FareHarbor Compass is exclusively for FareHarbor clients. Please use your FareHarbor login to access Compass.

Last Updated: May 23, 2024

All Skill Levels

8 minute read

Reputation Management
SEO

Relationship Building: How to Respond to Positive Reviews

We hope you had the time to check out our recent guide covering online reputation management. This time, we’re chatting about a topic that is a bit more heartwarming: how to respond to positive reviews.…

Last Updated: April 25, 2024

Beginner, Intermediate

60 minutes

SEO
Websites

Be the Booker: A Live Workshop to Improve Your Website

Learn to improve website conversions with essential design elements! During this session, our website experts reviewed client sites LIVE to share insights that turn lookers into bookers. In this 40-minute webinar, you will learn: How…

Last Updated: April 16, 2024

All Skill Levels

4 minute read

Digital Marketing
SEO
Websites

The Types of Photos You Must Include on Your Tour or Activity Site

Your website serves as more than just an online brochure for your tour and activity business—it’s your primary sales tool. To stand out and attract the right audience, you must effectively showcase what you have…

Last Updated: February 23, 2024

Intermediate

5 minute read

3 Quick SEO Tactics to Apply Ahead of Peak Season

As an attraction, tour, or activity company, you are bound to run into competition. From the flyers you leave in hotel lobbies to the paid ads you use on social media, you need every advantage…

Beginner, Intermediate

8 minute read

Content Marketing
SEO
Websites

What Does Google’s Helpful Content System Mean for Your Website?

Google currently has a market share of roughly 85% of all online searches. That means the massive search engine is visited over 89.3 billion times a month for everything from “things to do near me”…

Last Updated: June 28, 2023

Intermediate, Advanced

55 minutes

Dashboard & FareHarbor
Industry Insights
SEO
Websites

Be The Booker: A Live Workshop to Drive Your Online Conversions

During this session, our website experts reviewed client sites LIVE to share insights that turn lookers into bookers.

All Skill Levels

10 minute read

SEO
Websites

Google Analytics: What It Is & Why You Need It (Updated for GA4)

Google Analytics is one of the most popular and useful digital marketing tools you should have in your arsenal—and it’s free to use! This tool has an abundance of uses but broadly speaking it allows…

Last Updated: May 12, 2023

Beginner

9 minute read

Industry Insights
SEO
Websites

6 Sources of Web Traffic for Tour and Activity Sites

Putting together a beautiful website is no simple task. However, getting the right visitors to come to your site (and book) is a whole other undertaking. You already know how important it is to have…

Last Updated: April 24, 2023

Beginner

7 minute read

SEO
Websites

One Element Your SEO Strategy is Missing: The Power of AI

By now you have probably heard the buzz about generative AI, like ChatGPT, Bing Chat, or Google’s Bard, but you might not be sure how to leverage this new technology to grow your business. In…

All Skill Levels

8 minute read

Dashboard & FareHarbor
SEO
Websites

The Full Guide to Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a new analytics service designed for the next era of online user behavior. It provides you with a complete view of your customers’ journey across devices, as well as essential…

Last Updated: April 20, 2023

All Skill Levels

49 minutes

Dashboard & FareHarbor
Digital Marketing
SEO
Websites

GA4 and FareHarbor: Understanding the New Integration

In this session, our in-house experts will walk you through GA4 best practices, key metrics, new reporting, and integrations with Google Ads. Operating under GDPR? Please read this FAQ with important information regarding using cookie consent managers…

Last Updated: March 16, 2023

All Skill Levels

54 minutes

Industry Insights
SEO
Websites

Be The Booker: A Live Workshop To Improve Your Website

During this live workshop, our experts reviewed websites submitted by you, our clients, to give insight on what turns lookers into bookers. We also covered website design best practices and tips for guiding customers to…

Last Updated: March 7, 2023

All Skill Levels

4 minute read

Digital Marketing
SEO
Websites

Google Optimize Won’t Be Available After September 2023—Here’s What You Need to Do

Starting on September 30, 2023, Google Optimize will no longer be available. All tests and personalizations will also end on that date. Not to worry though—Google plans to incorporate similar features and solutions of Google…

Last Updated: December 30, 2022

All Skill Levels

3 minute read

SEO
Websites

Google Search Results Continuously Scroll on Desktop & Mobile

What happens when you get to the bottom of the Google search results page? In the past, if you didn’t find a result you were looking for, you might have typed in a different query…

Last Updated: January 24, 2023

All Skill Levels

56 minutes

Content Marketing
SEO
Websites

Annual Check Up: Optimize Your Website & SEO

Learn how to drive organic traffic to your site (which also increases sales!) with SEO and quality content writing.

Last Updated: November 30, 2022

Beginner, Intermediate

4 minute read

Stand Out On The SERP With Google Business Profile Attributes

Before any customer steps foot on your tour, they most likely will be checking out your Google Business Profile to get a feel for what your company has to offer. When you’re looking to stand…

Last Updated: January 31, 2023

Beginner

29 minutes

SEO
Websites

[Spark Virtual] Ranking On Google. Keep It Simple.

Appearing in the top results of a Google search is a great way to increase online bookings. We cover what you should take into account, including how to write an attractive meta description and title…

Last Updated: November 30, 2022

Beginner, Intermediate

45 minutes

Digital Marketing
Industry Insights
SEO

What Every Tour Operator Should Know About Google Tag Manager and Goal Flows

Want to gain an understanding of how the data you are collecting through Google Analytics can work for you? This webinar covers Google Tag Manager and the value it brings to your Google Analytics! In…

Last Updated: September 28, 2022

Beginner, Intermediate

10 minute read

SEO
Websites

The Other Search Engine: Bing

In most of our SEO guides, you hear us talk about how to optimize for Google, the biggest search engine out there with around 83% of the search engine market share (Statista). But there’s another…

Last Updated: September 14, 2022

Beginner

9 minute read

SEO
Social Media

5 Instagram SEO Techniques To Extend Your Reach

You may be asking yourself, how do I reach the most potential customers on my Instagram account? The answer: Instagram search optimization. While this may be a concept you have not heard of, there are…

Last Updated: August 31, 2022

Intermediate

7 minute read

SEO
Websites

Google Troubleshooting: Why Was My Page Deindexed?

