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WTM: Rich content ‘more cost-effective than PPC’

Rich content is now one of the most important techniques for driving consumers to websites from natural search results. Speaking at the ‘Connect to Content’ session at World Travel Market, Frommer’s Unlimited general manager Joel Brandon-Bravo said natural search had become the biggest battleground for travel companies. He also estimated that website content requires about…

Rich content is now one of the most important techniques for driving consumers to websites from natural search results.


Speaking at the ‘Connect to Content’ session at World Travel Market, Frommer’s Unlimited general manager Joel Brandon-Bravo said natural search had become the biggest battleground for travel companies.


He also estimated that website content requires about half the investment of cost-per-click advertising.


Frommer’s conducted research among eight of its clients to reveal the content costs about 17p per visitor. This compares to the average cost-per-click in travel search of 33p according to US figures from Efficient Frontier released in the summer.


Market figures show 70% of people click on natural search results.


To get to the 17p cost per visitor, Frommer’s divided the total investment in content against the number of unique visitors brought to a client’s website from natural search. The sample of eight clients included online travel companies, hotel sites and airlines and looked at a mix of syndicated content, custom content as well as a blend of the two.


Brandon-Bravo also talked about the importance of integrating content properly within websites.


“Investing in content is a bit like buying a gym membership, you have to use it. It’s about integrating that content with your products and really making it work. If a customer has to do more than a couple of clicks they are just going to go away.”


Recent research carried out by Frommer’s shows travel companies plan to increase their online marketing budgets next year with social media, search engine optimisation and online content – the three hot areas for investment. 


More than three quarters of respondents also said the cost per visitor across their online marketing mix was under US$5.