If you haven’t noticed it yet, TripAdvisor is still the KING of tourism review sites. (and Google reviews is close behind) Despite all the other travel sites and apps that help travelers make decisions and book travel service, globally, TripAdvisor is still the largest with 490 million unique visitors per month – that is bigger than the entire population of South America! And with 790 million reviews on the platform, your guests use this as their top trusted source. Some tourism brands don’t realize that the more you OPTIMIZE your TripAdvisor profile page, the better you can attract better and more guests to your business. Yes, you have some control of your reviews on this platform.
Goals for Your Best TripAdvisor Profile Page
Merely putting up a profile without any thought ISN’T going to grow your business, but treating your profile as a marketing resource will. Your goals for your TripAdvisor profile page are similar to the ones you have on How to Write a Better Google my Business Profile.
You want:
- To build trust fast with the travelers landing on and reading your profile.
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To attract guests by inspiring them – not just by telling them what you do, but why and how you do it.
- To ensure your potential guests can find you where your competitors are and effectively persuade them with your profile.
A. How to Write a Better TripAdvisor Profile to Attract Guests
1. Research your competitors – Find out what categories they are in and read their reviews. What do their past guests say about their business? What words do they use to describe the things they like about their business? What keywords do they utilize in their profile description? Gather this information to understand them better and have a glimpse of the strengths you can apply to your profile. Also do your own keyword research in your category. (By the way, I use the keysearch my favorite SEO and keyword tool. You can get a 20% discount off using this link and my code: KSDISC)
2. Choose categories – Don’t do this randomly; choose the groupings that best describe your business and are in-line with your competitors’ categories. You will rank according to the categories that you choose, and the best way to be found is to put yourself next to your competitive set.
3. Write your profile in your guests’ point of view – Write to them directly, as though you are talking to them. You only have a maximum of 160 words to persuade them, so remember to:
a. Write in the second person in your copy. Refer to your reader as ‘you’ and speak to them directly, as though they were the only ones reading your text. Consumers are looking for “what’s in it for me” when seeking solutions to their travel needs, so bring them into your message by being direct and personal.
b. Determine your target guests’ needs and include how you can help them. Include keywords essential for your target guest (e.g. safety, reliable, years of experience, served 1000’s of happy guests).
c. Incorporate the experiences and feelings your guests had using your service. How do you make them feel? The more emotional you can explain this, the more effective you will persuade them. Use ‘feeling’ words to describe what you do. (i.e., happy, fun, exciting, unforgettable, exhilarating) Don’t use adjectives like beautiful, wonderful – these are meaningliess
4. Include your passion and purpose – share why you are in this business because many potential guests will appreciate where you are coming from.
Share your strengths -Bring into your profile something to entice your reader, like sharing how you do what you do.
*Important note: Do not write the same copy as your other profiles on your website or other social media. Google will see duplicate content, and it will favor the content from the higher domain authority source, which is TripAdvisor. Change and adjust the words slightly for each profile you write.
B. How to Find and Choose Your Best Photos
Even before your potential guests read your profile, your photos are the #1 way you can introduce them to your business. This is why I recommend you seek to get the best, most compelling, and professional photos. This is especially important for your main profile photo. You can hire a photographer or a travel blogger/content creator who takes excellent photos. Or better yet, why not up your game by learning how to take better photos?
When choosing photos to use, remember to:
- Choose pictures that will entice your guests the most. Highlight your best features. Do you have a beautiful lobby, an outdoor pool, or a lovely garden? For tours or attractions, show a picture that best represents your tour and shows your guests enjoying the services. Also, don’t forget to get feedback from your past guests.
- Include bright, high-quality images instead of dark, blurry, or busy images.
- Select some pictures that can show the uniqueness of your business. For instance, your purpose and how you run your business, your company’s key to competitive advantage, etc. For potential guests to understand you better, share pictures of your staff or of anything that shows your business’ purpose and meaning, such as an image of your mission statement. This approach is an excellent way for potential guests to connect with you on a level just beyond what all your competitors do – market by standard features and benefits – which can be easily copied. Here are some more tips on how to take better photos.
- Check out TripAdvisor’s photo analysis feature. Did they choose the top photo that your target guests wanted? Also, be sure you track the engagement of your photos every month; you can do this in TripAdvisor Analytics if you have a business advantage subscription.
C. Understand How Rankings Work on TripAdvisor to Get on the 1st Page of Your Category
You can improve your ranking on TripAdvisor if you pay attention to their three ranking factors:
- Age or Recency of Reviews
- Quality of Reviews
- Quantity of Reviews
Note: The age and quality of reviews are far more critical than their quantity. You can learn more about these three factors and how to improve them here.
D. Answer All Your Reviews and Earn Trust and Respect From Your Guests
When you answer positive reviews, it allows you to show your excellent service and highlight the various qualities of your business. When you answer negative reviews, it helps your readers see your professionalism and builds their respect towards you, which can turn them into guests. Our online course can provide you with the exact templates and tips on how to answer reviews to win over more guests.
E. ASK for Reviews From Every Guest
When you ask for reviews from every guest AND you are persistent at it, you will get more reviews, which will increase your TripAdvisor ranking. How to ask for reviews and improve your ranking? You can find the exact steps on who, when, and how to ask for reviews here.
F. Use Your Reviews in Your Marketing
There is no better way to convince future guests to buy your services than to show them your reviews. This includes using your reviews on the homepage of your website, in your ads, email marketing, and Facebook posts. The more you share what other people think about your business, the better you can turn lookers into bookers.
G. Continually Update and Analyze Your TripAdvisor Profile
Just like your website, your profile is never done. Review what your competitors are doing, read the reviews of their guests and what they are saying about their business, and update your photos. The more you learn about your target guests, the more relevant your copy and communications will be.
What are your best tips for managing your TripAdvisor Profile? For more information on improving your reviews, you can find more resources here.
Note: This is post includes an affiliate link to Keysearch a keyword search tool we use for all our SEO. We will receive a small commission if you decide to purchase it with this link. We only recommend products that we like and use on our own business.
