Apple’s latest software update, iOS 14.5, is introducing a new data privacy policy (ATT) that will require companies to get permission from iPhone users to track their behavior on third party apps and websites, when using their iphone device. This will restrict the reporting companies like Facebook and Google can provide for their Ad products, their ability to target consumers based on their behavior, and the size and breadth of the audiences they can generate.

‍

If you currently use Facebook and Google Ads, there are a few things you can do to prepare for these changes. This could also be a great excuse to take a step back and reassess your marketing strategies. Below we’ve put together some useful info and advice to get you started, including some awesome tips from industry leaders Chris Torres, Director of Tourism Marketing Agency and Marica Mackenroth Brewster, CEO of Von Mack Agency.

Take a look below to get prepared and find out the best strategy for your business.

‍

Peek Pro’s booking flow integrates with Facebook ads using pixel tracking. For more info on this feature, check out this Helpdesk article. Not on Peek Pro? Use this link to book time with a member of our team to run you through what this would look like for your business.

What do these changes mean?

‍

Currently, when you click on a Facebook advert for shoes you’ll be sent to the shoe shop’s website to make a purchase. If the shoe shop is using the Facebook Pixel, Facebook is able to track what you do on their website, how long you spend on the site, whether you make a purchase, what items you purchase, etc. Facebook then uses that information to measure the success of the advert and to categorize you as a consumer – did you buy any shoes? If you did, are you an Oxford or Brogues kinda person?

‍

Apple’s new restriction will block Facebook from tracking some consumer behavior once the consumer leaves Facebook’s site; so they won’t always be able to know whether an advert caused them to make a purchase or what kind of products they’re interested in.This reduction in data will impact the breadth of targeting and reporting that was previously available with Facebook Ads Manager.

‍

The good news:

‍

Facebook has been super proactive about this new policy and has introduced a new system to help you track the progress of your ads post iOS14.5. You will still be able to track up to 8 events that occur on your website. Jump to section 4 for instructions on setting up the new system.

‍

Top Tip: Check how many of your customers currently book on iPhones

‍

To get a clearer idea of how much this will specifically impact your business, take a look at your website traffic in your Google Analytics account. This update will only be available for consumers using an iPhone, so make note of how many iPhone users are viewing your site and how many purchases are being made using iPhones.

‍

To check this out go to your Google Analytics account, and click Audience > Mobile > Device. You can filter for Apple Mobile devices and see the % of your total traffic they represent.

How will this impact my Facebook or Google Ad campaigns?

‍

Now that iOS 14.5 is live, Facebook and Google will likely have access to a lot less data than before, which will mean they will less effectively be able to produce:

‍

1. Ads measured by Conversion Data

‍

If you run Facebook Ads or Google Ads that are measured by events that occur on your website, such as purchases or registration sign-ups, you are likely to see a reduction in the data you have to measure these Ad campaigns. When this happens these campaigns may be paused and stop working.

‍

2. Retargeting Audiences

‍

This change will also likely affect your ability to create targeted audiences. Previously, Facebook was able to identify which customers are likely to be interested in your products based on their previous purchase history. Facebook will still be able to do this, but they will probably have a lot less data without Apple iOS users, so these lists are likely to be smaller.

‍

3. Ad Optimization

‍

Currently Facebook optimizes the design and placement of your Ads based on their performance and on data from other campaigns. When the update is released Facebook will have less data to inform these decisions which may impact the effectiveness of this method.

What if I don’t use Facebook ads?

‍

If you don’t use Facebook ads but you do use Google Analytics, you are still likely to see some effect from the iOS 14.5 update. As far as we know this shouldn’t have a massive impact on your tracking, but given that iPhone users will have the option to opt out of some tracking you are likely to see a general decrease in the data that feeds into your Google Analytics.

Take a look at the last section of this blog for some effective marketing practices you can employ that don’t rely on consumer tracking data.

How should I prepare if I do use Facebook Ads?

‍

We asked some marketing experts in the tours and activities space to  share some advice on how to prepare for this update. Here’s a rundown of how to make necessary changes in your account as well as their top tips:

1. Verify your domain with Facebook

‍

This is a pretty simple step. Just head to Brand Safety > Domains in the Business Manager section of your Facebook Ad account. Facebook has a detailed helpdesk article and video explaining the exact steps, which can be done by you or your webmaster. Check out the instructions here.

