xml sitemap

What is an XML Sitemap?

And why do I need one?

Before I answer these we’ll start with a very basic understanding of how Google (and all of the other Search Engines) works – their entire business model revolves around delivering content that matches the billions of searches that people perform each and every day. If they can’t deliver the best content, they’ll lose users… and then advertisers… and then no more Google.

http vs https for seo

HTTP vs HTTPS

HTTP stands for ‘hypertext transfer protocol’ – you’ll recognize it from the beginning of website addresses (http://www.yourwebsite.com). HTTP is simply the protocol that allows for communication between different systems. For our purposes we’re talking about the web browsers that your website visitors are using (Explorer, Firefox, Safari) communicating with the servers where your website lives (hosting companies).

HTTPS is the same, but

www vs non www in seo

www vs non-www

What’s the difference? Why does it matter? Which is better for SEO? How should this be handled?

These are common questions in digital marketing land. Here we’ll attempt to answer them in simple non-computer-geek English.

professional lodging photography

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Reservations

Every new potential guest will have a first impression created of your property that will likely make or break a sale. This first impression may happen in a directory, on Facebook, in print, or somewhere in Google land, but most likely it will happen on your own website.

duplicate content matters for seo

Duplicate Content Matters

Your website absolutely needs uniquely written content. Too often business owners will copy bits and pieces of content from other websites – it’s easy, but it creates the problem of duplicate content.

What is duplicate content?

brand bucket workers

BrandBucket: Pre-Built Brands For Sale

Starting and building a business has many catch points and moments of frustration; one of the first for budding entrepreneurs is the naming and branding process.

For creative types this is a fun process, but for the left-brained it’s just a hassle. Name the business, find out if…

capture the group market

Capture the Group Market: 6 Things to do

When marketing to the lucrative group, meeting, and conference markets within the greater travel industry, it is paramount that you cater to the needs and preferences of the professional meeting planners. These are the individuals who need to be convinced, and they are generally very busy. Therefore, whatever information they are presented needs to be fluid and transparent. Most planners are very focused on…

sell your region

Sell Your Region

Every vacation begins with a mental image of warm sandy beaches, snow capped mountains, bright city lights, or the rolling hills of wine country. Each vacation starts with the dream of a destination. It is a destination, or rather the impression of a destination, that people are seeking as they plan their much needed escape. In general, it is not the lodging that travelers are drawn to, but…

peabody ducks

Peabody Ducks: Branding with Feathers

In 1933, the General Manager of the famous Peabody Hotel in Memphis placed three ducks in the Grand Lobby fountain of the hotel. What was intended to be a silly prank became an instant sensation with guests, both young and old. “The Peabody Ducks” were there to stay.

In 1940, Bellman Pembroke, a former circus animal trainer, joined the Peabody Hotel staff as the official “Peabody Duckmaster”. Pembroke went to work training the ducks to…

copywriting for personality types

Copy Writing for Personality Types

Copy writing is truly an art form. It is the art of communicating. It is the art of influence and persuasion. Copy writing can turn a skeptic into a believer and a reader into a customer, or it can repel just as easily.

Common knowledge within the sales and marketing world holds that the majority of purchase decisions happen at an emotional level. Therefore, if you are writing sales copy that fails…