When you publish a new page to your website, it gets indexed by Google. The Google crawler analyzes the page for content and meaning and stores it in the index. This way it will show…

Last Updated: August 3, 2022

Intermediate

5 minute read

3 SEO Meta Tags Tour Operators Need to Know

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is key to driving organic traffic to your site from Google searches. Getting the algorithm to notice your site is a never-ending process and it can seem daunting when you…

Last Updated: July 15, 2022

Beginner

7 minute read

Local Strategies
SEO

Local SEO: What Are Google’s Local Justifications?

The main goal of the Google search engine results page (SERP) is to offer searchers the answer to their question as quickly and easily as possible. To this end, the SERP is full of features,…

Last Updated: April 12, 2023

Intermediate

11 minute read

Local Strategies
SEO

Google Business Profile Troubleshooting: There Are Duplicate Listings for My Business

Maybe a previous employee set up a Google Business Profile and you didn’t know, so you created a new one. Or maybe you’ve recently restarted your SEO efforts and forgot you already had a listing.…

Last Updated: May 20, 2022

Intermediate

7 minute read

SEO
Websites

You Don’t Have to Rank Number One on Google – Really!

We’ve long been conditioned to equate SEO success with ranking – a website’s position on the search engine results page (SERP) for a given keyword. It’s only natural to strive for the top spot. We’ve…

Last Updated: May 18, 2022

All Skill Levels

8 minute read

Reputation Management
SEO
Websites

3 Questions to Ask Yourself When Creating an SEO Strategy

There are so many different aspects to SEO, from technical considerations like schema markup to content, keywords, and local strategies. So when you’re putting together your SEO strategy, it can be difficult to know where…

Last Updated: April 29, 2022

Beginner

9 minute read

Outdated SEO Practices to Avoid (And What to Do Instead)

SEO best practices can quickly go out of fashion since search engines like Google make constant updates to improve their algorithms. We know it can feel difficult to stay up to date on the best…

Last Updated: March 4, 2022

Intermediate

11 minute read

Content Marketing
SEO

Get Noticed on the SERP with People Also Ask

Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) are full of variety. From ads and organic results to the local map pack and featured snippets, the array of SERP features offers many ways to gain additional exposure…

Last Updated: March 2, 2022

Intermediate

6 minute read

Digital Marketing
Pay-Per-Click
SEO

Get Ready: Transition Your Google Ads to Responsive Search Ads

In the past few years, Google has been putting more emphasis on machine learning for PPC ads, with tools like Smart Bidding that rely on the algorithm to optimize ad strategy. In 2020, Google made…

Last Updated: February 24, 2022

All Skill Levels

5 minute read

Content Marketing
SEO
Websites

Google’s Passage Ranking Update: What Does it Mean for My Site?

An update from Google in 2021 changed how the search engine indexes and ranks web pages. Known as the Passage Ranking update, this change means that Google now ranks specific passages of content in addition…

Last Updated: February 11, 2022

Intermediate

7 minute read

How Canonical Tags Help Your SEO Strategy

It’s no secret that Google is not a fan of duplicate content. Fortunately, you can use a canonical tag to tell Google which version of your webpage (or entire site) is the master copy, signaling to…

Last Updated: February 1, 2022

Intermediate

8 minute read

Content Marketing
SEO

4 SEO Trends to Watch – and Take Advantage of! – in 2022

There have been a lot of changes in the world of search engine optimization (SEO) as of late. From new search engine results page (SERP) features to ranking updates, 2022 will likely bring a flurry…

Last Updated: February 8, 2022

All Skill Levels

5 minute read

Digital Marketing
Reputation Management
SEO

Shoot for the Stars: How to Get a Google Star Rating

Doesn’t it feel great to get a 5-star review? Whether on Tripadvisor or Google, those awesome reviews boost your star rating and prompt potential customers to book with your business. You can make your website…

Last Updated: December 10, 2021

Intermediate

8 minute read

SEO
Websites

Reclaim & Replace Broken Links: Two Winning Link Building Strategies

If you’ve been working on a link building strategy, you know it takes time to gain quality backlinks to your website. But inevitably, some backlinks will become broken over time, either because the page doesn’t…

Last Updated: December 13, 2021

Intermediate, Advanced

40 minutes

Pay-Per-Click
SEO

You’re the Travel Experts, We’re the Tech Experts: Gaining a Competitive Advantage Through SEO & PPC

Learn what is on the horizon in travel industry marketing and how to drive business through SEO & Pay-Per-Click Optimization in a world where paid advertising is becoming increasingly necessary.

Last Updated: December 2, 2021

All Skill Levels

5 minute read

SEO
Websites

Ultimate SEO Series Part 3: Analytics & Tracking

After putting the time and effort into improving your site’s SEO, you’ll surely want to know how your site is performing! Has your site moved up in position on the SERP for your target keyword?…

Last Updated: December 2, 2021

Intermediate, Advanced

11 minute read

SEO
Websites

Ultimate SEO Series Part 1: On-Page SEO

On-page SEO covers the content on your individual web pages as well as the HTML source code of a page. While off-page SEO refers to technical topics like links and other external signals, on-page SEO…

Last Updated: December 2, 2021

All Skill Levels

15 minute read

SEO
Websites

Ultimate SEO Series Part 2: Technical SEO

There are so many different categories of search engine optimization – hopefully, you’ve checked out part one of our Ultimate SEO Guide that covers on-page SEO – and technical SEO is one of the most important…

Last Updated: November 15, 2021

Intermediate, Advanced

30 minutes

Business Management Tips
SEO

Your Data, Your Way: Creating a Clear Pathway to Conversions

Data can be overwhelming. We get that. That is why in this session we demystify data, including conversion-based reporting, enabling you to take a wholistic, informed view of your business when deciding how to grow.

