2011 has been a year of several industry wide changes search engines have made frequently for updating their algorithms to serve the best possible results to their users. As an online marketer, staying on top of all the latest changes can sometimes be a daunting task. The key to being relevant is creating content across all channels that serves the best interest of your customers. These ten tips give a strategic path to ensure your marketing efforts have the best possible ROI throughout 2012.

1. Top 10 Marketing Resolutions for
Hotels in 2012
Milestone Internet Marketing, Inc
11 January 2012

2. Panelists
Moderator
Mike Supple
Sr. Social Media Manager
Milestone Internet Marketing
Presenter
Benu Aggarwal
Founder and President
Milestone Internet Marketing, Inc
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3. Top 10 2012
1. Site/Content Freshness
2. User Experience and Site Usability
3. Using Mobile Effectively
4. Leveraging Hyperlocal Channels
5. List of Most Valuable Local Citations/Links & UNAP Audit
6. Cross Channel Optimization
7. Social Media Marketing Plan
8. UGC – Rating and Reviews
9. Deals, Offers, Coupons, Contest
10. Google+, Blogs, Maps, Video, Image Search
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4. 1
Site/Content Freshness

5. Site/Content Freshness, Relevancy
Google Caffeine Update
What is the Google „Caffeine‟ Update?
The “Caffeine” update, was a major
algorithm update initiated by Google
in 2010.
Referred to as the “freshness”
algorithm.
Massively increasing page indexing
speed
What‟s new, hot, recent and
relevant.
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6. Google Panda Update
What is the Google „Panda‟ Update?
The “Panda” update (“Farmer”), is a
major algorithm update initiated by
Google in 2011.
It is a filter that detects low quality pages
from a “user experience/happiness”
perspective.
It views websites from a quality and user
benefit perspective. Strives to emulate
human perception, behavior and overall
experience inside an algorithm.
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7. Key Highlights of Panda Update
1. Panda update main goal – Improve quality of search results
2. Positive impact of Panda on high quality websites
3. According to search engines - what is a high quality site?
4. Quality of content is critical
Does it provide value to the user?
Is it trustworthy? Is the source an authority?
Trust is because of reviews, links and social signals
Is the content shallow or rich? (fresh content,
engaging content)
5. Content relevance to the topic or search query must be very high
6. Originality of content is important: no duplication, redundancy or similarity of
content
7. Is the content engaging and interesting? Does it have shareability factor?
8. Content vs. ads/banner ratio should be high
*Source: Amit Singhal, Google Blog and heads Google’s core search quality department.
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8. How search engine determine website
freshness score?
 Based on when crawler discovered your new page
 How much content is changed?
 How frequently pages are changed and added?
 What is getting changed – main content or ads (banners)
 Natural link growth. Link from sites having higher
freshness score (News Site)
 Changes in anchor text
 Changes in visitors behavior (bounce rate)
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/google-fresh-factor
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9. Evolution of Search - Where is Search Today?
If a parent can tell their child to go learn something from a website,
that’s what Google considers to be the best site
 Freshness of Content – Website Freshness Score
(Caffeine & Panda update)
 Semantic Indexing – (Schema,org, HTML5)
 Overall Download Speed – How easy it is to get to?
 Onpage – Focused and Quality Content, Page
which satisfies user intent and follows SEO friendly
site architecture
 Onpage analytics – What is the searcher behavior when they land on the page?
 Content – Useful/ relevant content which is comprehensive, highly satisfying,
authoritative, entertaining, and recent (such as breaking news on a topic)
 Offpage – Trust, Authoritative & Quality Links, Social Signals, Consistent UNAP
 Overall Goal – Better Search Experience
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10. Few Ways to Improve Freshness
Score of Your Site
Contests Blogs
Special
Offers Reviews
with UGC
Things to
News
Do with
Room
UGC
Website Integrate
Polling
Feature
Freshness Social
Score Profiles
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11. 2
User Experience and Site Usability

