Some notes from PAII conference

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Arks

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I finally got around to looking at the notes I took in Little Rock and wanted to pass along, for what it's worth, some of the things I jotted down. It may help some, and confuse others! Here we go...
Google+:
  • Put keywords in the title of your Google+ page
  • Update the page often
  • Put excerpts from your blog on your Google+ page and link them to the blog
  • Put a Google+ widget on your website
  • A Google +1 button is like a Facebook "like" button. Put one on every page of your website. They want it at the top of the page, not at the bottom where people generally put Facebook and Twitter buttons.
  • Do these things and Google will reward you with higher search listings.
Twitter:
  • People use Twitter to read. It’s a news feed. The majority of Twitter users are reading and not posting.
dreamstime is a good source for royalty-free stock photos
Find out what corporate planes (factory managers, for instance) fly into your local airport and send them your brochures and rack cards.
Siri is the voice-activated search feature on the new iPhones. If someone says into their phone, "Siri, where is the nearest bed and breakfast," the Apple Siri system uses Yelp and TravelPost for the search, not Google. So you need to be listed on these sites for Siri users to find you.
When you do a Google search, the results are based on a complex algorithm that takes into account the browsing habits of the user, including past keywords used. This means if you do a search for accommodations in your area, to see what the general public will see when they search your area, the results you see many not be the same as what someone from far away might see, because your past searches influence your results.
So to get the best idea of a "generic" search of your area, you need to sign out of your Google account and clear your cache.
There’s something called an Apple Touch Icon. Somehow, I’m not clear how, your guests can put an icon for your inn on their iPad/iPhone/iTouch so when they tap it, they go to your inn’s website. I’m not sure how useful this is, but I wrote it down just in case. More info here.
In Google Analytics, you can create a "campaign" using the format http://www.mysite.com/?utm_source=campaignname where mysite = your website URL and campaignname = whatever name you want to give your campaign. I wasn’t 100% clear on what this is all about, but I think it lets you put the above link as the hyperlink from, say, a banner ad you buy, and when people click it, they are taken to mysite.com, but Google Analytics takes note that it was a visit sparked by someone clicking on one of your ads. There’s more info on it here. There’s a URL builder that lets you create REALLY useful campaign links. It's here.
 
This is very nice of you to share. I have added it to my review papers. I get to them when we come into slower times.
Thanks
 
Yes, thank you very much for taking the time to post your notes!
Riki
 
Thanks Arkie for sharing this info with us!
cheers.gif

Come on our to Virginia and I'll buy ya a beer, or at least a sweet tea.
"So to get the best idea of a "generic" search of your area, you need to sign out of your Google account and clear your cache"
Or use your "other" browser, that you go to for things like this. I.E.
 
Thanks MUCH! Needed more info regarding Google +, and other info helpful too.
 
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