When SEO Isn't Enough

I just have to share this story with you....

I got a call from someone looking for SEO (search engine optimization) help for their hotel. All the guy left me was the name of the hotel and his phone number.

I followed up on Monday but the message on his phone number (cell?) was that the mailbox was full and I should call back later.

I called on Tuesday and received the same message. I Googled the name of the hotel and found the site. Buried down at the bottom of the pages was their non-toll-free number. I called.

It rang...and rang...and rang. I hung up. I redialed, thinking I had the wrong number. It rang...and rang...and rang. This is the MAIN NUMBER to call the hotel and make a reservation.

Not wanting the guy to think I dropped the ball I went to their contact page...except there wasn't one. I did find a group sales page and completed it. After I hit send I got an error message that the script wasn't found (and thus the message wasn't sent.)

If this guy's wondering why no one's staying in his hotel, I don't think SEO is where he should start. Getting a working Web site and hiring someone at the front desk to pick up the phone would be a good start.

If you drive millions of eyeballs to your site, but you don't have the tools to convert that traffic into business, what's the point of spending all that money?

Rich Brooks
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