12. Site Usability Life Cycle
Page Speed by
Google
Rich
Snippets/Semantic 100% Yslow by Yahoo!
Information Architecture
Tags
Colors
Usability
Browser/Device Images
Google Analytics
Compatibility
50%
Legibility / Eyetracking
Backend
Webmaster Tools
Download Time
0%
Visitor
Behavior/Bounce
Rate
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13. Site Architecture and
Search Engine Crawl Ability
1 Download Time 3 Sitemap Feed for Search Engines
4 CSS 3 Validation
2 Tools to Check Site
5 HTML 5 Validation
3 Performance
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14. Rich Snippets for Reviews,
Address and Events
Rich Snippet – Semantic Indexing
Rich Snippet is Google’s way of indexing most critical and time sensitive
information on a website faster
User can achieve rich SERPs by providing certain information on the site such as
address, phone numbers, reviews, events, videos etc in the rich snippet format
Helps user get relevant / real-time information quickly
Site is indexed faster by Google
Reviews
Address
Events
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15. Site Download Speed
Site Speed
Post-Panda Update, Site Download Speed is now an important
ranking factor. This tool provides the ability to implement page
improvements based on specific data provided.
Google Analytics: (New Version)
Standard Reporting > CONTENT > Site Speed
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16. Ultimate Heat Map –
People Looking for Content
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17. Superfluous Images
Users are ignoring the
large graphic images
and focusing on site
navigation and text.
Nielsen, J. and Pernice, K. (2010).
Eyetracking Web Usability. Berkeley,
CA: New Riders. Page 198.
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18. Layout
 Evolution of a site design and site live – example of how a design can
evolve into something that‟s get‟s out of control with additions of page
elements
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19. Visitor Behavior - Bounce Rate
Visitor Flow
Visitor Flow
A visualization of visitor‟s path that illustrate a visitor navigation activities
and drop off point of their site visit
Google Analytics: (New Version)
Standard Reporting > VISITORS > Visitors Flow
Official Google Statement on what Goal Flows display:
• The relative volume of visits to your site by the dimension you choose
(e.g. traffic source, campaign, browser)
• The rates at which visitors abandon different pathways
• Where and how visitors navigate each of the steps that you defined
• How the visitors interacted with your site, including backtracking to
previous goal steps
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20. 3
Using Mobile Effectively

21. Fun Facts about Mobile Search
• Mobile search is a rapidly growing segment of overall search volume
• 67% of travelers use their mobile devices to find local services
• Number of mobile buyers will nearly triple by 2015 (eMarketer)
• 40 million access social networks daily via mobile (Search Engine Land)
• More mobile users than PC users by 2015
• Mobile queries are local & last minute in nature
• People use mobile platform to inquire, to get deals, offers, social sharing
• Engage with customer by offering hyper local check in, click to call, maps,
ease of booking, ability to leave review and more
• Mobile site should be extension of your domain verses mobile site on third
party domain
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22. Mobile & Hyperlocal Promotional Channels
Mobile Paid
Search
Google+
Check Ins
Business
Coupon/Off
Yelp
ers
Mobile
Face Book Directory
Hotel Listings
Hyperlocal Mobile Site
Mobile
Four Square
Maps
Mobile
Reviews Click to Call
QR Codes Mobile Apps
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23. Mobile Site
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24. Mobile Site
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25. Why Mobile PPC?
 PPC for mobile search allows business to target ads to users who
are searching in their geographic area
 Competition for mobile ads is less. Set up mobile specific daily
budget. Create mobile-specific ads and landing pages / offers
(Device Specific). Target Local destinations
 .
MILESTONE CONFIDENTIAL @milestonemktg