Last Updated: November 4, 2021

All Skill Levels

10 minute read

Technical Tip: HTML Basics Every Business Owner Should Know

Your website is your first chance to make a good impression on potential tour or activity guests. There are so many different ways to design and build your website, but they all have one thing…

Last Updated: October 19, 2022

All Skill Levels

13 minute read

Digital Marketing
Local Strategies
SEO
Social Media

A Complete Guide to Holiday Marketing for Tour Operators

We tend to think of the holidays as a time to unwind and celebrate with family and friends, but for most business owners, it’s the time to put your head down and focus on your…

All Skill Levels

8 minute read

Local Strategies
Reputation Management
SEO

Google Business Profile Troubleshooting: I Want to Change My Cover Photo

Google Business Profile is one of your most important SEO tools, displaying information about your business in searches on a variety of Google platforms. If you’ve been following the advice in our Google Business Profile…

Last Updated: October 6, 2021

Beginner

8 minute read

Business Management Tips
SEO

Tactics to Overcome SEO Slumps in the Slow Season

Most tour and activity operators experience some type of slow season. Whether you only offer summertime kayak tours or run year-round cooking classes, it’s normal for search trends for your core activities and services to…

Last Updated: September 30, 2021

Intermediate, Advanced

5 minute read

Content Marketing
SEO
Websites

Try Google’s New Content Data Experience: Search Console Insights

Understanding how your content is performing in the search engine results page (SERP) isn’t always a straightforward process. Whether you’re new to tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console or you’ve just mastered the…

Last Updated: September 15, 2021

Intermediate

19 minute read

Business Management Tips
SEO
Websites

Using Google Analytics Reports to Improve Organic Traffic & Conversions

Many tour operators — and all types of business owners — base business decisions off of metrics such as weekly sales accruals, customer feedback, and gut feelings. But when you’re looking to build your bottom…

Last Updated: September 7, 2021

Intermediate, Advanced

13 minute read

Featured Snippets Top the SERP: Here’s How to Get One

Featured snippets are a coveted spot on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). They provide an answer to a search query directly at the top of the SERP. In fact, the featured snippet is the…

Last Updated: August 27, 2021

Intermediate

10 minute read

Digital Marketing
SEO
Websites

Link Building Tip: Use a Domain Authority Checker to Find the Best Sites

One of the most important steps of link building is finding websites or bloggers whose content resonates with you – or better yet, with your audience. But before you take the leap and reach out…

Last Updated: August 20, 2021

Intermediate, Advanced

8 minute read

Digital Marketing
SEO

Search Natives: How Gen Z is Shaping SEO

Gen Z is well on its way to becoming the largest generation in the world, and we’re starting to see their influence on different industries and platforms. For example, this generation has driven a surge…

Last Updated: August 12, 2021

Beginner

6 minute read

SEO
Websites

Everything You Need to Know about Google’s June & July (2021) Core Updates

Another Google algorithm update? That’s right! While Google typically does not share what changes to expect from algorithm updates, SEO experts believe that the June and July Core Updates, like most others, focused on quality…

Intermediate, Advanced

12 minute read

Business Management Tips
Local Strategies
SEO

Google Business Profile 201: Optimizing Your Listing

Your Google Business Profile is one of the most important tools when it comes to displaying your business in the Google SERP. You have a lot of features available to you, and by using them…

Beginner, Intermediate

11 minute read

Local Strategies
SEO

Google Business Profile 101: Setting Up Your Listing

Google Business Profile is a listing that displays your company’s information — such as location, contact information, and user reviews — across various Google features and platforms. Free and easy to use, your Business Profile…

Last Updated: August 5, 2021

Beginner

7 minute read

Pay-Per-Click
SEO

Using SEO Forecasting to Choose the Best PPC Keywords

Your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) strategy should not be reactive — for example, you don’t want to wait until your ads perform poorly before adjusting them. Enter: SEO forecasting. SEO…

Last Updated: July 29, 2021

Intermediate

Pay-Per-Click
SEO
Social Media
Websites

Checklist: Easy Ways to Improve Your Online Presence & Expand Your Reach

What’s the first thing you do when you need a product or service? If you’re like the 85% of consumers who conduct research online before they make a purchase (Forbes), you probably head to the…

Last Updated: July 23, 2021

All Skill Levels

9 minute read

SEO
Websites

8 Ways to Reduce Your Website’s Bounce Rate

Keeping users engaged on your website for longer sessions is essential for boosting conversions and improving user experience. If you’ve read our guide on bounce rate and engagement rate in Google Analytics, you know that…

Last Updated: July 23, 2021

All Skill Levels

9 minute read

SEO
Websites

Breaking Down Bounce Rate & Engagement Rate in Google Analytics

Have you noticed a high bounce rate when analyzing your website data on Google Analytics? If so, you might be wondering how important this metric really is and what it means for your website traffic.…

Last Updated: September 10, 2021

Intermediate

7 minute read

Business Management Tips
Industry Insights
SEO

Goodbye, Reserve With Google — Hello, Things To Do

Earlier this year, Google announced that it would be phasing out Reserve with Google (RwG) for tours, activities, and attractions. The booking service officially ended on August 1, 2021. Reserve with Google was a feature…

Last Updated: July 8, 2021

All Skill Levels

7 minute read

Content Marketing
SEO
Social Media
Websites

Separating SEO Fact from Fiction: Don’t Fall for These 4 SEO Myths

Misinformation is unfortunately common in the world of SEO. From buying backlinks to using exact-match keywords, SEO misconceptions can be confusing and distract you from the main goal of SEO – to drive more visitors…

Last Updated: July 6, 2021

All Skill Levels

9 minute read

Content Marketing
Digital Marketing
SEO

Need Blog Inspiration? Write a “Know Before You Go” Post

Are you in need of some new ideas for your next blog post? We certainly know the feeling. If you’ve exhausted the topics in this blogging guide, try your hand at writing a “Know Before…

