Rationale
The data supporting our research comes from the assessment of over 1,400 tourism businesses through the Tourism Tribe Digital Engagement Health Check™.
Our accredited digital assessors have conducted a 62 point assessment of the digital footprint of over 1,400 tourism businesses which includes key assets such as website, Google Business Profile, Local Search, SEO, TripAdvisor, Facebook and Instagram.
The Tourism businesses assessed are mainly small businesses located across regions in Australia.
The aim of this guide is to showcase the status of the online footprint of businesses across Australia.
What is the Digital Engagement Health Check™?
The above chart shows the average scores across all tourism industry sectors.
Best practice tourism websites
Our website health check has been designed to check the essential elements a website needs to have to meet the needs of today’s digital savvy online shopper requests.
The above chart shows the website score across average scores across all tourism industry sub sectors.
Website basics
Current score of small tourism businesses with regards to basic elements on their websites
This section focuses on the non-negotiable elements a website needs to have, such as:
- Click to call phone number
- Address information
- SSL certificate
- A number of other factors
If a business has not scored 100% in this section a recommendation is provided on why this element is important for the user journey and/or Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
This section focuses on ensuring that the website content is in line with customers’ expectations.
- A user-friendly navigation menu
- Destination information & Blog or News section
- Quality images & video
- A number of other factors
Website content
Website sales
This section focuses on assessing how well the website is set up to encourage and facilitate sales.
- Are the products/services accessible from any page and are they listed in a visually-pleasing way on the homepage
- A lead magnet or at least an e-newsletter subscription form etc.
- Prices/rates are easily accessible and can be purchased or booked online
- A number of other factors
Tourism Australia describes accessible tourism as the ongoing endeavour to ensure tourist destinations, products and services are accessible to all people, regardless of their physical limitations, disabilities or age.
This section of the health check focuses on whether a business has adequate information on their website of how they can or can’t cater to a person who identifies as having a disability.
Website accessibility
Website social proof
Social proof is a simple yet underused way to showcase that other people have purchased and found value in a product or service offered by a business. Reviews are the quintessential example of social proof.
The Digital Engagement Health Check™ assesses elements such as:
- Reviews
- Industry accreditation
- Social media elements
Tourism businesses local search listings status
This section of the Digital Engagement Health Check ™ assesses a number of key factors of local search (Google Business Profile). Ensuring businesses rank on search engines like Google will ensure that they don’t remain the best kept secret.
The above chart shows the Local Search (Google Business Profile) score averages across all tourism industry sub sectors.
Meeting minimal requirements on a Google Business Profile and Local Search is critical to any tourism business as these rank at the top of Google.
The Digital Engagement Health Check™ conducts an extensive review of Local Search elements, including social proof, imagery, frequently asked questions and more.
Tourism businesses search score status
This section of the Digital Engagement Health Check ™ touches on a number of search engine optimisation (SEO) markers, it is designed to help businesses start an SEO conversation with their web developer and/or their digital team.
The above chart shows the Search score averages across all tourism industry sub sectors.
Unfortunately, is extremely common to see websites that lack basic search engine optimisation even though operators have paid for it.
The Digital Engagement Health Check conducts a review of Search Engine Optimisation elements, such as content rich elements, page titles and meta descriptions, domain authority score and more.
Best practice TripAdvisor
This section of the Digital Engagement Health Check ™ assesses the TripAdvisor listing of tourism businesses to review whether they are showcasing best practice elements on this platform.
The above chart shows the TripAdvisor score across average scores across all tourism industry sub sectors.
TripAdvisor is one of the highest ranking third party reviews website in the industry.
The Digital Engagement Health Check™ conducts an assessment of best practice TripAdvisor concepts that a tourism business needs to meet to portray an acceptable level of online customer service.
Tourism Businesses should aim to have a ranking of at least 4 stars on TripAdvisor and inject the intelligence gained from their reviews back into their business.
Best practice Facebook
This section of the Digital Engagement Health Check ™ focuses on checking that a business has the best practice elements in place for a Facebook business profile.
The above chart shows the Facebook score across average scores across all tourism industry sub sectors.
Facebook has become a powerful tool for small businesses to promote themselves and connect with their customers.
With its ever-evolving features and algorithms, Facebook is constantly improving its platform to help businesses succeed. With its easy-to-use tools and affordable advertising options, Facebook has become an essential part of many small businesses’ marketing and social media strategies.
The Digital Engagement Health Check™ reviews elements such as:
- Engagement
- Messenger configuration
- Images and video
- Content variety aspects
Best practice Instagram
This section of the Digital Engagement Health Check ™ focuses on checking that a business has the best practice elements in place for an Instagram business account.
The above chart shows the Instagram score across average scores across all tourism industry sub sectors.
Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms and is well-suited to small business owners who don’t have the time or budget for expensive marketing campaigns. Instagram serves well as a marketing channel that accelerates small businesses’ growth, awareness, and sales.
The Digital Engagement Health Check™ reviews elements such as:
- Engagement
- Page configuration
- Images, reels and videos
- Content variety aspects
What is the Digital Engagement Health Check™?
Are you a tourism destination?