26. 4
Leveraging Hyperlocal Channels

27. Mobile Profiles on Google+, Foursquare and
Yelp
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28. Most Popular “SoLoMo” Channels
Connecting Businesses with Consumer
Consumer SERPs Business
• Optimized Website, blog
• Web-results • Geo-tagged Images
• Images • Google Places Profile
• Maps • Bing Places
• Reviews Local • Yelp
• Videos • TripAdvisor
• News • YouTube
• Blogs • Vimeo
• Facebook Page
• Facebook • Twitter Profile
• Twitter Social • YouTube Channel
• YouTube • Google+ Page
• Google+ • Flickr, Panoramio
Picasa Accounts
• Facebook places
• Foursquare Business Page + Place
• Bing Places
• Yelp Business with Deals
• Google Places
• Foursquare Places
Mobile • Trip Advisor Business
• YouTube Videos
• Yelp Check-In
• Facebook Places
• Trip Advisor App
• Bing Places
• YouTube App
• Google Places, Google profiles
milestoneinternet.com • Flickr
• Flickr, Panoramio, Picasa Photos
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29. Facebook Places – Claimed Listing
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30. Yelp
Yelp Listing
 Includes a page on Yelp
 Option to add photo,
slideshow
 Link to the website
 Add categories
 Add specials
 Respond to reviews
 Monthly performance
reports
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31. Foursquare Business &
Place Page
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32. 5
Most Valuable Citations / Links
and UNAP Audit

33. Handy List of Most Valuable
Citations and UNAP Audit
Social Sites –
Blogs,
Mobile,
Coupons,
Video,
Images
Local &
News Sites &
Regional
PR Sites
Sites
IYPs
Your Review Sites
Website
Niche Sites Universities
Attractions
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34. Example – Off-Page
Optimization: Snapshot
1 Regular enrollments 3 Local citations
2 Competitive back link analysis
4 Custom local level link building
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35. Valuable Local Citations
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36. Valuable Links – Showing
Hotel Location, Address, URL
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37. Marriot Anaheim
NAP Inconsistency
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38. Consistent UNAP –
Hotel‟s Online Assets and Web Equity
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39. Hyatt Regency Orange County –
Consistent UNAP
Niche/Local Listings Website
Places/Maps
Image Search
Review Sites
Hyatt Regency Orange County
Social (Facebook)
Video Yelp
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40. 6
Cross Channel Optimization

41. Cross Optimization:
Channels and Tools
1
Local
Google
3
Place, Bing &
Hyperlocal 2
Tools
Mobile Organic
SQR reports Website, Website,
Mobile, Emails, PR
Webmaster
Promotion Cross
Optimization
Local data
Real Time search
4 3
Paid Social
Analytics
Search Media
Facebook, Marketing
Google, Content, Facebook, Blog,
Display Youtube, Flickr
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42. Cross Channel Optimization
Social Organic
Local
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43. Cross-Optimization Case Study:
Google Places Cross Optimization Opportunity
Implementing Across Channels
FOUND: „Parking‟ was a top search
query in Google Places, but website did
not have content related to query.
LISTENED: Client mentioned owning a
great parking garage that was in close
proximity to the Monterey Bay Aquarium
and wanted to rank for related local
attraction terms
STRATEGY: Created a „Parking Special‟
Page
ACTION: New Parking Page
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44. Cross-Optimization Case Study:
Google Places Cross Optimization Opportunity
Implementation Results
1 Week after Page Went Live:
Google sent out „Alert‟ about new page
Traffic Result:
Parking Page is now in top 15 for site
page views
Ranking Result:
Client began ranking for „attraction‟ related
keyword phrases as desired
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45. 7
Social Media Marketing Plan

46. Blending Social and Search
• “I can confirm we do use Twitter and Facebook links in ranking;
• We're also trying to figure out the reputation of an author or creator in Twitter and Facebook;
• Pagerank depends quality of social sharing: who the people actually are - not just bots or some
software program.”
- Matt Cutts, Search Quality Group, Google (December 2010)
• As of 5/17/11 Facebook “Likes” have a direct impact on where pages appear on the Bing SERPs.
MILESTONE CONFIDENTIAL @milestonemktg