Why should I verify my domain?

‍

Verifying your domain gives you ownership of your website and allows you to authorize Facebook to track events that occur on your website. Without it Facebook won’t be able to track the 8 events mentioned below.

2. Select up to 8 conversion events for Facebook to track on your website

‍

Once the update is rolled out, your facebook Pixel will only be able to track up to 8 conversion events that occur on your website.

‍

Have a look at your current campaigns and website activity, figure out which events best measure the success of your Ad campaigns, confirm whether these are the only events that can be used for remarketing and select those. You can do this in the Events Manager section of your Facebook Ad Manager account.

Follow Facebook’s step-by-step guide to selecting your 8 conversion events.

‍

Things to note:

‍

• When the update is released any impacted ad campaigns may be paused for up to 72 hours while Facebook configures that necessary changes. Any ad campaigns optimizing for events outside of your chosen 8, will be paused.
• These 8 events must occur on your website or on a verified domain, in order for them to be tracked. This means that if you use a booking software and your customers purchase your products through a widget (i.e. they will leave your website), you will not be able to use one of these 8 events to track what your customer does after clicking the purchase button on your website.
• You will still be able to track more than 8 events that occur on your website, the limit of 8 only applies to the events you can use to set-up conversion-driven ad campaigns.

What do the experts suggest?

‍

Chris Torres, from Tourism Marketing Agency says “First, don’t panic. Although these changes mean you will gather less data, it does allow you to refocus what to track and what is important for your business.

‍

You can only track 8 events, and these events are in order of priority, top being the highest, the bottom being the lowest.

‍

‍

Think of the lowest priority item as the top funnel, like viewing your website or a specific landing page that you may be running for a campaign. That page may have a newsletter sign-up that allows you to capture the customer’s details. This would be classed as ‘Complete Registration’ or ‘subscribed’.

‍

The next step for that customer may be to view a product/tour page and be inspired to click ‘enquire’ or ‘book’ – this can fall under ‘Initiate Checkout’. If that customer submitted a form or booked a product, this would be classed as either a ‘Lead’ or ‘Purchase’.

‍

You can have multiple pages classed as any of these events, but Facebook will report this back as one set of figures. So for example, if you have an event set as ‘view content’ for your home page, as well as all your product pages, then all the views would be combined. This is where Google Analytics will become even more important in tracking users behavioral flows.”

3. Measure your Ad campaigns using events other than conversions

‍

Marica Mackenroth Brewster, from Von Mack Agency, says “Optimize your campaign strategies to be measured by clicks, click outs to your online booking system, or views instead of ecommerce conversions.

This is where targeting in destination is key, and as we know, it’s been historically recommended to test feeder market vs hyper local anyway. If you know your market’s behavior while in town, you can serve ads to travelers locally while using a super limited, perhaps 3 day max, booking window.

‍

Your retargeting campaigns will likely change in messaging and in tone, as you will not have data from Facebook regarding booking confirmations or who abandoned at any given place along a check out funnel. So no FB auto optimization there. You will have to manually review the inbound clicks from Facebook UTM codes in your Google Analytics to get a sense for behavior.”

4. Tag your Facebook Ads to make sure they show up in your Google Analytics

‍

UTMs (Urchin Tracking Modules) are tags you can add to the end of links to track more data in your Google Analytics, they help you learn more about your audiences and your marketing campaign performance.

‍

How to add tags to your Facebook Ads:

‍

1. Select your Facebook ad campaign
2. Head to the Page and Links section in your Facebook Ad Manager account. Select the campaign you would like to create a tag for and click Show Advanced Options.
3. Fill out the website URL
4. This will be the exact page consumers are sent to if they click on the ad
5. Fill out your Display Link
6. The tracking UTM adds lots of extra text to your website link which looks messy and confusing to consumers. Using a display link allows you to hide all this from the consumer. Most users make this their homepage.
7. Add in the URL parameters
8. This is where you add in text that will be strung behind the URL, this text will tell your Google Analytics which advert the consumer has clicked on. Remember the more info you add to your tag the more data you’ll have to work with in Google Analytics.

‍

Example of URL parameters:

Top Tip: Add UTM tags to all your marketing campaigns – not just your Facebook Ads.

‍

Google Analytics has built out this tool to help you create URLs with UTMs.

