Internet Marketing for Tourism

Can you copy and paste? If so, you can add thousands of free tools to your Web site. hosts over 21 000 FREE Widgets that can run on your Web site or blog. Here is one idea.

Please send me a short video at using the widget below.




How could you use a tool like this on your Web site? or a currency converter, or a photo slide show, calendar creator, puzzles and games . . .

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

Labels: google, widgets

Tips for Writing with Google's Dynamic Keyword Insertion tool:

This dynamic keyword insertion tool automatically places the terms of a search into your keyword ad. With careful testing of your campaign, you may see this tool providing significant lift to your click throughs. However, monitor off-line results like phone calls to get a true picture of the tools effectiveness.

Test the use of dynamic keywords in the title and/or body of your ad.

To use DKI, use the syntax: {keyword:_______}

If you want to write using the DKI option, consider these tips:

1. Use a descriptive word along with your keyphrase. Instead of just inserting the phrase “bed and breakfast,” place the word “discount” or “special” before your keyphrase to help it stand out.

2. For keyphrases that will take the entire 25-character limit of a headline, consider using one word of the keyphrase in the headline, instead of the entire phrase. Rather than “huntsville accommodations,” try inserting just “huntsville” or “accommodations” along with other text you write yourself with the google keyword insertion tool.

Give it a try.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

Labels: dynamic keyword insertion tool, google

The shows all advertisers have access to this service. Just ensure your landing pages are phone friendly.

These Mobile Ad displays will be limited to 70 characters (normally ads contain 95 characters).

One of the big challenges is to provide landing page content that shows the mobile phone toting traveler info they require on a concise landing page.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

Labels: google, google adwords, mobile

Google has announced a new Custom Search - Business Edition.
a Software as a Service (SaaS) that aims to make it "simple and inexpensive" for small businesses to add site search with Google functionality to their Web sites. The service comes with a $100 U.S. annual price tag and removes outside advertising that is a part of the free service already available which could redirect your Web visitor to a competing site.

Nothing tops a well designed site with an easy to navigate interface, but making your site searchable may make it even easier to appeal to the search whims of your ideal guest.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

Labels: business, custom search, google, website

Google has begun ranking it's site as the number one search result for most travel related inquiries.... although Google is rarely the most relevant search result.

OneBox results are prominently displayed, taking up as much as 50% of the google results screen.
Search for travel related results and you will now find Google showcases results on it's mapping application as the number one search result.

This is a dangerous abuse of the Google powers to define relevant search results in an unaudited fashion - decreeing that Google's Mapping service is the best search result for any search involving golf, hotels, accommodation, restaurants and the like.

Even the names of individual hotels or restaurants yields the google.com/local site as the most relevant search result! Hardly likely that it is more relevant than the domain name for the business itself.

Try it: Search for any city name along with any of the above and Google scores its mapping resource number one.

This is a dangerous precident for Google. Not only that, but the search results link to travel reviews found on Yahool Travel Planner, Trip Advisor, and other Web resources which can easily be spammed!

Some of the search results on the map link directly to search spam sites. Try a search for the on Google and see what you get! Don't click on the link to the hotel unless you want to make google and a scam site money!

Stop Google from Abusing its position as the most used search engine. Please digg this post and tell everyone in the tourism industry about this dangerous use of Google's OneBox results.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

Labels: google, search results

When searching for accommodation or hotels on google, the new #1 search result accross all destination names is Google Maps!
Beware, your tourism business credibility can be greatly harmed or enhanced by what others have to say about your travel accommodation.

What are you doing to ensure you get favourable reviews from travelers who use sites like TripAdvisor.com and ?







Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

Labels: accommodation, google, search results, trip advisor, yahoo travel planner

It's been a big week at Google, with many enhancements to the Web giant's offerings. Google Maps (aka ) now offers a significant enhancement with trip routing that can include multiple stops!
At a recent workshop, farm festival attendees were wondering how to provide a mapping solution that can help travelers plan their farm tour through the county.

How could you use a google map solution with multiple stop routing to enhance your Web site?

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

Labels: google, google local, google maps, local, map

Personalized Search Results on Google produce unpredictable results.
"One page fits all" is a thing of the past. Personalized search is now always on, while users are logged into their google account. This means that every search result you click, every link you bookmark, every note you make, every RSS feed you subscribe to using Google services can be used to improve your personal search results.

is using your RSS feeds, personal search history (yes, Google is tracking every search you make! - see your search history in your google account settings), news results, and Google Bookmarks to personalize your search results.

For most, this should be very welcome, as it promises a far better search experience that will adapt to your interests and evolve over time. For search marketers, it means new skills and techniques are needed to achieve search visibility.

Here are Todd's recommended steps in search engine optimization to ensure your visibility in a personalized search world.

1. Add a subscribe to RSS (XML) button to your Web site and link it to your blog feed. Encourage Web visitors who use services like and other RSS services to subscribe. Use your email tag line to request subscriptions to your blog feed.
2. Encourage bookmarking of your site on social bookmarking and tagging sites like: Google Bookmarks, and Google Personalized Homepage have a helpful page explaining how to create buttons for those services. Put these on your site and encourage those subscriptions.
3. Grow your presence in social spaces by establishing a profile on sites like: , MSN Spaces, , Google's Orkut. Join interest groups, post links and drop cookie crumbs linking back to your site throughout social networking sites.

Happy Getting Found more often with Google's new personalized search.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

Labels: google, personalized search, search engine optimization