Newsletter : December 2003

brought to you by New Zealand Tourism Online www.tourism.net.nz

In this December Newsletter:

• NZTO Comment
• Xmas Promotion
• Xmas/New Year Hours
• December Winner
• Google's Florida Update
• How Internal Links Help Your Site

NZTO Comment

by Garry Bond, General Manager, New Zealand Tourism Online

Well it's the end of another eventful year for tourism in general. It just goes to show you that the best laid plans can falter because of events on the world stage. New Zealand however has been in the fortunate position of bouncing back quickly which I attribute to our reputation as a safe destination coupled with strong New Zealand brand marketing. Our positive outlook also can't be underestimated.

With Lord of the Rings, international sporting events and many other "winners", New Zealand has gained an unprecedented amount of international coverage which should continue well into 2004. Our ingenuity, our unspoiled country and friendly people make for a good story. Exactly what makes a country a good place to visit however is always going to vary from person to person but the many drawcards we have will ensure we continue attracting ever increasing numbers to our shores.

2004 looks set to build on 2003 and investment in new tourism ventures is likely to be a pretty good bet. We have been promised more seating capacity through the airlines and we are still bouncing back from the downturn in tourism numbers from the Asian markets. All good signs for the next 12 months.

2004 is also looking good for New Zealand Tourism Online. We have taken on additional staff and were number 22 in the Deloitte/Unlimited Fast 50 index of fastest growing companies in New Zealand for 2003. We have more plans in the coming year and recognise that we can not just sit on our success - we have to continue to build our company for the benefit of those who list with us.

With the close of 2003 I wish to thank all of the people who work at New Zealand Tourism Online. We have a very professional team. Finally a really big thank you to all of our clients for the support we have had and we look forward to continuing our promotion of your businesses through the coming year. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous (heavily booked) New Year.

Xmas Promotion

Don't forget about our Xmas promotion. Any listing purchases paid before midday on the Dec 22nd 2003 will go into the draw to win $1,000 cash. In addition, if you pay the bill within 14 days of invoice (up until Mon 22nd Dec 2003), we will enter your name into a separate draw to win one of three prizes of an extra three months online free.

Make sure you are in the draw. You could be a winner! All those who have already paid will be entered.

Xmas/New Years Hours

New Zealand Tourism Online will be closed over the Xmas and New Year period from 24th December to 5th January. Feel free to email any queries to your tourism consultant or the following:

For accounts email: admin@tourism.net.nz
For Web work email: webdesign@tourism.net.nz

December Member Shield Winner

Congratulations to Carroll Fraser from Crown View in Queenstown. Carroll placed a New Zealand Tourism Online Member Shield on their Web site, entered our free draw and won an extra 6 months membership on www.tourism.net.nz

You too can be a winner. Each month we draw a new name from the hat so if you haven't entered yet it's not too late. You just need to be a current paid member with us, place the applicable member shield on your Web site and register. The sooner you inform us that you have placed the shield on your site, the sooner we can place you in the monthly draw.

Next draw: Monday January 22nd 2003.

For more details just visit our exclusive member only business centre www.tourism.net.nz/business-centre

Here's what the two shields look like.

They are exclusive for our members and they not only look great on your Web site but help aid your search engine status by connecting with a major NZ tourism portal. To check your member status with us, visit our site and pull up your listing. If you have a gold star by your name the you can use the gold member shield. If you have a silver or bronze star by your name then use the official member shield.

Google's Florida Update

by Nick Butler, Avatar Web Promotions

Google has made a major change to the way it ranks pages in its search results.

This new algorithm kicked in with the mid-November update of its index. In much the same way that hurricanes are named, the international SEO community gives each Google update a nickname, and 'Florida' certainly hit like a hurricane.

It seems to have particularly shaken up the Google rankings on competitive commercial keyword phrases. Many sites that used to get good rankings on these phrases are now nowhere to be seen in the first few, or even few dozen pages. Their place has largely been taken by directory, portal, government and educational sites.

Many sites that were relying on Google search traffic for Christmas business will now have to consider buying traffic through Google's AdWords program, leading to speculation that the new algorithm was simply a money-making device.

Our initial analysis suggests that the new algorithm:

• Currently only applies to certain search terms
• Emphasises "off the page factors" (essentially links)
• Favours sites that might be considered authoritative, expert or impartial
• Uses stemming (the grouping together of words with the same stem, such as run, runs, running, runner)

The practical effect of this change is to reinforce the importance of link building and obtaining listings in relevant directories.

Google's algorithm will continue to change but we predict that this most recent, radical change will become bedded in, with some adjustments.

The New Google is showing some dubious results, with seemingly random and irrelevant results scattered amongst relevant but less than helpful directory results. A search on 'Christmas' brings up librarian Marylaine Block's site, apparently on the strength of poem called A Cat's Christmas, while a search on 'shelving', for example, brings up one shelving company, six shopping sites, and two barely relevant pages from University sites. It could be argued that if searchers wanted a directory or a portal they would have gone to one in the first place.

One of the good points of note however is that New Zealand Tourism Online has not been affected and is considered a major tourism portal and directory for New Zealand. This is good for all of listings and Web sites connected to us.

How Internal Links Help Your Web Site

by Nick Butler, Avatar Web Promotions

It's important to have other sites link to your Web pages, both as a direct way of attracting visitors and as a way of getting your site noticed by the search engines. As well as these external links, internal links (links from one page on your site to another page on your site) are also important.

A good internal link structure helps in two ways. It makes your site easier for your visitors to use and it can help your search engine rankings.

Using Links to Make Life Easier for Your Users

Here are some guidelines:

• All pages should link to the home page and the main section pages
• All pages in a section should link to all the other pages in the section
• If you have a large site you might want to use a breadcrumb trail, a kind of text map of the pathway to the current page. The "Home > Attractions > Adventure > Bungy Jumping" text on the New Zealand Tourism Online bungy jumping page is an example of a breadcrumb trail.
• Link text should describe what the user will find when he or she gets there. "Click here" may be fine in context, but how will it look in a list of links?

Using Links to Leverage Your Search Engine Rankings

Many search engines view a link to a page a bit like a vote for that page, and therefore reward pages that have many backward links (links into the page) with higher rankings.

As a general rule it makes sense for your own pages to vote for each other. In particular it's a good idea for you to have plenty of links into pages that have the kind of quality content that search engines are looking for. Links from the default home page of your domain carry particular weight with the search engines.

NB. Many search engines (and some older browsers) can only follow text links. If your site has Flash animation or Java script menus then make sure it uses text links as well.

We welcome any feedback or contributions for our next newsletter - just email our team web@tourism.net.nz

Regards,

The Team
Ph. 0800 14 65 47
https://www.tourism.net.nz
New Zealand Tourism Online Limited
Head Office: 208 Cashel Street, Christchurch