‍

Marica says “Your copywriting will also no longer be able to speak directly to people who fell out of your booking flow. It will now have to be more broad, and thus must pull from your brand’s unique selling proposition at a higher intensity level to convert. But if that USP is nailed down and golden, and you get super familiar with your Facebook UTM code traffic click paths, your approach will evolve to become much less of a numbers game anyway. And that’s the point of this. It’s about inherently understanding the strategy of creating mass movement for your brand.

‍

For example, if you see in Google Analytics that your website traffic from Facebook UTM’s generally bounces out at a certain page, you need to make sure that whatever your ad is promising is not countered on that page. Maybe even check that page for mobile functionality. Get really used to next-level sorting that traffic by device, booking conversion window, even by gender. This is the data discovery you’ll need to continue optimizing your campaigns on Facebook.”

5. Tracking your Facebook Campaigns in Google Analytics

‍

Now you’ve added detailed UTM tags to each of your Ad campaigns, you can easily track their performance in Google Analytics.

‍

1. Go to the Acquisitions section
2. Select the All Traffic dropdown
3. Click on Source/Medium
4. Choose the parameter you would like to track by selecting the Other dropdown and choosing the Acquisition group you would like to look at
5. You can adjust the Primary Dimension to assess the performance of your ads on the campaign level, ad set level and individual ad level.

‍

If you used Google Analytics’ UTM builder to set your parameters, you can use the following primary dimensions to break down your tracking:

‍

• Campaign: this will allow you to track your Facebook Ads Campaign performance
• Keyword: use this to deep dive into your ad set performance
• Ad Content: this will allow you to analyze individual ad performance

‍

It’s important to track your marketing campaign performance in Google Analytics, so you can adapt and optimize them to more effectively achieve your goals.

‍

For more info on how to use Google Analytics check out their YouTube channel. They’ve created a bunch of bitesized videos that break down all their tools and help you create effective reports to inform sound business decisions.

What else can I do to prepare for iOS 14.5?

‍

Focus on marketing campaigns that don’t rely on consumer tracking.

‍

So far we’ve only talked about how you can prepare your Facebook Ads for this update. Another way to combat this imminent reduction in customer data is to pivot your marketing strategy and focus more on projects that don’t rely on consumer tracking.

‍

Marketing solutions that won’t be affected by the iOS 14.5 update:

1. Boost direct traffic to your website

‍

a) Backlinks

‍

Increasing your backlinks signals to Google that your website belongs to a legitimate company. The more Google trusts your company is real the better ranking and visibility you’ll get in google searches.

‍

What is a backlink? A backlink is when your website URL appears on a third party website, e.g. when a company links to your website in a blog.

‍

How can I get backlinks?

‍

• Offer to write guest blogs on popular sites and publications
• Add your website to all your social media profiles
• Get your company listed on local DMO and association websites
• Find blogs that appears high on relevant Google searches and develop your own take on the same topic

Check out your website on the Google Search Console to see how many backlinks you already have and keep track of how many new backlinks you get.

‍

b) SEO

‍

Good Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial for driving consistent traffic to your website. It’s all about stuffing your website content with the kind of buzzwords that your target audience are most likely to search. When you research keywords look out for the ones that have the most search volume but that are used the least on other sites.

‍

How do I figure out which keywords to include?

• Make a list of the words customers are most likely to search if they’re interested in doing a tour or activity in your local area
• Use keyword research tools such as Keyword tool to narrow down your search and locate the words with the highest search volume

‍

Where should I include these keywords?

• Website URL
• Website titles & headings
• General content like activity pages, FAQs and blogs
• ‍

Be sure to publish new content regularly and keep it genuinely engaging. For some extra tips on effective blog writing, check out this blog.

c) Brand awareness

‍

Review, reviews, reviews! Reviews are the most powerful content for driving tour & activity bookings. Make sure you’re taking every opportunity to collect review content from your customers and that that content is feeding to sites such as TripAdvisor, Google and Yelp.

‍

How can I boost my review content?

‍

• Use Peek Pro’s SmartReviews+ feature to capture reviews from every single customer and populate the world’s biggest review sites with the best ones. Find out more about this feature in this helpdesk article.
• Make sure your reviews are visible on your website. Peek Pro’s Reviews widget will automatically feed positive reviews onto your site. And you’ll get the added benefit of displaying your star ratings and reviews count in your Google search results.
• Create a Facebook fan page about your company. You can allow customers to write reviews on your fan page so that others searching see social proof wherever they go.
• Ask customers to share their experience on social media and tag your company in their posts.

