Building a travel website involves more than just presenting attractive destinations; it requires creating a platform that is informative, user-friendly, and engaging. As travel enthusiasts increasingly turn to online resources for planning their adventures, the importance of developing a comprehensive and accessible website cannot be overstated.
From selecting the right tools to incorporating essential features such as booking systems and travel guides, the process demands careful consideration and strategic planning.
What is a Travel Website?
A travel website serves as a comprehensive online platform designed to assist individuals in planning and booking various aspects of their trips.
These websites typically offer a range of functionalities, including flight, hotel, and car rental bookings, alongside user-generated reviews and detailed travel guides for destinations worldwide.
Beyond mere booking services, travel websites often feature interactive maps, itinerary planners, and tools for comparing prices across different service providers.
By aggregating and organizing this information, travel websites simplify the process of travel planning, making them invaluable resources for both seasoned and novice travelers seeking convenient and efficient ways to explore the world.
What Should a Travel Website Include?
The Basic
1. A Homepage
The homepage is the main page of a website, and it serves as an entry point to the site’s content. For this reason, it’s one of the most important pages on your website.
Since it’s the first page your visitors will see and as it sets the tone for the rest of your site, it’s prudent to consider its design, your branding, and how it will be represented, including colors, fonts, logos, and taglines.
With a well-designed homepage, you can create a positive first impression and encourage visitors to explore your website further.
A homepage usually contains the following elements:
- A site navigation menu with links to important sections and pages that will allow users to easily navigate your website.
- Call-to-action buttons (CTAs) that will be clearly visible, with a clear call-to-action text that will encourage users to click on it and perform the desired action, like, for example, signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase.
- Many homepages contain a hero section to immediately catch the user’s attention and nudge them towards performing a certain action.
Note: Common Ninja has a wide selection of call-to-action buttons that you can easily add to your website.
2. An About Us Page
Another important page to have on your website is the “About Us” page. This page is crucial to establishing credibility and building trust.
The about us page often contains information about the organization, its mission, its history, and the people behind it, enabling users to establish a connection with the company and learn more about the organization and its values.
Note: Common Ninja has a great selection of widgets that can enhance your “About Us” page.
3. A Contacts Page
A “Contacts” (or a “Contact Us” page) is another, very important page to have on your website. It provides visitors with a way to get in touch with the website's owners or administrators. Typically, it will include contact information about the business (like a contact email address, phone number, and physical address), as well as a contact form that a visitor can fill out and send to contact the website’s owners.
This page helps to further build trust, improve user experience, and enable other businesses to contact the website owners regarding open new business opportunities.
Note: Common Ninja can improve how users contact you via a free and easily customizable Contact form.
4. A Header & Footer
Headers and footers have become an integral part of website design, and anyone building a website should add them to their website.
Having a header and a footer on your website will improve navigation, create a consistent look, support your branding, provide important information, and improve conversion with CTAs.
The header typically includes branding elements (like the colors, logo, company name, etc.), and navigational menus (to other pages, login options, etc).
The footer will also include branding elements, as well as links to other pages, but its design enables adding more links, CTAs, and other information, in an organized and aesthetically pleasing manner.
The Advanced
While the above elements are true for all websites, a Travel website requires a few more elements.
Destination Guides
Destination guides are essential for providing detailed information about various travel locations, including attractions, local customs, and practical tips.
They help travelers make informed decisions about where to go and what to see, enhancing the user experience by making planning easier and more enjoyable.
These guides often serve as a primary resource for visitors to explore options and build their itineraries.
Booking Engine
A booking engine is a critical component of any travel website, allowing users to easily reserve flights, hotels, and car rentals directly through the site.
This tool is vital for converting visitors into customers by providing a seamless, secure, and efficient booking process. It simplifies the reservation experience and often integrates additional features like price comparisons and customizable travel packages.
User Reviews and Ratings
User reviews and ratings offer firsthand insights from fellow travelers, which can significantly influence the booking decisions of potential customers.
This feature builds trust and credibility, providing an authentic look at experiences with accommodations, attractions, and services. Reviews and ratings also help businesses improve their offerings by receiving direct feedback from users.
Note: Common Ninja has numerous review widgets for different platforms that you can easily add to your website, customize and proudly display your positive reviews.
Travel Blog or Articles
A travel blog or articles section enriches a travel website by offering engaging content such as travel tips, destination highlights, and cultural insights.
This not only helps in SEO by driving organic traffic but also positions the website as a knowledgeable and reliable source in the travel industry. Regularly updated content can keep users returning to the site, helping to build a loyal audience.
Special Offers and Deals
Special offers and deals are a great way to attract and retain customers, providing them with compelling reasons to book through your website.
By highlighting discounts and exclusive packages, this page can significantly enhance the appeal of booking a trip, leading to increased sales and customer satisfaction. It's also an effective way to differentiate from competitors.
Note: Common Ninja has a wide selection of widgets that can help you showcase and highlight your sales, like the Countdown Widget, the Notification Bar, our Popups, and many more!