Last Updated: June 18, 2021

All Skill Levels

10 minute read

Business Management Tips
Local Strategies
SEO
Websites

Translating Your Website? Ask Yourself These 6 Questions First

It’s common in our industry for businesses to be multilingual. A tour operator in Puerto Rico often speaks both Spanish and English, while an operator in the Netherlands might speak Dutch, English, and German (among…

Last Updated: June 24, 2021

All Skill Levels

13 minute read

SEO
Websites

SEO Best Practices for Multi-Language Websites

In the tourism industry, it’s common for businesses to have websites in more than one language. For example, if you run a sightseeing tour business in England, you may have English, French, and Spanish versions…

All Skill Levels

3 minute read

Dashboard & FareHarbor
SEO
Websites

GA Upgrade: Meet The New Google Analytics 4

Any Google Analytics user must be aware of the latest update regarding this tool—Google Analytics 4 is the newest version of Google Analytics, and your original or current Universal Analytics property was deprecated on July…

Last Updated: June 4, 2021

All Skill Levels

7 minute read

Pay-Per-Click
Reputation Management
SEO

Did You Know: Google Reviews Affect Your PPC Ads

In previous Compass guides, we’ve talked a lot about the importance of reviews when it comes to boosting your reputation, improving your local SEO, and more. But did you know that the reviews your business…

Last Updated: February 15, 2022

Intermediate

10 minute read

SEO
Websites

Need to Know: Optimize for Google’s Page Experience Update & Core Web Vitals

A big change came to Google in 2021, with additional updates on the way – specifically, the search engine’s growing emphasis on user experience. In May 2020, Google announced Page Experience, an update to search…

Last Updated: May 26, 2021

All Skill Levels

13 minute read

Business Management Tips
Local Strategies
SEO

How to Show Up in Google’s Local Travel Guides

It’s easier than ever for travelers to research destinations, find things to do during their travels, book flights, and plan an entire trip online from start to finish — all online! Google Travel is one…

Last Updated: May 28, 2021

All Skill Levels

12 minute read

SEO
Websites

Technical SEO: Understanding and Using Redirects

A redirect allows you to send users and search engines to a URL that is different from the one they originally requested. For example, if you’ve moved your website to a new domain, you don’t…

Last Updated: January 25, 2023

Intermediate, Advanced

Dashboard & FareHarbor
Digital Marketing
SEO
Websites

Daily & Weekly Checklist for Tour & Activity Operators

Seize the day! A busy tour business has lots of moving parts each and every day—from your staff and guests to your marketing and promotions. With such a wide variety of tasks to take care…

Last Updated: July 20, 2021

All Skill Levels

12 minute read

SEO
Websites

Improve Site Speed & Page Load Time with a Google Lighthouse Audit

We’ve all visited a site that takes too long to load and when that happens we navigate away to another site in the SERP. That is a bad experience for the user, and is detrimental…

Last Updated: May 11, 2021

Intermediate, Advanced

Dashboard & FareHarbor
SEO
Websites

Checklist: Tips for Writing Item Descriptions & Activity Pages

Tour or activity descriptions – known as item descriptions in your FareHarbor Dashboard – are one of the most essential aspects of securing a booking. Not only do they cover all the important details like…

Last Updated: April 28, 2021

All Skill Levels

10 minute read

SEO
Websites

Design for Mobile Now: 11 Mobile-First Design Tips

If you’ve read our introductory guide on the importance of mobile-first indexing you already know why it is a critical part of your website and online strategy. The next step is to thoroughly vet your…

Last Updated: April 28, 2021

All Skill Levels

5 minute read

Local Strategies
SEO
Websites

Mobile-First Indexing is Here – Here’s What You Need to Know!

It’s been a while for many of us, but think back to your most recent vacation. Did you bring your laptop along with you? And if you did, did you lug it around with you…

Last Updated: April 26, 2021

All Skill Levels

10 minute read

COVID-19 Resources
Local Strategies
SEO

What To Expect – And How to Prepare – 7 Tips For Your First Post-Pandemic Busy Season

Successful vaccine rollouts and the dawn of summer in the northern hemisphere point to an upcoming busy season – the first busy season since the start of the pandemic for many tour operators. In past…

Last Updated: May 3, 2022

All Skill Levels

4 minute read

Business Management Tips
Industry Insights
Local Strategies
SEO

Reserve with Google Shake Up – New Search Experiences Coming Later in 2021

For the latest information on this topic, head over to our new guide on the introduction of Google Things to do! As a tour operator, you’re probably familiar with Reserve with Google (RwG), the service…

Last Updated: August 31, 2021

All Skill Levels

13 minute read

SEO
Websites

The Anatomy of a SERP (Search Engine Results Page)

After browsing our search engine optimization guides, you’ve probably noticed that the term SERP – Search Engine Results Page – comes up somewhat frequently. That’s because an important part of any successful SEO strategy requires…

Last Updated: March 30, 2021

Intermediate, Advanced

12 minute read

Content Marketing
SEO
Websites

How to Rank on the First Page of Google

You’re within striking distance of the coveted first page of Google – you’ve been running periodic SEO audits, creating quality content, and targeting keywords that fit your business – but your site is still hovering…

Last Updated: February 12, 2021

All Skill Levels

11 minute read

Content Marketing
SEO
Websites

Understand Your Competition: Conducting SEO Competitor Analysis Is Easier Than You Think

No matter what kind of tours or activities you provide, it’s essential to know who your competitors are and to be able to identify what makes your business stand out from the competition. Knowing these…

Last Updated: February 10, 2021

All Skill Levels

42 minutes

Digital Marketing
SEO

Your Analytics, Your Way: How to Convert Using Google Analytics

Are you utilizing your website traffic data to its fullest extent or are you leaving invaluable consumer insights on the table? Take a deep dive into the advanced functions of Google Analytics to better understand…