2. Invest in your marketing emails

‍

Did you know? Email marketing is still the #1 source of bookings for many companies. Emails are a great way to re-engage past customers and draw in new ones.

‍

Top Tip: Use Peek Pro’s Zapier integration with your marketing software to leverage customer data and give your emails a personal touch.

‍

Email marketing campaign ideas for tour & activity operators:

‍

1. Launch a weekly newsletter filled with customer testimonials, exciting pictures and new updates
2. Feature your staff, interview each of your employees and help your customers relate to your company on a more human level
3. Catch the anniversaries: depending on your repeat buying cycle reach out to past customers just before they are most likely to make a second purchase and remind them of the incredible time they had before!

3. Boost your social media presence

‍

With even most of our grandparents on Facebook these days no one can deny that social media is having its heyday. Here’s a few ideas to get your followers up and your likes rolling in:

1. Launch competitions that involve following your accounts and engaging with your content
2. Host Instagram and Facebook ‘Lives’ – show your customers what goes on behind the scenes and let them get to know you as individuals
3. Collaborate with local influencers and get them to document them loving your experiences

4. Optimize your ‘Google my Business’ account

‍

Optimizing your ‘Google My Business’ account is a great way to boost your google search rankings and drive more direct traffic to your website.

‍

Check out how tour operators Namaste in Nature and French Quarter Phantoms leverage GMB by making the most of their promotion tools in this blog: Google My Business: 10 Key Optimizations for Tour and Activity Operators.

Top Tip: Add a post-purchase survey / custom question at the end of your booking flow to ask customers how they found your website

‍

Post-purchase surveys are a great way to capture data and feedback from your customers without relying on automated tracking. You’ll be able to see which marketing channels are most fruitful for your business which will help you more effectively allocate your marketing spend.

‍

In Peek Pro you can easily add a custom question at the end of your booking flow to capture this information; find out more in this Helpdesk article.

Peek is monitoring these changes very closely and wants to stay close to the feedback that operators have to inform future marketing enablement features. If you have any feature requests or questions regarding this update and its impact on you as a Peek operator, please reach out to our partner support team.

Chris Torres

Director, Tourism Marketing Agency

Chris is an author, podcaster, and brand & digital tourism expert with over 26 years’ industry experience. Chris speaks at many tourism events worldwide, offering his advice and guidance on how travel, tourism, and destination businesses can gain brand recognition and increase bookings. Chris has focused his business, the Tourism Marketing Agency, on tour operator marketing and works with some of the biggest players in the industry.

Marica Mackenroth Brewster

CEO, Von Mack Agency

Marica Mackenroth Brewster is an award-winning marketer who helps  tourism businesses grow. As founder and CEO of The Von Mack Agency, her nearly two decades of experience is put to work leading tour companies, attractions, CVB’s, hospitality entities, and motorcoach companies to success, before and most especially throughout this time of COVID.

‍

Over the past few years, 5 star reviews have become worth their weight in gold. With sites like Yelp and Tripadvisor growing in popularity, reviews have become even more important to the success and profitability of businesses. Not only that, customers see the importance of reviews when choosing to book an activity or tour. Tripadvisor found that 80% of travelers read at least 6-12 reviews prior to making a booking and 53% won’t even commit to making a booking or reservation until reading at least one review. Stats like these show why not only having but effectively showcasing reviews is crucial to bringing in new customers. See some of the other reasons you should consider highlighting your reviews.

‍

Online Reviews are the New Word of Mouth

‍

While a recommendation from a familiar source like a friend or family is always key, online reviews are becoming almost equally important. As social media usage has skyrocketed and online review sites have become more popular, people are now turning to reviews as a trusted form of social proof. In a recent study from BrightLocal, 79% of people said that they trust reviews just as much as a personal recommendation. This shows that though word of mouth is still a great way to improve your reputation and grow your business, online reviews are becoming just as important.

‍

It’s also worth noting that online reviews will reach more people and help influence a greater number of potential customers than word of mouth. Customers are much more likely to turn to the internet before asking for word of mouth recommendations when inquiring about a business. That’s why you should showcase your reviews on every possible platform. Highlight them on your website with the Reviews Widget and sign up for sites like Tripadvisor, Viator or GetYourGuide to bring in more reviews. A personal recommendation will always be key, but it’s clear online reviews have carved out their importance in the industry and are here to stay.