FAQs and Support Section
An FAQs and Support section is crucial for addressing common customer questions and concerns quickly and efficiently.
This part of the website enhances user experience by providing easy access to important information, such as booking policies, cancellation procedures, and tips for travel preparation.
A robust support section can reduce customer service calls and improve overall satisfaction.
Note: Common Ninja has a great, versatile FAQ widget that you can easily customze and add to your website.
Interactive Maps
Interactive maps are an invaluable tool on a travel website, offering users a visual and interactive way to explore destinations, find accommodations, and plan travel routes.
These maps can enhance the planning process by providing contextual information that static maps cannot, such as distances between attractions, available services, and geographical features.
Note: Common Ninja has the Image Hotspot widget, which is ideal for creating interactive images and maps!
Multimedia Gallery
A multimedia gallery enhances a travel website by showcasing destinations through high-quality images and videos.
This visual representation can captivate and inspire users, giving them a glimpse of what to expect and encouraging them to explore further. A well-curated gallery can significantly enhance the attractiveness of the site, making it more engaging and visually appealing.
Note: Common Ninja has a wide variety of image and video-related gallery widgets that you can add to your website.
How To Create a Travel Website?
Step 1: Choose Your Website Builder
There are lots of available website-building platforms today. How many you ask? Well, there are well over 200 website and e-commerce builders.
Clearly, not all are on the same level or for the same purpose, but the sheer amount is both fascinating and scary. Fascinating because it means that there’s a lot to choose from, and scary because there’s too much to choose from.
Luckily, there are around 20 that truly stand out in terms of the features they offer, how easy it is to use them, and their prices. We have a great article about the best website builders out there that you should definitely take a look at.
Great Website Builders for a Travel Website
While the above gives you a broad overview of website building, here are some website builders that could be great for building a Travel website:
Wix
Wix is a user-friendly website builder that is particularly well-suited for travel websites due to its visually appealing templates and extensive customization options. It offers a drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy to design professional-looking sites without any coding.
Wix supports features like online booking systems, multimedia galleries for showcasing destinations, and integration with various marketing tools, all of which are essential for travel agencies and bloggers aiming to attract and engage visitors.
WordPress
WordPress is highly favored for building travel websites because of its robust content management capabilities and extensive range of plugins specifically designed for travel-related needs.
With plugins for SEO, social media integration, booking systems, and customizable themes, WordPress allows for deep customization, making it ideal for travel bloggers, tour operators, and agencies who need a scalable and flexible web presence.
VacationLabs
VacationLabs offers a specialized website builder for travel and tour operators, featuring tools tailored for managing bookings, payments, and itineraries all in one platform.
This makes it an excellent choice for travel businesses looking to streamline their operations and provide a seamless booking experience for customers. VacationLabs also provides marketing tools to help increase visibility and drive conversions.
uCraft
uCraft is a simple yet effective website builder that provides essential features needed for creating a compelling travel website, such as responsive design templates, SEO tools, and a logo maker.
It is particularly useful for travel bloggers and small agencies looking for an easy setup with professional results. uCraft’s emphasis on design and media tools allows users to create visually stunning websites that can captivate and engage travelers.
Webflow
Webflow stands out as a website builder that combines the aesthetics of sophisticated design with the functionality of a CMS. It is perfect for travel websites that require a high level of design customization and interactive elements.
Webflow's ability to handle animations and responsive designs makes it possible to create unique, engaging sites that are also mobile-friendly, a crucial factor for reaching today's travelers who often use mobile devices to research and book their travels.
Choose a Hosting Plan (Optional)
Depending on what website builder you chose, you may have to get a hosting plan separately. We have a great guide on the top 10 hosting providers available on the market. Mind you that many of these offer the option to get a domain name, too.
Choose a Domain Name (Optional)
Depending on what website builder you choose, and on what hosting plan you choose, you may have to get a domain name separately.
Step 2: Start Designing Your Website
Choose a Template (Optional)
Some website builders offer pre-made templates that you can choose from for specific website types. This is a great way to save time on design.
Choose Color Schemes
Color schemes are super important in website design and branding. They're not just for show—colors can really affect how we feel and react. If a brand chooses the right colors, it can guide our eyes where they want, make us feel a certain way, and even get us to take action.
This is where color theory comes in. It's basically the science of how colors work together and how they make us feel. For instance, blue usually makes us feel calm and trustful, red stirs up energy and passion, and green symbolizes growth. So, when a brand chooses colors that match its vibe and the feelings it wants to evoke, it can really boost its recognition and trust with customers. Super cool, right?
Choose Fonts
Font pairing is like the secret sauce in website design and branding. Just like colors, the fonts you choose can really set the mood and deliver your brand message. You've got to think about the vibes different fonts give off. A fancy script might feel elegant, while a bold, all-caps font can scream confidence and power.
