How can I advertise a travel website

[FemaleDuck]

Hello everyone,
Please advise me what I need to do to get more traffic and real visits to our travel website. Our monthly budget is around usd500.
thanks in advance.
P.S sorry if wrong box.

[mike@engagemarketing]

Hello FemaleDuck,
I'd start by putting your money back in your pocket. Start off by thinking about where your customers would go to find their information on vietnam tours - forums like lonelyplanet thorntree etc (incidentally, if you try to promote a service like yours on a forum like this, your just wasting your time - people will see right through you).

I'd spend some time learning Search Engine Optimisation so that you get free hits to your website. It might be worth looking into a professional search engine optimisation company, but i doubt that USD$500 would get you anything worth your trust. Also look into Google Adwords and see how much it would cost you to be featured in the sidebar ads and if you would have much competition for the searches that your potential customers would be making.

Cheers

[Warren Cottis]

Dear Miss or Mrs Duck

Here are your keywords from your site ....Vietnam resort,Resorts in vietnam,Beach resorts,Vietnam vacation,Resort and Spa,Vietnam
resorts,Mountain resorts,Riverside resort,Muine resort,Hoian resort,Nhatrang resort,Danang resort,Vietnam holiday,Relax in vietnam,Muine resorts,Hoian ,Nhatrang,Danang,Muine ,Golf resorts, 5 star, 4 star, 3 star"

The problem with this is that your website is marketing to the world but your keywords are targeted at people who have already decided that they want to go to Vietnam.

If someone is thinking of a holiday they are going to type in words like romantic, action, cheap, luxury, value for money, escape my mother in law etc etc so reassess what you have to offer and start by reflecting the benefits in your keywords to the world and not just a Vietnam focus.

That's enough for tonight, if I tell you any more I'll have to charge you.

Can you believe it... apparently some people in the USA don't know where Australia is let alone Vietnam

[MissieK]

What about writing some articles and sending them to information websites and travel magazines for some publicity?

Also, do you have a blog? This can help with search engine traffic.

Melissa

[mike@engagemarketing]

Originally Posted by warrenc

Can you believe it... apparently some people in the USA don't know where Australia is let alone Vietnam

Haha. I had an american ask me once if Australia uses the Euro as currency!

[Lenore K.]

Hi Female Duck, if you email me I'll send you the name of a SEO who is very very reasonable and you can have a chat. (Reason I'm not posting here is she limits her clients to have a life other than work. Not like some of us!)
Lee

[Warren Cottis]

Thanks Michael ... there needs to be a sense of humour here too

[mike@engagemarketing]

Originally Posted by warrenc

Thanks Michael ... there needs to be a sense of humour here too

Haha cheers. I liked your Miss or Mrs duck remark as well.

Whenever i encountered an American tourist that when asked where they were from, would reply only with a state, expecting us to know it, rather than the country they lived in, i'd reply with oh.. San Francisco. What country is that in? or, is that in Canada?

Its fair to say that some American's don't find me all that smart