To Boost Revenue, Aim for Quality and Quantity

‍

Even though 5 star reviews look great from afar, it’s a common misconception that having only perfect reviews generates more revenue. A study conducted by Womply on small businesses discovered that having an average rating of 5 stars doesn’t directly translate to an increase in revenue. Small businesses that fall within the 3.5 to 4.5 star range are in fact the ones that see the most revenue. Even more shocking is that businesses with a 5 star average actually earn less than 1 to 1.5 star businesses.

‍

It’s important to note this difference since it’s expected to have customers that leave lower rated reviews and customers won’t always leave 100% satisfied. The same study also found that the quantity of reviews is the most important factor for many. Businesses with greater than the average number of reviews earned 82% more revenue than those with less than the average review. This shows that though it’s important to get 5 star ratings, it’s even more important to get a review from every customer.

‍

Boost the amount of reviews by ensuring you collect emails from every guest, not just the person booking - Peek’s SmartReviews+ feature collects emails from waiver signatures and sends out an automated request after the activity. Another great way to generate reviews is through asking the customer directly at the end of the activity, placing QR codes and signage up around your office, or incentivizing your guides with rewards.

‍

Address Every Negative Review - They Matter Just as Much as Great Ones

‍

Not every review will be 5 stars and you’re bound to have some reviews from unhappy customers who weren’t satisfied with their experience. In the past, it was common to ignore these reviews as outliers and try to hide them altogether. However, this isn’t the case as most customers actually seek out negative reviews. Let's be honest, we’ve all filtered reviews to look at the worst of the worst experiences. They exist and shouldn’t be ignored. While a 1 star review may seem problematic, customers actually spend five times as long on a site when they interact with negative reviews and see an 85% increase in conversion rate. This is because negative reviews make your business more credible and near perfect ratings can appear suspicious to customers. Use this to your advantage by responding to negative reviews quickly.

‍

Replying to reviews - good or bad - leads to better ratings. Be transparent about your mistakes, offer a solution and even show your concern by providing an incentive such as a discount. If you don’t have time to get to those bad reviews, enlist the help of SmartReviews+ to automatically follow up with low-rated reviews

Covid Has Made Reviews Even More Essential

‍

2020 was a year to forget for the travel industry with many struggling due to the global pandemic. Nevertheless, it’s safe to say that there’s a lot to learn from with the tourism industry adapting to this difficult situation. For one, customers want a greater focus on health and safety precautions taken by a business. 23% of people said they chose a different business if the other didn’t follow health measures, and 17% wrote negative reviews of businesses that didn’t follow the necessary Covid-19 health measures. The Reviews Widget showcases the most up-to-date reviews on your website so potential customers don’t have to search different review sites for comments on safety protocols.

‍

Customers want to feel safe when choosing a business now more than ever and aren’t afraid to speak up when the health and safety of a business are not up to standards. Share your protocols with customers through clearly stating them in the booking flow or on your website. This will let customers know you’re serious about keeping them safe before and after the activity to put them at ease when booking.

‍

If you’re interested in showcasing reviews on your website, reach out to support@peek.com to get the Reviews Widget on your page in only 5 minutes!

Thanks for Registering for Growvember!

‍

Peek gathered some of the industry’s best and brightest to help you supercharge your business this season! These industry experts delivered invaluable workshops centered around driving more revenue for your company.

‍

Big thanks to all of the speakers and to those who joined us live for the discussions. Growvember 2020 is now over, but don’t worry! You can access the recordings of all talks right here.

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

Chris Torres

Founder & Director, Tourism Marketing Agency

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

Kelsey Tonner

Founder, Be a Better Guide

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

Samantha Hardcastle

Founder, The Storied Experience

‍

Tour Operator Roundtable

‍

Natasha Baker Williams, Founder, SUP PUP, John O'Sullivan, Founding Director, Depot Adventures, Eddie Sax, Founder, Chief's Luau, Jen Becker, Director of Marketing, Escape Adventures, John Lynch, VP of Marketing & Operations, Peek Pro

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

Josh Oakes

Co-founder, The Sunshine Tribe



Supercharge Season

Matt Osterhaus, Product Manager, Peek Pro & Kyle Davidson, Sales Engineer, Peek Pro

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

Dan Kirner

Founder, Tour Operator CFO

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

Koa Kauwe

Director of Business Development, Boostability

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

Andrew Simpson

Head of Tiger Care, Tourism Tiger

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

Nathan Andrew

Digital Marketing Director, Blend Marketing

‍

See you next year for Growvember 2021!

