airport has launched a poll to find Britain’s Oldest Traveller, with the prize of return flights to Vegas. This nicely targeted angle has helped the PR team pick up coverage across an array of <a title="Mature Times" href="http://www.maturetimes.co.uk/travel/2278-the-rise-of-the-o-a-ts-61-of-the-over-85s-travel-more-frequently-now-than-when-they-were-younger.html">websites targeted at the grey market</a>, including specialist sites such as sixtyplussurfers.com and maturetimes.com, national press including dailymail.co.uk and dailymirror.co.uk, plus blogs such as airport-parking.com and easybus.com. Great coverage already, and more will follow when the results are announced.</p>
<p><strong>Wild Comfort</strong> scored coverage in several titles, including The Sun, with their idea of <a title="Mobile camping sites" href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/travel/4362813/Holiday-News-Pop-up-camp-sites-in-Devon.html">mobile camping sites</a>. They’ve used the Secret Escapes trend of only telling people where they’re going once their booking is made, and transferred it to the camping sector with luxury tents that have posh rugs, sofas and fridges that can be stocked on arrival.</p>
<p>A great PR idea, but is there enough benefit for campers to get them booking? The hotel model works because customers save money because they are filling up capacity that has not yet been filled. The camping version has prices from £650 – a tricky sell in the UK at the moment?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/travel-pr-great-public-relations-ideas-issues-week/">Travel PR – great public relations ideas and issues of the week</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
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		<title>Link building: quality or quantity?</title>
		<link>http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/link-building-quality-quantity/</link>
					<comments>http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/link-building-quality-quantity/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[danieljohnson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 29 Jun 2012 10:38:45 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[all]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Link building]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/?p=244</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Traditional link building strategy says that the number of links into your website is one of the key criteria to grabbing a good ranking in Google. It makes sense that more incoming links mean more votes of approval for your website, which must be a good thing, right? Of course not. As soon as this [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/link-building-quality-quantity/">Link building: quality or quantity?</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Traditional link building strategy says that the number of links into your website is one of the key criteria to grabbing a good ranking in Google. It makes sense that more incoming links mean more votes of approval for your website, which must be a good thing, right?</p>
<p>Of course not.</p>
<p>As soon as this correlation was made, an army of online marketeers set about twisting the link building landscape to their favour and conning the system, grabbing links from anywhere and everywhere to boost their site.</p>
<p>This was not the outcome Google wanted. The goal of the search engine giant is to put the most informative and appropriate information in front of its users, and websites which fool the system are not in line with this aim.</p>
<p>So Google set about finding ways of tipping the balance back to good quality websites. And how does Google measure quality? One key way is to count links from influential websites &#8211; ie, those sites that Google knows are well read, informative, respected.</p>
<p>So the balance has changed and one link from a good quality website is worth more than lots of links from poor sites.</p>
<p>This <a title="Link building infographic" href="http://www.quaturo.com/blog/content-marketing-whats-your-plan-of-attack-infographic-73">link building infographic</a> from Quaturo illustrates the point brilliantly:</p>
<p>So, how do we go about identifying quality websites?</p>
<p>This is actually much easier than it seems and common sense plays a big part. What does the site look like, how interesting is the information, how many people comment on the articles, how current is the site, how easy is it get round, have you heard of the site before?</p>
<p>Securing coverage on good quality sites is much more difficult &#8211; but the results are infinitely most important.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/link-building-quality-quantity/">Link building: quality or quantity?</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
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		<title>Don’t click ok&#8230; 10 questions every Travel PR should ask before making that Facebook or Twitter post</title>
		<link>http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/travel-pr-successful-facebook-twitter-posts/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[danieljohnson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:43:19 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[all]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/?p=227</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Customers can be touchy souls, especially on social media. Can you be sure that every post you make will create the response you hoped for? Here are 10 questions every travel PR should ask themselves before making their next post. Since revealing news of its financial difficulties last week Thomas Cook has continued to post [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/travel-pr-successful-facebook-twitter-posts/">Don’t click ok&#8230; 10 questions every Travel PR should ask before making that Facebook or Twitter post</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Customers can be touchy souls, especially on social media. Can you be sure that every post you make will create the response you hoped for?</p>