Last Updated: February 12, 2021

All Skill Levels

15 minute read

Content Marketing
Digital Marketing
SEO

Got Blogger’s Block? Creative Blogging Ideas for Tour & Activity Operators

As a business owner or marketer blogging probably isn’t a totally new idea to you – but whether you’re just getting started or are looking for inspiration to take your blog to the next level…

Last Updated: May 19, 2022

Beginner, Intermediate

60 minutes

Digital Marketing
Industry Insights
SEO

9 Trends For Tour & Activity Operators To Know In 2021

Get a jump start on the New Year by taking a closer look at travel and marketing trends that will be impactful for tour and activity operators in 2021. Now is a great time to…

Last Updated: April 20, 2021

All Skill Levels

10 minute read

SEO
Websites

6 Tips to Write & Design a Winning FAQ Page

One of the top benefits of writing detailed tour/activity descriptions is that it reduces the number of people calling with questions about the experience, freeing up more time for you to manage other aspects of…

Last Updated: December 2, 2020

Beginner, Intermediate

10 minute read

Content Marketing
Digital Marketing
SEO

Understanding Your Audience: Writing For Search Intent

Keywords are a major focus in SEO — keyword research helps us to identify what searchers are typing into the search bar, and from there we work to include those keywords on web pages, social…

Last Updated: March 22, 2023

Beginner, Intermediate

13 minute read

Digital Marketing
Local Strategies
SEO

Everything You Need to Know About Working With Destination Marketing Organizations

Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) or Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) play a key role in the long-term development of a destination by leading planning, management, and marketing efforts. They bring together governmental authorities, respected professionals,…

Last Updated: December 2, 2020

All Skill Levels

9 minute read

Local Strategies
SEO

Put Google Posts to Work for Your Brand

Google Posts is a feature that allows business owners to publish content directly to their brand’s Google Knowledge Panel in their GMB listing – the box that appears to the right of the search results…

Last Updated: March 25, 2022

All Skill Levels

12 minute read

SEO
Websites

Top 6 Website Mistakes & How to Fix Them

Your website is the first impression of your business, and conducting a web search is a common first step for those looking to make a tour or activity booking. If your website is properly optimized…

Last Updated: April 12, 2023

All Skill Levels

7 minute read

Local Strategies
SEO

Google Business Profile Troubleshooting: Someone Else Claimed My Listing

Continually optimizing your Google Business Profile is the best way to ensure you’re presenting your business in the best possible light and reaching your local market. From uploading high-quality photos and videos to monitoring your…

Last Updated: September 25, 2020

All Skill Levels

Pay-Per-Click
SEO

Facebook Pixel Setup Checklist

If you’re advertising on Facebook, pixels are one of the most important tools to help you target, optimize, and remarket effectively. At its core Facebook pixel allows you to collect importation information you can use…

Last Updated: September 14, 2020

Beginner, Intermediate

8 minute read

Digital Marketing
SEO

Using Google Surveys to Gain Insights on Potential Customers

Truly understanding your audience is crucial to effective marketing, and there’s no better way to get to know your potential customers than by directly asking them what you want to know. Surveys are a great…

Last Updated: September 1, 2020

Beginner, Intermediate

4 minute read

Dashboard & FareHarbor
SEO

Understanding Discrepancies Between Google Analytics and FareHarbor Reports

Google Analytics is an important tool to help you understand your website traffic and online sales. Connecting your Google Analytics account with your FareHarbor Lightframe allows you to track conversions from your website and understand…

Last Updated: June 8, 2023

All Skill Levels

Dashboard & FareHarbor
SEO

New FareHarbor Client Checklist

Welcome to FareHarbor! We’re excited to help you grow your business by sharing best practices and strategies. As a new client, there are a few things you should do to optimize your Dashboard to make…

Last Updated: March 14, 2023

All Skill Levels

Business Management Tips
Digital Marketing
SEO

Preparing For Your Busy Season: Marketing & SEO Checklist

Your company’s busy season may be fast-paced, exciting, and a great boost to your business, but it’s definitely not the time to be stressing over your online presence and marketing campaigns. Do yourself a favor…

Last Updated: September 15, 2020

All Skill Levels

6 minutes

Reputation Management
SEO

You Asked, We Answered: Review FAQS (That You’ll Actually Use!)

Online reviews got you a little confused? It’s no surprise – there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to reviews – from choosing the most important review platforms to understanding how to…

Last Updated: August 17, 2020

Beginner, Intermediate

10 minute read

Content Marketing
COVID-19 Resources
SEO

How Tour Operators Can Adjust Content Strategies For COVID-19

When the COVD-19 pandemic first became widespread, we were bombarded with messaging about “the new normal” and “these uncertain times”. These messages were being put together on the fly, and it is understandable that many…

Last Updated: February 22, 2021

All Skill Levels

10 minute read

Why E-A-T Is Important for SEO (Expertise, Authority, Trust)

E-A-T (Expertise, Authority, and Trust) is one of the ways in which Google’s human quality raters determine the quality of a site. While there is no definitive answer to whether E-A-T is truly a ranking…

Last Updated: July 27, 2020

Beginner, Intermediate

10 minute read

COVID-19 Resources
SEO

SEO Tactics For Small Businesses During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaped many parts of our lives since March 2020, so you probably won’t be surprised to learn that COVID-19-related searches are now the most popular searches on Google – outpacing searches…

All Skill Levels

15 minute read

Industry Insights
Local Strategies
SEO

Google Business Profile Troubleshooting: Recovering a Suspended Listing

From address and phone number to reviews and gift card purchases, your Google Business Profile provides the most accurate information about your business, and it can even boost local SEO and drive sales. In fact,…

Last Updated: November 12, 2020

All Skill Levels

COVID-19 Resources
Local Strategies
SEO

Google My Business: COVID-19 Checklist

Google My Business is one of the most important tools to communicate directly with your customers during COVID-19 and is and is crucial to update to help appeal to local bookers. Keep customers updated in…