That's a wrap on SheTalks 2021!

‍

Peek gathered some of the industry’s best and brightest to help give valuable insights for your business for the upcoming season and beyond!

‍

Big thanks to all of the speakers and to those who joined us live for the discussions. SheTalks 2021 is now over, but don’t worry! You can access the recordings of all talks right here.

Marica Mackenroth Brewster

CEO & Founder, Von Mack Agency

Mapping Your Own Path to Recovery: Where to Focus Your Marketing Attention Right Now

Nikki Padilla

Tour Guide Educator & Advocate, TripKinetics

‍

Tour Operator Roundtable

‍

Carolina Eiris Molloy, CFO & Co-Founder, Adventure Sports Innovation; Avital Ungar, Owner, Avital Food Tours; Filipa Loulé, CEO & Founder, Portuguese for a Day Tours; Lee Ranking & Tiffany Breindel, Owner & Farm Manager, Apple Hill Farms; Angalina Salls, Manager, Alvin's Offroad Playground; Linda Denbrock, Business Development, Peek Pro

‍

See you next year for SheTalks 2022!

What is Google My Business?‍

‍

Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool from Google to help small businesses manage their online presence and get direct bookings. Your GMB page will appear as on the side of a Google search related to your business, helping to provide more information, reviews and a direct route to booking your activities.

Given the rollercoaster that has been 2020, customers are more likely than ever to check out your business on Google before showing up in person. Take this opportunity to jazz up your GMB page, and give visitors a clear path to booking with you right away.

‍

‍Why is having a Google My Business account important?

‍

‍GMB is extremely important for driving online traffic to your business - you’re more likely to come up in a search if you have an optimized GMB page. Google presents its own top three selected businesses at the top of a Google search before the actual search results. Keep reading to find out how to get in that top three.

‍

How can I appear higher up in the listings?

‍

It’s all about optimization. Follow the steps below to help verify your business and increase your chances of appearing higher up in the listings. The more information Google can verify about your business, the higher your business will rank in their listings.

‍

Our amazing partners Namaste in Nature and French Quarter Phantoms have done an excellent job of optimizing their GMB accounts - keep your eye out for some awesome examples throughout this blog!

1. Claim your business

‍

If you haven't already, search your business and check whether it appears on Google. Someone else may have uploaded your business to Google maps, but only you can claim the account.

‍

Click on ‘Claim my Business’ - this will trigger Google to send you a postcard in the post to verify that you are the business owner and you have access to the business location.

‍

Once this has been approved, you’ll have full access to your account and can begin to optimize. Find more details on claiming your business here.

2. Ensure consistency with your Name, Address and Phone Number (NAP)

‍

One of the main ways Google verifies your business is through citations - every time your business is mentioned on the internet. This usually consists of your business name, address and phone number, or “NAP”.

‍

Google will find every instance your business is mentioned on the internet and check whether the name, address and phone number attached are exactly the same. Any differences or discrepancies will cause Google to doubt the validity of your business.

‍

‍What does a consistent NAP look like?

• All components are ALWAYS written in exactly the same format
• This includes any shortenings such as ‘rd’ for ‘road’ or ‘hwy’ for ‘highway’, so make sure to use the full written address
• Make sure the same phone number is included and always include the country code

‍

How can I make sure my NAP is always consistent?

‍

‍You can do an audit of every citation of your business on the internet, filter out inconsistent cases, and create more credible entries. Here’s how:

• Head to www.moz.om/local/search
• Type in your business name
• It will find all the citations out there and will give you a score
• Go to any incomplete entries and correct them - e.g. Facebook is missing photos, TripAdvisor is missing a missing phone number, Yelp has your address listed in a different format (CA instead of California)
• Clean up your existing citations and look for new citation opportunities

‍

This is the most important information for Google, so make sure it’s available in as many places as possible.

‍

‍Where should I include my NAP?