<p>Here are 10 questions every travel PR should ask themselves before making their next post.</p>
<div id="attachment_231" style="width: 489px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/facebook-header.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-231" class="size-full wp-image-231 " title="Guide to posting on Facebook and Twitter" src="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/facebook-header.jpg" alt="Facebook header" width="479" height="302" srcset="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/facebook-header.jpg 479w, http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/facebook-header-300x189.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 479px) 100vw, 479px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-231" class="wp-caption-text">Top 10 tips for travel PRs to post on Facebook and Twitter</p></div>
<p><span id="more-227"></span></p>
<p>Since revealing news of its financial difficulties last week Thomas Cook has continued to post special offers on its Facebook Page, only to be hit with comments from concerned fans about the company going bust. The past month has been horrible for Australian airline Quantas, which has faced PR disaster after disaster as customers have turned against them on Twitter.</p>
<p>If you have a Facebook Page or Twitter Profile how much consideration are you going to give to your next post? Cock it up, and your customers could be on the end of a rollicking from your fans and followers.</p>
<h3>Travel PR guides to posting on Facebook and Twitter</h3>
<p>1/ <strong>Are you going to upset customers who’ve already booked?</strong> If you are posting details of a new deal, how will your fans who have already booked react? If they complain, how will you respond?</p>
<p>2/ <strong>Who proofs the posts?</strong> You are talking directly to your customers and prospects, so is there someone to fact and spell check what you write?</p>
<p>3/ <strong>Who’s on the evening shift?</strong> If you put your news live at the end of the day, who’s going to monitor and respond to comments during the evening? If you post on Friday, who’s going to keep an eye on activity over the weekend?</p>
<p>4/ <strong>Is your message clear?</strong> Facebook posts have to be short and sweet, so are you giving enough detail to make your message clear? Where can you send people for more information?</p>
<p>5/ <strong>What’s your call to action?</strong> What do you want people to do after reading your post? Have you made that clear to them?</p>
<p>6/ <strong>What’s Plan B?</strong> If your message is <a title="Quantas Twitter gaffe" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/social-media/8912701/Companies-must-learn-from-Qantas-Twitter-gaffe-and-TripAdvisor-blackmails.html">hijacked, changed and twisted by followers</a>, how can you get things back on track?</p>
<p>7/ <strong>Is one post enough?</strong> Your <a title="How travel companies use Facebook" href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/facebook-trends-leading-travel-companies-facebook/">Facebook messages will only appear on about 60% of your fans’ newsfeeds</a> each time you post, so do you need to plan additional posts to maximise uptake?</p>
<p>8/ <strong>Are you breaking any rules?</strong> For example, Facebook competitions should only be run via an approved app.</p>
<p>9/ <strong>How will measure success?</strong> Are you tracking comments and likes, click-through or bookings to justify the time you’re spending on Facebook?</p>
<p>10/ <strong>Help me out.</strong> What rule would you add to this list?</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/travel-pr-successful-facebook-twitter-posts/">Don’t click ok&#8230; 10 questions every Travel PR should ask before making that Facebook or Twitter post</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
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		<title>Facebook trends: how the leading travel companies use Facebook</title>
		<link>http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/facebook-trends-leading-travel-companies-facebook/</link>
					<comments>http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/facebook-trends-leading-travel-companies-facebook/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[danieljohnson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:46:03 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[all]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/?p=213</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>How are the UK’s biggest travel companies using Facebook and what can we learn from them? I recently started some research looking at how the biggest travel companies use Facebook. I am monitoring the pages of nine companies including Butlins, Thomas Cook, First Choice and Expedia (a 10th company, lastminute.com, deleted their page at the [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/facebook-trends-leading-travel-companies-facebook/">Facebook trends: how the leading travel companies use Facebook</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>How are the UK’s biggest <strong>travel companies using Facebook</strong> and what can we learn from them?</p>
