Many things are important when building a tourism website. Ask five different people what is most important and you'll get five different answers.
• SEO — Yes, it's very important
• Easy Navigation — Also very important
• A mobile version or at least mobile friendly — Sure
• Certain Features like Events Calendar, Online Visitor Guide, Maps, Itinerary Builder, maybe even a Booking Engine — Perhaps to some degree
How many of these things take priority over capturing the essence of a one-of-a-kind place and telling a community's unique story through word and image in the most powerful and compelling way possible? I say that nothing is more important. Sadly, I'm seeing destination websites and hearing in conversations that unhealthy obsessions with bells and whistles or whatever is the latest rage du jour are taking the focus away from good old-fashioned excellence in marketing. It's an unfortunate and dangerous trap for DMOs to fall into.
I hate to use this blog space to brag, but I believe that our creative team is very good at capturing the personality of a destination when we do websites, visitor guides and ad campaigns. We love technology, too, and will use bells and whistles when they are appropriate to advance the client’s brand. We care deeply about SEO. After all, it helps more people find our clients. Let’s not forget that when it comes to SEO content is king. That alone should tell you that content, ie: substance and strategy should be the first priority. Everything else supports that.
