CASE STUDY: WEBSITE AWARD

Palazzo Versace Dubai’s website (palazzoversace.ae) recently received an award by the Web Marketing Association in its annual WebAward Competition. So what made Palazzo stand out from the online crowd? ☛ In order to acquire the right target audience, it focused on the visual appeal, principally the font, colour and images, which created the ‘desire for travel’ among potential travellers. ☛ But to motivate customers required more than attractive images, so the hotel focused on functionality – how easy it was for visitors to navigate the site, view offers and make a reservation. The result is the neat, clear bar at the top of the site, above the rotating main photos. ☛ To attract a larger international audience, the hotel ensured it not only had English as a language but also served key source markets with Arabic, Chinese and Russian. ☛ Keeping mobile as a primary focus also made a big difference, as it accounted for 85 per cent of the hotel’s website traffic. Integration of social media widgets on the website have also increased the average time spent by visitors on the website. A social aggregator widget on the homepage pulls up pictures posted by our guests on Instagram and all images can also be pinned on individuals’ Pinterest boards. ☛ In order to influence conversions, the hotel carried out an effective SEO strategy that shows content to people actually looking for it. Widgets are placed at crucial stages of the ‘website journey’ like an exit tool that pops up when the visitor is considering leaving the website. ☛ The tool shows benefits such as the best rate guarantee, incentives on dining and spa treatments. Placement of phone and email icons at strategic points on the mobile version are also effective. n