<div id="attachment_216" style="width: 490px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/facebook-thumbs480.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-216" class="size-full wp-image-216" title="Facebook travel trends" src="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/facebook-thumbs480.jpg" alt="How Uk travel companies use Facebook" width="480" height="318" srcset="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/facebook-thumbs480.jpg 480w, http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/facebook-thumbs480-300x198.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-216" class="wp-caption-text">Facebook travel trends: four things we learn from reviewing how the biggest travel companies use Facebook</p></div>
<p><span id="more-213"></span><br />
I recently started some research looking at how the biggest travel companies use Facebook. I am monitoring the pages of nine companies including Butlins, Thomas Cook, First Choice and Expedia (a 10th company, lastminute.com, deleted their page at the beginning of November).</p>
<p>The research will run for many months to ensure the data is comprehensive, but based on the first four weeks of data (147 posts) I have seen some interesting trends.</p>
<h3> 1. Not all posts make it</h3>
<p>Only around 60% of posts make it to a Fans’ newsfeed. So you can’t be sure your carefully crafted news announcement or brilliant deal will actually make it to your fans, never mind be read by them.</p>
<h3> 2. Nobody posts at the weekend</h3>
<p>The most popular days for posting are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with very few posts on Saturday and Sunday. Is this an opportunity to be the only travel company out there for two clear days?</p>
<h3> 3. That Friday feeling</h3>
<p>There’s a big increase in the number of likes and comments per post on Thursdays and Fridays, suggesting they’re the best days to post if you want engagement.</p>
<h3> 4. Bye bye Facebook</h3>
<p>Travel company posts almost always link from Facebook to their company website. Is it because they don’t have the technology to price and book in Facebook, or because they don’t trust Facebook to hold their information securely?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I will post regular updates of my findings and I’ll produce a full report with data in the early part of next year. If you have any questions or ideas, <strong>give me your comments</strong>.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/facebook-trends-leading-travel-companies-facebook/">Facebook trends: how the leading travel companies use Facebook</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
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		<title>What does TripAdvisor&#8217;s Red Badge look like?</title>
		<link>http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/tripadvisors-red-badge/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[danieljohnson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 13 Nov 2011 22:05:23 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[all]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fake reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tripadvisor]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/?p=208</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>This is what happens when TripAdvisor thinks there is evidence you have been fiddling your reviews. The text in the red box says: Message from TripAdvisor: TripAdvisor has reasonable cause to believe that individuals or entities associated with or having an interest in this property may have interfered with traveller reviews and/or the popularity index [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/tripadvisors-red-badge/">What does TripAdvisor&#8217;s Red Badge look like?</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This is what happens when <strong>TripAdvisor</strong> thinks there is evidence you have been fiddling your reviews.</p>
<p><div id="attachment_209" style="width: 460px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/tripadvisor-red-badge.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-209" class="size-full wp-image-209" title="tripadvisor red badge" src="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/tripadvisor-red-badge.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="253" srcset="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/tripadvisor-red-badge.jpg 450w, http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/tripadvisor-red-badge-300x168.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-209" class="wp-caption-text">TripAdvisor posts a &quot;Red Badge&quot; warning when it thinks hotels have suspicious reviews</p></div><span id="more-208"></span></p>
<p>The text in the red box says:</p>
<blockquote><p>Message from TripAdvisor: TripAdvisor has reasonable cause to believe that individuals or entities associated with or having an interest in this property may have interfered with traveller reviews and/or the popularity index for this property. We make our best efforts to identify suspicious content and are always working to improve the processes we use to assess traveller reviews.</p></blockquote>
<p>Note: This hotel works with an Online Reputation Agency who have written to TripAdvisor asking for disclosure of the information used to make this decision.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com/tripadvisors-red-badge/">What does TripAdvisor&#8217;s Red Badge look like?</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.danieljohnsonpr.com">Daniel Johnson Travel PR</a>.</p>
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