In the last post, we shared with you different ways to create a travel agency website, which include mainly website builders, custom development, and WordPress. In that post, we recommended WordPress as the Content Management System (CMS).
Now, in this post, we will exclusively explore various technical and non-technical reasons behind why WordPress is the best choice to create a travel agency website.
Top 10 Reasons to Use WordPress to Create a Travel Agency Website
If you are a travel agency owner or someone who is confused about which method is good and best to choose to create a travel agency website, then this post is for you.
1. You Can Create a Travel Agency Website on Your Own
If you have time, a low budget, and basic computer knowledge with learning ability, you can create a professional-looking travel agency website on your own. There are various free video tutorials and courses available that can guide you through creating a travel agency website using WordPress.
- The process looks like this:
- Buy a domain and hosting for your travel agency website.
- Enable SSL – you will also get free SSL with your hosting provider or in cPanel.
- Install WordPress and log in to the admin dashboard.
- Choose a theme for your travel agency website. There are various free and paid travel agency themes available. Select the theme that suits your travel agency.
- Write and refine the content, such as tour package details, about us, taxi services details, accommodation details, itinerary, main title, and tagline. You can follow the style of the theme if it is a premium theme.
- Install SEO plugins and optimize the website with relevant keywords. Submit it on Google Search Console and Bing with sitemap.xml.
- Integrate Google Analytics 4 code so that you can analyze visitors’ behaviors.
Make sure you add these essential things: 14 Essential Features Travel Agency Website Needs
More website creation tips:
- 8 Steps to create a successful Business Website in WordPress
- Building a WordPress Website: Timeframe and Tips for Success
While the process looks easy, it does not mean it is equally easy. However, after following and learning some basics such as WordPress installation, theme installation, and customization, it will become easier.
So, you can see and understand that anyone can use WordPress, and it does not require coding knowledge. This is very important for those who want to start a travel business.
Most of the travel agents I have seen or travel agency owners were not from a technical degree background or diploma. However, most of them are good with the basics of computers. In that case, learning to code is another field or another way, and that is surely complex.
Other than that, they can use WordPress, which only requires a basic understanding of computers, the internet, and websites. They can easily obtain this knowledge through YouTube or blog posts these days.
Moreover, they don’t need to hire a web developer or website design agency, which saves money. In this process, they become familiar with the website and WordPress, which is important for them in the long term because they have to use that website to generate leads as well.
Don’t you think this is why WordPress is so useful for them?
While you might say that website builders offer the same or even easier process than WordPress, then why WordPress?
You will get the answer to all of these in the next points. And if you read this post till the end, you will agree that WordPress is the best choice for a small travel agency website.
2. WordPress Saves Money for Small Travel Agency Owners
WordPress is free and open-source software, which means they don’t have to pay money to use this software. It’s easily available and can be installed through cPanel. Almost all companies provide one-click installation of WordPress. Even many hosting services are optimized only for WordPress websites. Read more: Is WordPress-Optimized Hosting Good for Your Website?
Yes, there is a cost of hosting, which can be around $70 to $100, depending on features. That’s the cost. While agency owners will get a domain for free with a 1-year hosting plan.
I mean when you buy hosting for 1 year, you will get a free domain for the 1st year. In the 2nd year, you have to pay for renewal. Other than this, website builders are a single platform to manage every part of the website. Read More: Difference Between Website Builder And Web Hosting
Website builders are also suitable for those agency owners who have a good budget and those who don’t want to go through technicalities. But in reality, even those who are using website builders find it difficult to create a website or create a website that will get traffic or leads or conversion rates. Also, to use premium features such as a booking engine or itinerary creator, travel agency owners have to pay extra for extensions. Read More: Top 10 Pros and Cons of Using Website Builder Software
So, learning is always there, whether you use a website builder or WordPress. Other than this, even if you use WordPress or a website builder, there are cases when you have to hire a WordPress expert or website designer or web developer for help with advanced customization.
There is a cost contained in everything you do online, and if you don’t have the knowledge or skills but want something important or urgent, you have to pay freelancers. And as a business, that’s not a bad thing.
3. Update and Customize Any Part of the Agency Website
WordPress is flexible and provides freedom for users to create as many pages, customize any part of the website and theme. Additionally, travel agency owners have to update their website content many times in a year, such as seasonal packages, offers, new images added, new package inclusions, and many other competitive features.
In that case, doing this in WordPress is easy for them. They can log in to the dashboard, update plugins, offers, themes, and content on their own. Otherwise, if they are using a custom-built website with (HTML, CSS/JS), then making instant updates or changes requires a basic understanding of these languages or a code editor if it’s static/interactive.
