Isle of Wight Web Design - What You Need to Know. Part 1: IOW Hotel Websites.

We get to see a lot of websites here at we3create from all over the world, but our main focus is, of course, on Isle of Wight web design, and in this blog series we3create have put together a little list of suggestions and tips for businesses and individuals looking to revamp their website, or wondering why they should.

Hotels:

In a survey of over fifty Isle of Wight hotel websites, we were interested to find that 90% of them were not representative at all of the hotels they were promoting. For example:

• Photographic images were of poor quality, not doing the hotel justice.

• The website itself often looked as if it were created many years ago and then left to collect dust.

• There was no facility to make an online booking, something we consider essential in today's market.

We know a lot of these hotels from personal experience, and know that their owners take great pride in the upkeep of their property, and were puzzled to see so little attention paid to their online presence, which is often the first place that people will encounter their business.

A good online presence for an Isle of Wight hotel would include:

• A stunning selection of images showing all that the hotel offers the customer.

• Well thought out, alluring content, including information about the both the hotel and the surrounding area.

• Some way to book online. Many of the hotels surveyed do use a third party provider, but the majority have no way for a client to make an online booking.

• Regular updates such as special offers, additions to the hotel, or even guest testimonials.

• Mobile friendly website design to accommodate the ever exploding mobile market.

As the travel industry keeps moving further and further away from the traditional route of a heavy emphasis on print advertising and direct call booking, and into online research and booking of hotels, we ask whether the Isle of Wight Hotel industry can afford not to update their online identity.

If you want to talk to us about getting your Isle of Wight hotel website operating in today's digital age, please give us a call on 01983 550 540, or visit us online at we3create.