PatrickTello

media type="custom" key="19112174" Web 1.0- Day 1

SEO understanding SEO is search engine optimization. This is very important if you want to be top search to people looking for your type of business. There are keywords that are in the code of your title, description and even keywords you want google to look for as well. What you have to keep in mind is that google or any other search engine will try and connect your keywords to your website. If it doesn’t go a long with it, it will not help your business at all and could hurt you. Two types of searching: Echo trails problems: For our client, Echo Trails has some major flaws in its SEO. When trying to search for its website, it is near impossible to get the search engine to find their website (used google). Here are a few bullets flaws to their website:
 * On page- making sure that the website is a search engine friendly site that take you to your page
 * Off page- links that take you back to landing or home page, things off the home page
 * No Meta Title
 * Pictures are not tagged at all in code so there is no connection for SE’s
 * Link isn’t on every page
 * Facebook page is named different than website and not being properly used at all
 * Not combining efforts with local hotels or stores
 * No mobile site or compatibility
 * Website is very boring with a lot of text
 * Contact page needs to be a focal point of website to have customers
 * Trip Adviser isn’t being optimized at all
 * SEO is horrible trying to direct people to their site
 * No Twitter so there is not real connection for customers to review on business
 * No maps of trails for customers

Solutions:
 * Create a connection between Website and other social media sites such as Facebook, like having the same name.
 * Use Meta tags that connect to the website in its body and information (example: in Meta name keywords, code has Luzern but in site there is no mention of Luzern).
 * Give descriptions to pictures to connect in code
 * Make a meta tag for title which is your company’s name- ECHO TRAILS
 * Readjust their keywords to not be so general like “fun” because your site will not so up in the first page at all.
 * o Make more specific keywords and narrow down keywords
 * Combine efforts with hotels around to advertise your business on their website or on site in the hotel lobby or rooms to maximize exposer.
 * Create a twitter feed for customer relations and to see what people are doing and competitors are doing.
 * Google Earth for showing potential clients what trails you use and what they might see on these trails.

My main Idea:
 * Mash up Google Earth and Twitter so people can write about each trail they liked or didn’t to help your business make themselves better. Also it is killing many birds with one stone: social network, trail map, customer relations, feedback, mobile combatable sites, and expanding.
 * Prezi Presentation

Ideal Portals or listings that should be used:
 * Google
 * China’s or Asia’s biggest Search Engine because it is a huge destination for Asian tourism
 * Use Google Earth and Twitter to mash up so your consumers can write reviews about their favorite trails and google earth can show trails your company takes

Web 2.0 – Day 2

Pay per Click Paid Advertisements

Pay per Click advertisements is when a company pays a search engine to be on the top of the searches and only pays per click. For an example, a company might pay for 100 clicks per day but after they are clicked that time, they are removed for the rest of the day. Companies do this in order to be first on the list during their searches and be sure to be seen. You can also pick where in the world you want your site to pop up so you control where the highest traffic is so your clicks are not wasted.

One thing Echo Trails can do is channel through other companies like a link that will bring people to their page. Also Echo Trails can pay for this type of advertisements but I would instead work on their Meta tags and keywords in their code so they could not pay a cent and still be found. Also you can properly use travel sites such as trip advisor, orbitz, Travelocity, etc. Using these sites and paying for ads to show when people are booking a trip close by can help expand your business and be sure to be looked at. The Best Channel that might help for Echo Trails is Google or the Search Engine in Asia since it is a spot for Asian tourist.

My Keywords I would be: These are main keywords to use in any search engine. Perhaps for different demographics I might suggest focusing what that culture likes to see when they travel and add keywords that tie in with your site.
 * Echo Trails, Lucerne Switzerland Hiking, Lucerne Hiking, Switzerland Hiking, Lucerne outdoor activities, Biking Switzerland, Biking Lucerne, Hiking Tours in English, etc.
 * Title: Echo Trails- hiking, biking, culture, expedition tours of Lucerne Switzerland
 * Images: I would connect them to the trails they would use and end with a sub text of the title

Social Media

Echo Trails competitors that I have researched in all have a strong or stronger social media connection than echo trails has. They mostly have a Facebook page or likes page and or a twitter. Some go into more detail and have expanded to more media channels than that. Echo Trails has a major flaw in social media and I will go over in detail. Facebook Twitter No Blog site No Photo Bucket or Album No lists or picture of trails Testimonials
 * It is a friend’s page, not a FAN page which it needs to be because no one wants to be friends with a business but a fan or like the business.
 * It seems that Echo Trails does not try to keep connected or update its profile of its business
 * There is no twitter page for Echo Trails which means no connection or follows or following of people to stay in touch or update people. Or perhaps update themselves to see what their competition is doing.
 * Use it for customer relations: the good and the bad to have a better reputation and to get your name floating out there from word of mouth.
 * There are no updates for people to look at and maybe read on what has happened recently.
 * Having photos of a tour is something that will defiantly help gain customers. With photos, future customers can see what they expect to see on their tours and sign or book with Echo Trails. People do not like the unknown so showing them something keeps them relaxed and more willing to choose your business.
 * Like I said people do not like the unknown so when people can see how many trails you use, the difficulty, the height, etc.
 * Echo Trails does have one but if you use twitter and Facebook properly, you can have like a blog feed directly into your site so you can let customers write how they liked it. In a Facebook feed, you can control the content on your webpage as well.