So you can see that they are always dependent on the web development or design agency for their website updates, and it incurs a cost. No agency can provide lifetime free customization and update services.
Also, if they use a website builder, the software also has limited features, and you can’t do everything. But with WordPress, you can customize the code as well or install your own booking engine plugins, integrate CRM, and many other things.
4. Blog and Free Organic Traffic
WordPress was once a popular platform for blogging only, but these days it’s used for everything. Even after the disruption caused by AI tools, having a blog on your website is still relevant and most important.
In the context of a travel agency, getting free organic traffic is very important. As small travel agency owners, you need a less costly source of getting leads or inquiries. While paid advertising is important for travel agencies for quick results, having a blog and continuously publishing travel tips, travel guides will help in engaging visitors, getting free organic traffic, and ranking higher on search engines. Read More: How blogging benefits businesses to generate more leads
Once you start getting 30 to 50 free traffic or visitors to your travel agency website, you will also start getting inquiries for bookings or travel packages. SEO and blogging take time, but that doesn’t mean it’s not beneficial. Read More: How SEO Drives Business Growth and Offers Key Benefits
For example, you can keep advertising or paying for leads or investing in paid advertising or paying an agency for generating leads. But if you have a WordPress website and a blog page, you can keep writing and publishing travel content. Not only will that help in increasing visitor engagement rate, lowering bounce rate, increasing average time spent, but you will also be able to generate free organic traffic.
This is good for branding as well as for organic growth of the business. Once you start getting inquiries without paying for paid advertising, think about how much money you will be able to save, and you will be able to sell the travel package at a lower cost. Just think about it.
But yes, this requires you to learn blogging and SEO skills, which is not impossible to learn. You have to work hard on one thing, and if you think you can grow your travel agency business just by rotating the budget, then you can see the history or current trends of how many agencies are making big profits. You need a strategy, and this is a great strategy for travel agencies. And all of this depends on the website and infrastructure.
5. WordPress Provides a Strong Foundation
When your agency grows, you will need extra features and more advanced features for your website. Also, you might replace your digital marketing agency with another one. What I’ve seen is that many travel agencies create more than one website.
Each digital marketing company asks them to give access to landing pages or asks them to have or create landing pages, insert tracking code, and many other things. Many say that the current website design is not good for generating leads. Many say that the content is not unique and useful.
Each agency defames the past agency’s work. That’s not a good practice. But the fact is that each agency, designer, or digital marketer thinks on their own.
If you have the right foundation from the beginning, you don’t have to change anything or create another website when your digital marketing agency changes. WordPress is flexible, as I said above.
You can customize any part of this website and integrate any advanced features. This all depends on your strategy and technical expertise or the expertise or honesty of the digital marketer or agency you have hired.
Many may disagree that WordPress is not good. Many will say that custom-developed websites have more power, while others say website builders are great. And as I say, WordPress is more useful for the travel agency type of business.
Each person speaks based on their confidence and the results they have achieved or are achieving. I have shared everything that I think and have experienced with you. I am not forcing you to blindly follow what I said about WordPress. Your experiences might be different. But it’s up to you and your decision-making process to choose what works best for you.
No platform is inherently bad, but it’s not about them; it’s about what is best for you and your business in your current situation.
Does it mean that travel agency owners have to learn WordPress?
Not necessarily. But if they want to create a travel agency website on their own, then yes. Other than this, if they learn WordPress, then it’s very useful for them to understand the infrastructure of their website.
I know from many clients while working on Upwork that after creating a website for them in WordPress, clients asked me to teach them how to update or make changes to this website. Even many ask or mention in the job description that please do the screen recording while creating the website. This is a good idea.
Practically, think of this like you purchased a car. Other than driving, you need to have a basic understanding of how to replace a tire, fill the water in the wiper, and clean it. So that even if you don’t need to, in an emergency or urgent case, you can do this on your own.
If you’re a travel agency owner and want to run a successful travel agency business these days, then obviously having a good understanding of technology, digital marketing, and website design is a bonus. At least, even if you have managers, website designers, and digital marketers, at least you can understand them or be able to direct them on the right task that is more useful for your travel agency.
Even if not that, having knowledge of these things will help you understand what your technical team is doing and where you’re spending the money.
That’s why I suggest that having basic knowledge of website design, WordPress, digital marketing, internet, and computer is essential these days for every business owner. It’s because many parts or processes, if not all, have digital or technological involvement these days. Read More: How long does it take to learn WordPress
And this is even more important for those just starting a travel agency business or a small business with less budget. Suppose, if you understand how digital channels, digital marketing processes, and digital businesses work, you can take more advantages of these things for your business growth.