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How to Choose a Directory: Beginner’s Advice
Trent Blizzard, Blizzard Internet Marketing, Inc.

One of the most common questions we get at Blizzard is "what are the best lodging directories to join?"  This question was raised several times by newsletter survey participants as well.
Two issues that typically come up before selecting resources to be listed in:

*What is your budget?  Some properties spend a few hundred dollars per year, while others spend thousands per month.

*Do you have tracking software?  Basing decisions on actual results is always easier.

When we evaluate directories, we consider the following:

*Cost.  The results you receive from any given resource have a value relative to the cost.  The more you pay for a directory listing, the higher your standards should be, and the better the results should be. 

*Traffic.  The traffic sent to your website is the most tangible piece of evidence available to innkeepers and property managers.  There are many factors other than the number of clicks that should also be factored. 

*Actual Bookings.  Measuring actual bookings is the ultimate method of determining worth.  We use the ROI version of BlizzardTracker — keeping in mind it doesn’t track phone calls.
 
*Visitor Quality.  Some websites send large numbers of low-quality visitors (a good web-tracker can help you determine this).  Generally speaking, quality is best from the larger, more established players who provide detailed listings of each property.
 
*Listing Quality.  We prefer to see listings with photo(s), details, text, links, etc.  We want listings to be visually pleasing, including other listings in the directory - this shows that the directory is comprised of quality listings.

*Nicheness.  OK, so, we made that word up.  The more specific a website, the higher quality the visitors.  Websites about your town or specific niches (pets, skiing, etc) can outperform all others.  Sites like www.vrbo.com (Vacation Rental by Owner) and www.bedandbreakfast.com will outperform more generic ones.

*Actual directory SEO rankings.  Where does the directory fall in search results?  To get a good feel for the directory, make sure that you search using for a sizeable number of keywords specifically related to your property and location, in more than one major search engine.

*Technical measurements.  A high Google PageRank, Alexa Ranking, Backward Link Popularity, Site Saturation, and age of the website are good indicators.  

The process of selecting the "best" directories to be listed in is going to include a fair degree of trial and error.  The guidelines, above, will help to simplify your search.  As mentioned, making decision about listings based upon actual statistics is the best way to see what works and what doesn’t.  Sometimes, this can mean that a directory that showed every sign of promise upon initial research turns out to be a dud for your website by the time you need to renew the listing.  Use your website tracking statistics to fine tune your online marketing efforts over time.

Here are two specific resources that are worth visiting for B&B directory information. 

*Innstar: Offers reviews of B&B guides from a users perspective.  It lists the following as five-stars: www.bedandbreakfast.com, www.bnbfinder.com, www.bbonline.com, www.theinnkeeper.com, www.bnbstar.com, and has 20 more four-star directories detailed on its website.

*INNtelligent reviews B&B guides from an innkeeper’s perspective, in an attempt to determine what offers the best bang-for-the-buck.  Their  Editor’s Choice Award for excellence in performance includes www.bbonline.com, www.bedandbreakfast.com, www.bbexplorer.com,  www.lanierbb.com, www.ibbp.com, www.bnblist.com, www.virtualcities.com, www.bnbfinder.com, www.iloveinns.com, and www.innsite.com.

Additionally, Blizzard maintains a public list of directories, in alphabetical order, at http://resources.blizzardinternet.com/inn/lodgingdirectories.htm.  A password-protected version for Blizzard customers provides more details and lists the directories in order of importance.  If you are a current promotion customer and you need the password to view the list, please e-mail promotion@blizzardinternet.com.

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Categories: Travel Marketing.
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