The old adage goes that a picture is worth a thousand words. However, although it’s true that images are important when selling accommodation, many travellers are now looking for information about genuine and authentic travel experiences. This makes well-written hotel descriptions not only necessary, but essential. To help you write killer hotel descriptions that convert, we’ve put together this list of top tips.
Understand your target market
Before you start writing for your audience, you have to understand your ideal guest. Copy that appeals to everyone sounds ideal, but it often means a vague and less impactful message.
Your copy should connect with your audience. This means the more you can define your ideal guest, the more your copy can appeal to them directly. So, before you begin writing, create audience/ buyer personas so you can address the needs and desires of that person (or people) in your copy.
Write with your customer in mind
If you’re looking to convert a visitor to your site, you need to think like a visitor. Before you put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard), you need to think ‘what would I want to know about this hotel?’
This means that rather than providing generic information for your reader, you need to include specifics. Never assume the reader knows about the location, and always believe they’re new to a destination. This way, you’ll tell them everything they need to know.
If your hotel is in a safe neighbourhood, tell your reader. If it’s known for being child-oriented, say so. If it’s located near top tourist attractions, include it in your copy. These details all help your readers make an informed decision.
But don’t embellish…
One thing you definitely shouldn’t do is overplay your hand. Some people fall into the trap of overusing generic adjectives and superlatives in their copy – this can be off-putting. Not everything is ‘beautiful’, ‘awe-inspiring’ or ‘breathtaking’. Use your adjectives and superlatives sparingly and they’ll have greater impact.
Instead of using generic phrases, play with the senses of your reader, using sensory-rich language in every sentence. Set a scene and put the reader at the heart of it. By doing this, you’ll also be able to tailor your copy to your target audience, helping it stand out from the copy of your competitors. Not only will this improve engagement for your copy, it will also boost conversions.
Keep copy relevant
Your copy needs to be evergreen. Although you should always have fresh content on your website, you need to make sure that your copy stands the test of time.
When you’re choosing what to write about, make sure you select things that won’t change. For example, the cathedral in the local town square may have stood there for thousands of years, but that new bar that opened round the corner might not be. Likewise, at the hotel, the range of pools and guest services will likely stay the same, but a weekly paella night might change or be seasonal.
If you fail to keep your copy relevant, or your copy becomes outdated, you’ll lose the trust of your reader, making them likely to look – and book – elsewhere.
Consider SEO impact
In order to convert more people, you want as many people as possible to read your copy. The travel space has become incredibly crowded, and you need to make sure your copy performs well in search engine results to get noticed.
Do some keyword research around your hotel and the local area. Then, include that keyword once per 100 words in your copy. As an aside, you should also ensure that your page includes title tags and a meta description. By doing so, Google will understand what your copy is about and, if your copy is good, it will rank it above the copy of your competitors, meaning you’ll get more visitors and readers. If you can’t do this yourself, consider hiring a specialist travel SEO company to help you.
Break up your copy
Keep copy short and punchy. Research shows that our attention spans are dwindling, so give your customers information quickly and succinctly.
Don’t make your sentences overly long, and set yourself a word limit of around 20 per sentence. Keep paragraphs and sections short, too. Readers are likely to be put off by swathes of text. By breaking it up, you’ll create more white space on the page, making it more aesthetically pleasing without compromising on the copy. Industry experts sometimes refer to this as snackable content.
Proof-read and copy-edit everything
Readers, consumers and customers buy from brands they trust. For this reason, a misplaced apostrophe or an incorrectly spelled landmark can really put a reader off. To prevent this from happening, have a co-worker read your copy to ensure everything is correct.
To maximise the benefit of this process, you should also hand them the audience persona you were using to create the copy. This way they can also provide you with feedback on your tone.
Follow these top tips and not only will you have killer hotel descriptions, but you’ll have copy that converts, too.
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