Last Updated: July 27, 2023

All Skill Levels

12 minute read

SEO
Websites

Common Google Analytics Mistakes – And How To Fix Them

Let’s start with a simple question—how do you know your website is succeeding without feedback? Data is critical to ensuring your message is delivered to the right audience for your tour, attraction, or activity. Website…

Last Updated: September 28, 2021

All Skill Levels

19 minute read

SEO
Websites

Get to Know Google’s Top 10 Free Website & SEO Tools

Google is the gold standard for search engines, and although they don’t reveal their algorithm secrets, their many free tools provide important indicators and resources to help improve your rankings. Because of this, using Google’s…

Last Updated: April 10, 2024

All Skill Levels

11 minute read

Business Management Tips
SEO
Websites

How to Write a Tour Description That Sells

You know that the experiences you provide are fun, exciting, and memorable —but your potential customers won’t unless you write an impactful tour description that compels them to hit that book button. Writing a tour…

Last Updated: June 15, 2020

All Skill Levels

12 minute read

Reputation Management
SEO

Putting Good Reviews To Work For You

Business owners love seeing five-star reviews. It feels good knowing that a guest enjoyed your tour or activity so much that they wanted to share their experience online. Although you can’t choose the reviews your…

Last Updated: January 27, 2021

All Skill Levels

11 minute read

Content Marketing
SEO

The Importance of Writing Evergreen Content For Your Blog

Like the plants that remain green and hold their leaves throughout the year, evergreen content stands the test of time, remaining popular and relevant long after it was written. It holds the interest of its…

Last Updated: February 25, 2021

Beginner

11 minute read

SEO
Websites

Conversion Tip: Stick The Landing (Page)

You’ve heard us say that your website is one of your best sales tools, and it certainly is. In a time where virtual communication is more important than ever your website is a window into…

Last Updated: July 21, 2020

Beginner, Intermediate

7 minutes

COVID-19 Resources
Local Strategies
SEO
Websites

Grow Your Business With Local SEO

Search engine optimization is one of the most important things you can work on to ensure your business can easily be found online. Local SEO is crucial to help your business appear in the SERP…

Last Updated: September 3, 2020

Beginner, Intermediate

56 minutes

COVID-19 Resources
Local Strategies
SEO

Strategies to Optimize Your Local SEO

Presented by SEMrush Guest Speakers: Jenna Fehrle – Enterprise Customer Success Manager Ryan O’Donnel – Enterprise Customer Success Manager As businesses begin to reopen, it’s more important than ever to optimize your local search criteria.…

Last Updated: April 20, 2021

Beginner, Intermediate

11 minute read

SEO
Websites

Make a Good First Impression: Creating a Highly Converting Homepage

When a potential customer finds your company on Google, they will most likely land on your homepage first. Once they click on your company in the SERP (search engine results page) and your homepage starts…

Last Updated: December 16, 2020

Beginner, Intermediate

17 minute read

SEO
Websites

Choosing the Right Platform to Build Your Own Website

Having a website is an essential component of any business, large or small, and it’s particularly important for tour and activity operators. Travelers today are looking for ease and convenience when they’re making their travel…

Last Updated: August 25, 2020

Beginner, Intermediate

Reputation Management
SEO

Review Management Checklist

Reviews are one of the defining factors of a company’s reputation, and as such are can make or break a traveler’s decision on whether or not to book with your company. Consumers read an average…

Last Updated: October 7, 2020

Beginner, Intermediate

19 minute read

COVID-19 Resources
Digital Marketing
Local Strategies
SEO

SEO, Marketing, and Business Tips to Combat Coronavirus Impact

The new normal created by the novel Coronavirus is starting to settle in, and among worrying about other things it can feel scary to have your business’ doors closed or be running at a much…

Last Updated: August 12, 2020

All Skill Levels

41 minutes

Content Marketing
SEO

Creating Website Content to Drive Online Traffic

Learn how to unlock strategies that can increase your website traffic by posting the right content on your website. Keep your website growing and changing by updating relevant content as well as starting a blog!…

Last Updated: October 6, 2020

Beginner

Content Marketing
SEO
Websites

Your Content Audit Checklist

Whether you want to start a travel blog, publish a new city guide, or update an old company news story, a content audit can help you track your website content to show you what needs…

Last Updated: September 28, 2020

All Skill Levels

61 minutes

Understanding SEO: Tips to Make the Biggest Impact

Want to improve your online search presence, but don’t really know where to start? Join in as we discuss the key elements to understanding search engine optimization as well as what you can do to…

Last Updated: July 7, 2023

Beginner, Intermediate

Digital Marketing
SEO
Websites

Google Analytics Checklist

Google Analytics is one of the most useful and popular digital analytics tools you can implement on your website. GA4, the newest version of the tool, allows you to see high-level insights as well as drill…

Last Updated: October 7, 2020

Beginner, Intermediate

11 minute read

Content Marketing
SEO

Boost Your Website’s SEO with a Content Audit

Having a content marketing strategy for your tour and activity company is one of the most useful methods for reaching your target audience and drawing searchers to your site to make a booking. In previous…

Last Updated: February 13, 2020

Intermediate

14 minute read

What Next? Measuring & Tracking SEO Success

With so many SEO goals and best practices to follow, like using Google Analytics, avoiding duplicate content, and doing keyword research, it’s normal to wonder if all your hard work is paying off. That’s why…

Last Updated: October 5, 2020

Intermediate, Advanced

13 minute read

Content Marketing
SEO

Choosing the Best Keywords for Your Business

You’ve probably seen us mention keywords quite often throughout our guides — as they’re an integral part of SEO, PPC, and more — but you might be wondering where these mythical words and phrases come…

Last Updated: September 3, 2020

All Skill Levels

Dashboard & FareHarbor
Digital Marketing
SEO
Websites

Monthly Checklist For Tour And Activity Operators

As a business owner, you already know how many different moving parts it takes to run your business smoothly and continue to offer great tours and activities to your customers. With so many tasks to…

