How to get your business listed on key tourism websites
Spreading the word about your business can be hard work, and sometimes expensive. We know there are far more tourism businesses in our District than are listed on some very important websites. We don't have the resource to add you all ourselves, so we've put together this handy guide to get you started.
We've put together this handy guide to help get your business online.
Here's a list of what you'll need before getting started:
If you're adding your business listing to more than one place, it pays to get organised first. Make sure you have:
- Your Business Contact Details:
- Contact person (optional)
- Email address
- Phone number
- Street address
- Website address (URL)
- Facebook URL
- Instagram URL
- TripAdvisor URL
- Any other social media accounts
- Write a short description of your business that really sells your product
Tip: You may need help with this, as it can be hard. We like to tell people to pretend you're explaining your business to someone over the phone. - Optional: Write a longer description of your products
Tip: Think of the questions you usually get asked by people and provide the answers. - Write a list of your key facilities/features of the product
- Has your business won any awards? Note the details
- Does your business have any accreditations? For example, Qualmark
- Pick your favourite photo of your business. This will be used by every site you list on as the main image
Tip: Make sure it's a good size. At a minimum, your image should be 1000 pixels wide - If possible, pick up to five extra photos
Tip: if you get the option to add more photos on a listing, do it — always! - Do you have any video content of your business? Note the YouTube URLs — it's great to add these to your listings if possible.
- Do you have a Bookit account or other online booking system? Note the booking URL.
- Have a username and password in case you need to log in to list your business on a website.
Don't forget to save this information for future use. You might also like to use this document to keep a list of all of the websites your business is listed on, so you can update them easily if your business details change.
Once you've gathered all this information, you'll be ready to get started listing your business!
Important website listings
- Our website! whakatane.com
Yes, we have free listings! You may even already have one — check our site just in case. You can choose from Accommodation, Activity, Event, Restaurant, Service and Shop. Click on the appropriate option and fill in the fields with your ingredients. Make sure you leave your Name, Email and phone number so we can get in touch with you.
Use our Add Your Listing Form » - Our District's Regional Tourism Operator - bayofplentynz.com
Get your business in front of people visiting the Bay of Plenty. Help our District be noticed as a place with heaps to do!
Find out more about listing on bayofplentynz.com » - newzealand.com
Why wouldn't you be listed on one of our country's biggest travel websites?
Find out more about listing on newzealand.com »
Updated information for the above - coming soon!
Other free website listings
So you've covered the three main websites, and now you're cooking with gas! Have a go at the following sites:
- Google My Business
This can be a little bit trickier, but it's a great tool to get more exposure for your business.
Get listed on Google My Business » - TripAdvisor
You may already have a listing on this website — if so, you can claim it. If not, you can create one for your business. It does require some monitoring, but you'll get notifications when people leave reviews of your business. A listing here contributes to our overall destination profile — in other words, it tells people there are things to do here!
Get listed on TripAdvisor »
If you've had an honest attempt at the steps above, but you're struggling to get your business listed on the key websites, get in touch with us and we'll do our best to help you out. Please note we have limited resources for providing this type of support.