47. Social Interactions –
Why it Might Not Work?
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48. Social Media Marketing Plan
Who &
Why?
Results –
What?
ROI
Social How-
Competitiv Media Which
e Analysis Marketing Channels
and Tools?
Plan
Type of
Content-
Frequency Video,
Images,
Blog etc.
Content
Calendar
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49. Milestone Marketing Funnel
Awareness
Social
Familiarity & Sharing
Reviews &
Recommendation
Consideration Web/Mobile
Check
Rates/Directions
Conversion Points
- Photo Gallery
- Videos
- Specials
Booking Local
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50. Market Analysis Snapshot
 Research and create market
analysis
 Events
 Location
 Attractions
 Local Organizations
 Competitive Analysis
 Market Trends
 Create custom strategy
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51. Promotion Overview
Overall Strategy
1. Improve SERP domination
2. Create brand awareness Facebook
3. Provide direct interaction Twitter
opportunities
4. Drive traffic and bookings
LinkedIn Integrated Website
Social Platform
Specific Actions
1. Create calendar to socialize
2. Stay engaged and active
Flickr Yelp
3. Network with influential users to
increase reach of client messaging
YouTube Google+
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52. 8
UGC – Rating and Reviews

53. Why Encourage Reviews?
People
• 89% of consumers are
influenced by reviews1
+
Search Engines
• Search engines use reviews
as a ranking signal2
=
Conversions
• Good reviews = increased
bookings & better SERP
placement
1 eMarketer.com – November 2010
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54. The Impact of Quantity
The number of reviews directly impacts:
1. Ranking in review sites
2. Ranking in third-party distribution sites (OTAs)
3. Ranking in search engines results pages
4. Online Reputation
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55. How to Encourage Reviews?
1) Visitor Check-Out 2
- Staff, flyer, business card, QR Codes
3
QR code, computer station,
feedback card 1
2) QR Codes Visitor Incentive
- Throughout the property, Check-Out Offers
printed materials and etc.
Explain codes
3) Incentive Offers
- Discounts, rewards, How to Encourage
contests
Reviews
- Immediate gratification 6 4
4) Website Reviews Page Ask Website
- Page on independent site Reviews Page
- Links and instructions
5
5) Email Email
- 24-48 hr feedback requests
6) Ask
- Proactively train staff
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56. QR Codes and Landing Pages
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57. Tools to Encourage Reviews
QR Codes – on all print material On the website – link to hotel pages
leading to a mobile review page. on the different review sites.
Enabling User
Reviews
Link to review sites from the Create a UGC module to
WiFi login page when guests encourage guest interaction
access the hotel’s internet. with your website.
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58. 9
Deals, Offers, Coupons, Contest

59. Deals, Offers, Coupons and
Contests on Website/Mobile Platform
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60. Google Coupons
and Google Offers
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61. 10
Google+, Blogs, Maps,
Video, Image Search

62. Saturating All Search Engine Buckets –
Ideal Scenario for Any Platform
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63. Google+
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64. Google+ Video and
Image Search
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65. Geo-tagging Images
and Videos
Geo-tagging Images and Video helps in connecting with local customers
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66. Panoramio - Images
Panoramio:
 Images has a major impact on search results.
 Images upload on the Panoramio get indexed by Google.
 These images are shared on Google Earth, Google Maps etc.
 In less than 3 weeks time images got more than 850 views from various sources.
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67. Conclusion
• Website freshness score – Check if your content strategy is built towards
improving site freshness score
• User is a king – focus user experience
• Use mobile promotional channels effectively
• Enhance profiles on Hyperlocal Channels by offering tips, offers and specials
• Secure most valuable citations and links and perform UNAP credit
• Optimize your hotel presence across all the channels
• Develop well integrated Social Media Marketing Plan
• Increase site trust factor – Encourage customers to leave more reviews
• Offer Deals, Contest, Coupons and other value add
• Create Blogs, SEO friendly Video and leverage all the channels. Connect with
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your customer through Google +.
MILESTONE CONFIDENTIAL @milestonemktg

68. Thank You!
Questions or Comments?
Feedback?
Input on future webinar topics?
 Visit our blog: http://blog.milestoneinternet.com
 PDF article and slides from this webinar: http://bit.ly/xrImsN
 Product questions: sales@milestoneinternet.com
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