All Skill Levels

33 minutes

Reputation Management
SEO

8 Ways to Maximize Your Google Business Profile for Sales

If you want to start targeting local customers and boost your local search visibility, it’s time to get serious about optimizing your Google Business Profile. Watch our session on setting up and maximizing your profile…

Last Updated: January 23, 2020

Beginner, Intermediate

12 minute read

SEO
Websites

Using Schema Markup To Up Your SEO Game

Schema markup, a structured data vocabulary, is a semantic vocabulary of tags or microdata you can add to your site’s HTML to tell search engines how you want them to display your pages in the…

Last Updated: September 13, 2022

Intermediate, Advanced

9 minute read

SEO
Websites

The Importance Of Making Your Website Accessible

In addition to website best practices for SEO, user experience, and online sales, accessibility is another essential component of your website. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was created in 1990 to ensure that people…

Last Updated: July 8, 2020

Intermediate

3 minutes

Reputation Management
SEO

Reputation Matters Part 2: Responding To Online Reviews

Good business owners respond to online reviews — both positive and negative. But it can be difficult to know what to say, especially if the review came from an unhappy customer. This video outlines the…

Last Updated: June 5, 2023

Intermediate, Advanced

Dashboard & FareHarbor
Digital Marketing
SEO
Websites

Annual Checklist For Tour And Activity Operators

You know how many different moving parts it takes to run your business smoothly and continue to offer great tours and activities. With so many tasks to take care of, it can be hard to…

Last Updated: October 12, 2021

All Skill Levels

11 minute read

SEO
Websites

Building On Your Link Building Outreach Strategy

Link building is a combination of creating quality content, understanding what your audience wants to see, and getting a sense of how your competitors rank for similar keywords and content. If you’ve read our guide…

Last Updated: January 19, 2021

Intermediate

4 minutes

Reputation Management
SEO

Reputation Matters Part 1: Managing Your Online Reviews

Are you making the most of your company’s online presence? Reviews and ratings can make or break a business, so promoting good reviews is essential for growth. This video covers the importance of your company’s…

Last Updated: December 13, 2019

Beginner, Intermediate

9 minute read

Business Management Tips
SEO
Websites

Why Sell Online? 5 Pros of E-Commerce

Word of mouth and referrals have always been a cornerstone of the tours and activities industry, and while they are some of the best ways to create loyalty and foster trust, they don’t have as…

Last Updated: October 12, 2021

Beginner

9 minute read

Digital Marketing
Industry Insights
SEO

How to Market Tours & Activities to Families

One of the most important aspects of marketing is determining who your target audience is and understanding their behaviors. If families make up a significant portion of your bookings and tour groups, then it’s crucial…

Last Updated: February 4, 2021

Beginner, Intermediate

12 minute read

Content Marketing
Local Strategies
SEO
Websites

A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating a Link Building Strategy

When you’ve put a lot of time and energy into search engine optimization, it can feel frustrating when your website doesn’t rank well on the search engine results page (SERP). Although it can take three…

Last Updated: February 5, 2021

Beginner

10 minute read

Local Strategies
Reputation Management
SEO

Using Local Directories to Drive Website Traffic & Improve Local SEO

If you’ve read our guide to local SEO, you know it’s important to have local citations on business directories to help your rankings on local searches. A local citation is a mention of the name,…

Last Updated: February 9, 2021

Beginner, Intermediate

10 minute read

A Beginner’s Guide to Using Google Search Console

You’re probably already familiar with Google Analytics, but as a business owner, it’s equally important to use Google Search Console, a free tool that allows you to analyze your site’s performance in the search engines…

Last Updated: March 15, 2022

Intermediate

9 minute read

Business Management Tips
Local Strategies
SEO
Websites

Optimize Your Website to Capture Last-Minute & In-Destination Bookings

Tour operators love guests who book and plan their trip well in advance, but not all travelers are planners. Last-minute and in-destination bookings are inevitable as travelers go with the flow and decide to book…

Last Updated: November 19, 2020

Beginner, Intermediate

Content Marketing
SEO
Websites

The Ultimate SEO Checklist

Search engine optimization can feel a little overwhelming even to the most seasoned website owners, but it’s important to stay on top of your site’s performance and adjust your SEO as needed. If your site…

Last Updated: June 6, 2023

All Skill Levels

Digital Marketing
Reputation Management
SEO
Websites

Google Business Profile Checklist

Google Business Profile is a vital tool to help customers find your company in search engines and ultimately book with you. Your Google Business Profile displays important information about your business including location, hours, reviews,…

Last Updated: September 4, 2020

All Skill Levels

SEO
Websites

Website UX Checklist

It’s easy to find yourself getting hung up on optimizing your website for SEO, but that doesn’t mean you should forget about user experience (UX) when designing your website. UX — how customers interact with…

Last Updated: December 3, 2020

Beginner, Advanced

Content Marketing
SEO

Checklist: 10 Steps To Writing Content That Sells

From activity pages and about us descriptions to blog posts, FAQ pages, and everything in between, the content you write for your website is one of the most important aspects of your digital marketing strategy.…

Last Updated: February 3, 2021

Beginner, Intermediate

10 minute read

SEO
Websites

Using Google Analytics Data to Maximize Opportunity

There are a lot of how-to’s on navigating Google Analytics, including what each report means and how to properly set up various filters, custom segments, referral exclusions, and just about every feature that’s available on…

Last Updated: January 19, 2021

Intermediate, Advanced

9 minute read

Reputation Management
SEO

Top Review Platforms for Tour & Activity Operators

A business’s online reputation is more important than ever. Reviews can make or break a potential customer’s decision to book with a tour operator, and responding to both positive and negative reviews across review platforms…