The trick is in finding fonts that complement each other without clashing or looking too similar. That's why we do font pairing. You want your headline font to grab attention, but it needs to work well with your body text font, which should be easy to read. So, for instance, you might pair a decorative font for your headers with a simple, clean one for the body text. Get it right, and you're on your way to a website that looks super professional and keeps your visitors reading. It's a bit like a good music duo—each part's got to be good on its own, but together they create a whole new level of awesome!
Add a Hero Image
The hero section of a website is like the opening scene of a movie—it sets the stage and grabs your attention. It's that first big chunk you see when you land on a website, often with a big image, a catchy headline, and a call to action. It's there to quickly show you what the site or the brand is all about and, hopefully, make you want to stick around.
Choosing the right elements for your hero section is key. A stunning image or background can draw people in, while a powerful headline can spark interest. Then there's the call to action, which could be a button or a link, nudging you to do something—like shop now, sign up, or learn more. So, think of the hero section like your website's elevator pitch. It's got to be punchy, engaging, and super clear about what's on offer. If it's done right, it's like a friendly welcome mat that invites visitors to come in and explore more.
Add CTAs
Calls to Action (CTAs) on a website are like your friendly tour guides. They tell you where to go next and what to do. You'll often find them as buttons or links with words like "Buy Now", "Sign Up", "Learn More"—you get the idea. They're super important because they help guide your visitors and encourage them to take the actions you want them to.
But here's the thing: all CTAs are not created equal. A good CTA is clear, concise, and compelling—it tells you exactly what you'll get and why you should click on it. And where you place them can make a big difference, too. You want to position your CTAs where they'll be noticed, like in your hero section, at the end of a blog post, or even in a pop-up. So, think of CTAs as your website's friendly nudges, steering your visitors in the right direction and getting them to engage, interact, and hopefully, become customers. It's like having a good salesperson right there on the page.
Step 3: Publish The Website
When you are done setting up and designing your website, publish it. And that’s it.
How To Enhance Your Travel Website?
Enhance Your Website With Powerful Widgets
While many of the website builders we recommended are great for building your Travel website, they are somewhat limited in the features and tools they offer, and, in a competitive world, every additional feature that you can add to your website can be a game changer.
That’s where Common Ninja comes in to save the day.
Common Ninja offers an extensive, ever-growing collection of professional and reliable widgets that will help you save time and money and improve your website beyond what your current website-building platform offers.
Common Ninja’s widgets are free, fully customizable, perfectly responsive, and easy to use (just check our YouTube guides), so be sure to check them out, and greatly improve your website.
Common Ninja — The Only Collection of Widgets You’ll Ever Need
Content
Content is an important part of any website, no matter what niche it’s in. Content can include anything from text, images, videos, and other media that informs, educates, or entertains the audience, and we highly recommend that you add good content to your website.
It is crucial for several reasons:
- It provides value to visitors — good content, can provide value to users, whether these are guides, service or product comparisons, tips, tricks, or other equally helpful content.
- It builds trust and credibility — by creating good, well-written, and well-researched content, you can increase trust in your brand and improve its credibility.
- It improves SEO: Search engines like Google prioritize websites with high-quality, relevant content, so by creating content that includes relevant keywords and provides value to your audience, you can improve your website’s search engine rankings and drive more traffic to your website.
- It drives conversions — well-written content that addresses pain points, with strategically placed CTAs can drive conversions, such as sign-ups, purchases, or inquiries, up.
- It establishes your brand’s voice and identity — the content on your website is an opportunity to establish your brand’s voice and identity. Consistent and high-quality content can help your brand stand out and create a memorable impression on your audience.
Optimization
Optimizing a website is essential for improving its visibility on search engines, increasing traffic, and improving the user experience. Here are some effective ways to optimize your website:
- Remove unnecessary distractions
- Improve page speed
- Optimize for mobile
- Optimize forms
- Write good copy
- Write good CTAs
- Define and communicate your value proposition
- Localize content
Promotion
Promoting a website is essential for increasing its visibility and driving traffic to it.
It requires time & effort, and here are some ways that can help you promote your website:
- Social Media: Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram are great for promoting your website, building a following, and driving traffic to it.
- Email marketing: Building an email list is an effective way to promote your website, reach your audience directly, and keep them updated on your latest content or products.
- Paid advertising: Paid advertising through platforms like Google Ads or social media ads can help you reach a larger audience and drive targeted traffic to your website.
- Collaboration: Collaborating with other websites in your niche can help you gain exposure, drive traffic to your site and improve your SEO via backlinking.
- Incentives: Offering incentives like discounts, free trials, or giveaways can attract new users to your website and encourage them to share it with others.
Conclusion
Creating a successful travel website is an intricate process that combines aesthetics, functionality, and comprehensive content to meet the needs of modern travelers.
By effectively integrating these elements, developers can ensure that their site not only attracts visitors but also provides them with the resources and tools necessary for planning memorable journeys.
With the right approach, a travel website can become a go-to hub for adventurers and explorers, offering everything they need to embark on their next great adventure.