• Include your NAP in the footer of every page on your website
• Create a short organic video on youtube of you introducing your business and make the title your NAP
• Embed this video on your website homepage - Google owns YouTube so this is a great way to help verify your business information
• Embed your Google Maps listing on your homepage and label the link ‘Get Directions Here’ - this will show Google that your business is where you say it is
• Link your strongest citations on your homepage, such as Facebook, TripAdvisor and Yelp

‍

If you want to find out more about optimizing your citations, check out this YouTube tutorial.

3. Fill out all of your business information

‍

The more complete your account is, the more likely it will appear higher in Google’s rankings. Google gives you 750 words to describe your business - try to use as many as possible and include all necessary info. The first 250 words will show up first - so make the beginning count.

‍

‍What should I include in my business description?

• Explain fully what you offer as a business so that it’s super clear for customers
• Provide all the information a customer would need to book with you straight away
• Use key words and phrases that refer to what you offer to further verify your business; e.g. if you are a rafting business, use ‘white water adventure in Pucon’ or ‘gnarliest rivers in Chile’

Categories

• Fill out your business category as specifically as possible: This will help you appear in discovery searches and help Google recognize your business
• Make sure to fill out all five of the category options to provide as many opportunities as possible for your company to be found in a relevant search

Business Hours

• Similar to your NAP, the format of your schedule should be the same on your website, on your GMB page and anywhere else that it appears on the internet
• Update these as much as possible, especially for public holidays or any closures that you may have. This helps verify the information on your website and boosts Google’s confidence in your business

Attributes, Products & Services

• Including more specific information about services you provide will help you appear in more relevant searches and boost your ranking. Some examples could be: wheelchair access, bicycles for rent, restroom, Wi-Fi (free / paid)
• Your GMB page looks more appealing if you list attributes and products because small green ticks are added under your business name, which can be subconsciously attractive to customers
• You can use this section to sell your individual products; Google displays your products with an attractive carousel that shows up on mobile devices. Here is a great example from our partner Namaste in Nature:

4. Link your Google Things to Do account to get direct bookings

‍

Google Things to Do allows for your activity to appear in front of the millions of people who use Google each day. By allowing this integration, customers will be able to find your activity when searching for a point of interest or attraction. Your tour or activity will show up directly on the Things to Do tab along with your business name and price.

While customers won't be able to book directly through Google, they will be able to compare prices and be directed to your site boosting your revenue through direct bookings and giving you greater visibility on Google.

‍

You can easily integrate your Peek.com account with Googe Things to Do through our Magpie - Google Things to Do. For more info about Google Things to Do and how to integrate your account, check out this Helpdesk article.

‍

If you’re a Peek Pro partner and want to know more about being listed on Peek.com, click here.

5. Geotag your top quality photos

‍

Images are some of the most engaging content out there, and are a super helpful way for customers to get to know your business. Include images of your office, the places you will take customers, and your team to help Google understand what your business offers. Post photos frequently, as this lets Google know your business is open and active.

‍

Make sure to always use original content - Google will know if you are uploading stock photos, and it will cast doubt over whether you are a real business or not.

‍

A great way of helping Google verify the location of your business is to ‘Geotag’ the photos you upload. This means adding a short line of code to the images to state their location.

How do I Geotag my images?

• Go to www.geoimgr.com
• Drag the image you want to ‘Geotag’ into the box
• It will tell you if there are any existing Geotags attached to your photo
• If you are using original photo content, it will likely say there are no Geotags attached to your photo
• If this is the case, go to the search bar and type in your business (if your business is brand new it may not come up, so you’ll have to type in your full address)
• Click on your business and it should populate the longitude and latitude of your address
• Fill out the ‘Image Description’: Use key words and the city you want to be found in
• Then click ‘Write EXIX Tags’  - this will add the tags to your photo
• Click ‘Download’ to download your image with the updated tags
• Upload the image to your GMB page

‍

TOP TIP: Do you already ask customers to tag you in photos on Instagram and Facebook? Then why not on your  Google account! You can allow other people to upload images to your account. This is great for keeping your feed fresh and reminding Google that your business is active. Just remember to monitor them and take down any that are inaccurate or bad quality.

6. Upload original video content to introduce you and your team

‍

Video is a hugely important medium for quick engagement and boosting booking conversions. But there are a few crucial pointers to be aware of:

• Google will remove any stock video or videos where the main subject is not related to the business location. So be sure to create some original content and feature your business location.
• Don’t overcomplicate - even some simple footage of your office and team members can go a long way in boosting customer and Google confidence.

‍

What format should my video take?