Last Updated: May 19, 2022

Beginner, Intermediate

56 minutes

Business Management Tips
Reputation Management
SEO

Understanding the Modern Customer Journey

Guest Webinar Series Presented by Podium Over 35,000 local businesses trust Podium to help them get found, get chosen and get connected to their consumers online. This webinar will cover: The evolving customer journey and…

Last Updated: November 2, 2021

Beginner

14 minute read

Content Marketing
Digital Marketing
SEO
Websites

13 Free & Fun SEO Tools

If you’ve been reading our SEO guides, you know there are plenty of tools out there that business owners can use to refine their SEO strategy. But especially for small businesses, paid premium tools can…

Last Updated: October 24, 2019

All Skill Levels

11 minute read

Content Marketing
SEO
Websites

Why Duplicate Content Hurts SEO And How to Avoid It

Duplicate content is just what it sounds like — content that appears on the internet in more than one place. Since that “one place” is defined as any location with a unique URL, duplicate content…

Last Updated: February 9, 2021

Intermediate

7 minutes

Content Marketing
Digital Marketing
SEO

Content Is King: Getting Started with Blogging

Search engines love websites that are frequently updated with new pages and content, and searchers do too! This video will show you how to add fresh content to your website by creating and maintaining a…

Last Updated: October 21, 2019

Beginner

6 minutes

SEO
Websites

Getting Started with SEO

With only 10 unique positions on the first page of any search engine, landing one of the top spots is essential for your website and business. If you’re new to search engine optimization (SEO), this…

Last Updated: December 16, 2020

Beginner

7 minutes

SEO
Websites

Website Optimization Fundamentals: Getting Started

Every great website is built with two goals in mind: To make the website easily discoverable on the search engine results page and To convert visitors into customers This video covers eight optimization fundamentals that…

Last Updated: November 21, 2019

Beginner, Intermediate

7 minute read

SEO
Websites

How Long Does It Take for a Site to Rank?

This is a question that every business owner with a website will ask themselves at some point. You’ve worked on making your new website the best it can be or refreshed your existing site, and…

Last Updated: March 10, 2022

Intermediate, Advanced

13 minute read

SEO
Websites

Domain Do’s and Don’ts

When it comes to your online presence and SEO, your domain name is one of the most important factors to consider. Your domain should reflect your brand, help you rank in SEO searches, and be…

Last Updated: February 14, 2020

Beginner, Intermediate

16 minute read

SEO
Websites

A Brief History of Google Algorithm Updates

If you stay on top of SEO news, you’re probably familiar with the dreaded algorithm update. But what does an algorithm update mean for your website? As Google learns more about how users interact with…

Last Updated: February 3, 2021

All Skill Levels

19 minute read

SEO
Websites

8 Elements of a Website That Ranks & Converts

Your company’s website should have two main goals: to make your business and activities discoverable in search engines and to convert visitors into customers. Optimizing your website helps you achieve these goals by giving your…

Last Updated: December 7, 2022

All Skill Levels

13 minute read

Content Marketing
Digital Marketing
SEO

Content Marketing Strategy: The Complete List of Blogging Do’s & Don’ts

Looking for an extra boost in organic traffic or hoping to create more engagement with your website? Blogging drives traffic to your site and is a fun and effective way to hook potential customers with…

Last Updated: October 12, 2020

Beginner

13 minute read

Business Management Tips
Reputation Management
SEO

Understanding the Importance of Online Reviews

Thanks to review websites like Yelp, Tripadvisor, and even Facebook business pages, a company’s online reputation can make or break a consumer’s decision to book a tour or activity. With smartphones always at our fingertips,…

Last Updated: May 23, 2024

Beginner

8 minute read

Reputation Management
SEO

Reputation Management: How to Respond to Negative Reviews

Managing your online reputation is crucial to the success of your business. One major part of this process is responding to your reviews — those that are negative and those that are positive. According to…

Last Updated: October 24, 2019

Beginner, Intermediate

16 minute read

Content Marketing
Digital Marketing
Email Marketing
Pay-Per-Click
SEO
Social Media

How Digital Marketing Can Help Grow Your Business

What is digital marketing? With the number of internet users constantly increasing, it has become even more important for small businesses to reach their target audience online. That’s where digital marketing – any marketing efforts…

Last Updated: February 9, 2021

Beginner

20 minute read

Content Marketing
SEO
Websites

8 Tips for Creating Content That Your Customers – And Google – Want!

Writing killer content is one of the most important parts of digital marketing, and it’s a great tool to rank organically in search engines and to establish you as an industry expert. Getting started with…

Last Updated: February 3, 2021

Beginner, Intermediate

21 minute read

Content Marketing
Local Strategies
SEO
Websites

Using Keywords to Improve Site Ranking

Keywords are the terms and phrases that describe the content of a page, and they’re what searchers type into search engines to find the content they’re looking for. Skillful use of keywords is one of…

Last Updated: February 4, 2021

Beginner, Intermediate

11 minute read

COVID-19 Resources
Local Strategies
SEO

The Importance of Local SEO

Local SEO is absolutely crucial for small businesses and brick-and-mortar businesses to be discovered online. In fact, according to SEO Tribunal, 97% of people learn more about local businesses online than anywhere else. This is…

Last Updated: April 13, 2023

Beginner

13 minute read

Local Strategies
SEO

Why You Need a Google Business Profile

As a business owner, your main goal related to your online presence is for customers to find you and book with your company. Google Business Profile is a vital tool for reaching that goal, helping…

Last Updated: April 20, 2021

Beginner

12 minute read

SEO
Websites

Why You Need an SSL Certificate for Your Website

No matter how big or small your company is, it’s important to have a secure website. You’ve probably read about data and website security and the rise of online fraud, from phishing breaches to data…

Last Updated: June 6, 2023

Advanced

14 minute read

Local Strategies
SEO
Websites

What Is SEO & How Can It Help My Business?

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It’s the process of improving your website so that it attracts quality traffic and enjoys prime visibility on the search engine results pages (SERPs). Most people understand SEO as…