Whether you own a hotel, B & B, bar, restaurant, guesthouse, or visitor attraction - you know that TripAdvisor rankings are critical to your business success. TripAdvisor is a powerful tool that can help boost your business - but only if you're ranking high on the site. Three key factors that determine your TripAdvisor ranking are the recency of the reviews, the quality of the reviews, and the quantity of the reviews.
In a recent survey, 77% of respondents (hotel guests) relied on TripAdvisor reviews before selecting a place to stay, or a place to eat.
With 160 new reviews being published every minute, and with TripAdvisor's 375 million unique visitors every month, you simply cannot ignore the value of using the site to influence the decision-making process of potential guests.
TripAdvisor is one of the most popular platforms for guest evaluations, with a presence in 190 countries across the world. As many visitors are now booking their hotel directly through TripAdvisor, your hotel must use all possible methods to rank higher and distinguish itself from the competition.
Why Are TripAdvisor reviews important for my hospitality business?
Getting more positive TripAdvisor reviews increases the number of people who see your business in search results. Earning a high-performing TripAdvisor listing takes effort, so how can you increase your ranking and get more of the correct type of reviews and boost your ranking?
How do I hack the TripAdvisor Ranking algorithm?
According to the TripAdvisor ranking algorithm, three factors are critical to determine your ranking. These are recency, quality and quantity. That's why it's important to focus on engaging customers and providing them with an exceptional experience - but there are also some fundamental changes you can make to how you gather feedback that will have a significant impact on your TripAdvisor ranking. Here we share the tips that will help improve your TripAdvisor ranking and attract more customers and more bookings (and direct bookings!).
Recency
Ask for immediate 5-star TripAdvisor reviews
Don’t be afraid to encourage guests for an immediate online review. The more recent a review is, the more powerful. In your post-booking thank you message, add a personal touch and make it more enticing to leave a 5-star review. You can offer an incentive, such as a discount on their next booking, or simply express how much you appreciate their feedback.
Quality
What is considered a high-quality TripAdvisor review?
The amount of useful information in a review indicates how well it caters to future guests. A high-quality review should highlight both the positive and negative aspects of a guest's experience, as this provides an accurate portrayal of what to expect. Good reviews usually have around 50-200 words. It's important to have consistently good reviews, as this will help you rank higher in TripAdvisor search results.
Get specific
Encourage guests to share what they valued most about their experience
When you ask customers for feedback, make it specific. Ask them what they valued most about their guest experience with your business. This will help you understand what aspects of your business are resonating with customers and which areas need improvement. It also helps to provide TripAdvisor with valuable insights that can improve your ranking.
Share your passion for your hospitality business
When you're passionate about what you do, it shows in the quality of your service. Share this passion with your customers and let them know that you're committed to providing them with an exceptional experience. When they have a great experience and see how much you care, this will go a long way in encouraging them to leave you a positive review on TripAdvisor. The hospitality industry is all about people serving people, and when you provide great service, it will show in your TripAdvisor ranking.
Quantity
Make TripAdvisor Reviews easy for your guests
The easier you make it for customers to leave positive reviews, the more likely they are to do it. Here's some clever ways to get more guest feedback:
Add tripadvisor.co.uk as a clickable link in your email signature and on your website.
In your feedback request email, include hyperlinks to your TripAdvisor listing.
Add badges and widgets from TripAdvisor onto your website or blog, which makes it even easier for customers to read online reviews, and to leave a positive review.
Make sure your TripAdvisor listing and awards (like Traveller's Choice) are prominently displayed in your restaurant, pub or hotel.
Out of the box thinking
If you prefer to use a reminder postcard in a guest's room, or with their bill after dining, why not use a QR Code? Everyone has a mobile telephone, and everyone has experience scanning QR Codes from the pandemic. A QR Code with a direct link to your TripAdvisor review page makes it easy for people to leave you a 5-star review.
How many reviews do I need?
The number of reviews is important, but it's also essential to have a mix of positive and negative feedback. A high number of positive reviews will improve your ranking, but if all of your reviews are glowing, it may appear that you're only soliciting positive feedback. Having a few negative reviews can actually be beneficial, as it makes your business appear more authentic and credible.
How do I deal with negative online reviews?
Always address poor reviews and try to turn them around. Here's how:
- Thank the customer for their feedback and apologise for their experience.
- Take responsibility and offer to make things right.
- Be specific about what you will do to improve the situation.
- Ask the customer to update their review with their new experience.
Treat offers a fully managed TripAdvisor service that includes professional replies, tracking and reporting. Keep in mind that the most essential thing is to deliver a great experience that will encourage guests to return.
Our top secret tip to hack the TripAdvisor ranking algorithm
NICHE DOWN. Make sure your categories are specific and detailed allowing you to jump ahead in the rankings. If you have a specialised aspect, niche or selling point about your business, make your own tag that sets you apart from the norm. ‘Restaurants’ as a category tag will flatten your ranking as you are in the midst of countless restaurants.
"Be specific with with your category tags for example; ‘Seafood Restaurant’ will set you apart and not only make you more discoverable, it will improve your ranking in the restaurants category overall." -- Sam McIver, Treat Marketing
Don't forget the basics
It's important to optimise your TripAdvisor listing:
Make sure all your information is correct. This includes phone numbers, website link, email address, your business address.
Include as much information and visual content as possible. Create a description that includes your keywords and services and remember to add pictures and videos as well.
Encourage customers to "leave a 5-star review". The more positive reviews you get, the more people will trust your business.
Looking for help with your TripAdvisor reviews and rankings?
Don't leave TripAdvisor responses and replies from management to chance!
Treat offers a TripAdvisor management service:
Every ounce of feedback on TripAdvisor (and Google Reviews) is acknowledged with a positive, professional response.
Rankings and ratings are tracked over time.
Feedback is collated and reported to your business every month for continuous improvement.
Crafting a message to encourage online reviews
Treat provides services and guidance in how to craft the perfect positioning and messaging for your hospitality business. We will help with social media posts and include offers and help the business to have continuous and positive social media presence.
We conduct customer feedback research
Treat provides professional, reliable and robust customer satisfaction surveys to ensure you’re asking customers the correct questions and getting the feedback you need to move your business forward.
Fully Branded QR codes
Treat creates your own personalised branded QR code which will direct customers to your TripAdvisor reviews page! It's easy and effective for guests to leave new, better and more frequent reviews to be posted.
Come along to our free webinar to learn more:
Level Up your TripAdvisor
Treat is here to help
We are located on Beacon Quay in Torquay, and stand ready to help your hospitality business thrive. Contact us at hello@treatorbay.co.uk or by phone at 07513472371.