• 30 seconds long
• Up to 100 mgb
• 720px or higher

‍

TOP TIP: Include two or more videos - once you have more than one video on your GMB listing you’ll get a videos subtab, which allows your videos to show up on mobile devices.

7. Reply to your Google Reviews

‍

Google prioritizes bigger brands, and having lots of good quality review content is a big signal to Google that your business is popular. Reviews are also great for connecting with new customers and keeping old customers engaged.

‍

Aim to have at least five 5-star reviews as a starting point. The lack of star ratings is a stand-out differentiator and automatically makes you look worse than your competition.

How can I boost my review content on Google?

• Reply to every review. This keeps your customers interested, makes your business look trustworthy, and is a great opportunity to get more keywords onto your GMB page to boost your ranking.
• Address bad reviews by acknowledging the issue mentioned and suggesting a way to make it right. Leave a comment such as: ‘We are so sorry to hear that, please make yourself known to us and we will do what we can to make this right’.
• Use Peek Pro’s Smart Reviews feature to send a customized review request to every one of your customers, and use the Reviews Widget to showcase these reviews on your website and to link them to your GMB account. We have seen these features increase Google reviews for our partners 10-fold in less than 6 months! To find out how, head to this Helpdesk article.

8. Write your own questions in the Q&A section

‍

The Q&A section of your GMB is a great way to boost trust in your brand by showing visitors that you are engaging with customers and providing them with the information they need.

‍

Monitor the questions as closely as your reviews and always leave a response as quickly as possible. Other people are able to reply to these questions, so be sure to check they are providing the correct information.

You have the ability to upvote questions and this will make them more visible on your page as they will be listed near the top. If you see some particularly relevant questions, upvote them to highlight them.

‍

‍TOP TIP: Treat this section like your Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page on your website and add your own questions to this section. This is a great way to make sure customers have all the info they need and to show Google you are optimizing your account.

9. Treat your posts like you treat your social media

‍

‘Posts’ are great for grabbing people's attention. Use snazzy pictures and special offers to entice the viewer to read more.

‍

Just like your Instagram or Facebook pages, you should update these regularly to keep driving traffic - ideally every seven days. Every time you post, a positive ranking signal is sent to Google to help list you closer to the top of searches. Why not set a reminder to repost every week?

It is important to choose eye-catching images of good quality. The dimensions for the images should be 590 x 495 px.

‍

These posts can work like mini adverts - here are some ideas for how to use them to pull in new customers:

• Appeal to visitors seeing your business for the first time - offer a free glass of Champagne with the first tour you take
• If you are throwing a special event such as a children-only session or live music at your business, create an image with the date and time, and link to the booking widget
• Offering a new tour or activity? Take some awesome pictures of it and link to a testimonial
• Do you have a blog? Post every time you publish a new blog post

10. Link your mobile phone number to your GMB page

‍

Uploading a mobile phone number to the messaging section of your GMB page allows you to respond to customers in real-time. Visitors can send you a direct message that will come through straight to your phone and you can set up notifications to alert you about new questions, reviews or photos on your account.

‍

Instant response to customers is huge for boosting trust in your brand and makes you look brilliant to the customer.

• This doesn’t need to be the number in your NAP and you don’t need to worry about this number being displayed for everyone to see. Google sends the message through to this number so the customer will never actually get hold of it
• To set up alerts for updates to your GMB page, head to settings and tick “Customer Messages”. This will make sure you are on top of any changes that might happen on your GMB page
• You can also customize the message customers receive when they send you a text using this feature. Use this message to let the customer know:
• You have received your message
• You will reply soon
• Thank them for getting in touch

‍

Google has provided this Helpdesk article with a set-by-step guide to getting this set up.

‍

‍TOP TIP: Once you’ve got this feature set up, make sure it works by giving it a go yourself. Send yourself a message, make sure it comes through and check that you receive a response message.For more relevant updates and information for tour operators, check out our Resource Hub and sign up to receive email updates.

Peek gathered some of the industry’s best and brightest to help you supercharge your business this season! These industry experts delivered invaluable workshops on topics such as Facebook Ads, Google My Business Listings, Dynamic Pricing and SEO to help you drive more revenue for your company.

‍

To check out the recordings of these sessions, fill in the form below:

‍

[hubspot type=form portal=2585423 id=1ff5c631-9fe8-4967-b2b4-92ea30c3fe6c]