A couple of weeks ago I posted about the upcoming changes announced by Google, that sites that are not seen as secure (that is, they are accessed with “HTTP” instead of “HTTPS”) will be labeled as insecure. In addition, Google has indicated that security is a ranking factor. That post provided step-by-step instructions for installing SSL (HTTPS) for your site using Cloudflare. Today Cloudflare’s blog(Cloudflare is the site I used in my instructions in that post) points out that the time for Google’s “insecure” labels is now only 25 days away.

Not surprisingly, Google made a lot of headlines with its announcements in 2017and in February of this year that, as of next month (July, 2018) their Chrome web browser would start marking sites “Not Secure”if they used HTTP instead of HTTPS. There are some good reasonsfor this, but that isn’t the purpose of this post. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to get a free HTTPS website? Keep reading!

Today on the Moz.com blog (one of my favorite sources of great information), there is an excellent post entitled, _8 Common Website Mistakes Revealed Via Content Audits._Not only is this an excellent article in its own right, it also provides great takeaways for action. Here’s the TL;DR (and yes, I have broken out a couple of points so I have 10 rather than 8 points): Be sure you think about the purpose of your page/blog post/whatever and relate it to a call to action

It’s here! It certainly was longer in coming than I had originally expected. What is it? X-Ray Analytics. Yeah, but what’s X-Ray Analytics? TL;DR: X-Ray Analytics is a password-protected web page with specific information extracted from your Google Analytics, tightly focused on providing just the most valuable information for hospitality properties an other small businesses. Available in two versions, depending on the level of detail desired. Full Description: Google Analytics is not only a huge application, but it can be confusing and intimidating for people to use, and the learning curve can be steep.

An update is long overdue around About The Inn! Fortunately, there is some news to report, as well as the promise of more to come! Presenting in Norfolk, 2018 At the upcoming AIHP 2018 SummitI am slated to present a workshop entitled, “X-Ray Analytics.” This will be on AIHP’s “Heads in Beds” track, and “An Advanced Skills Building Session”. The description of the session is: Analytics is an enormous tool, but what do you really need to get from it?

There are two things that I have noticed, time and time again, that innkeepers neglect, and both need to be reviewed at least annually, and the end/beginning of the year is the perfect time to look at them. The first is to evaluate the past year with respect to marketing efforts (using Google Analytics – or other software if you prefer), monthly performance compared to prior years, and performance of specific rooms.

If you have been tuned in to the search (Google) world, you’ll know that, for the past several months there has been a lot of talk about AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) for your web site. If you’re like me, you will have realized that AMP was something you’ll need to do, but, like most technology, it may need to “settle” a bit before you want to implement it. However, it is important to not let it get away (especially if your busy season is – or is about to be – ramping up for good weather), as it promises not only a faster (hence better, to Google) mobile user experience, but also there are indications that Google will give AMP sites priority in mobile search results.

When this blog started out, quite a few years ago, it was intended to focus primarily on marketing and evaluating reservation or booking software. With changes in the industry, and in my situation, that emphasis has shifted, but, from a high-level view, it has all been related. However, it has been some time since I’ve written specifically about booking engines, but for some historical perspective, you can find some useful information here and here.

] Among small lodging properties it has been common to refer to TripAdvisor(“TA”) as “the 600 pound gorilla.” While this term recognizes the enormous influence of the review site with prospective guests, it is not usually intended as a compliment. Instead it is meant critically, implying some measure of unfair treatment by TripAdvisor (B&B’s have historically been difficult to find on the site) and sometimes by reviewers (differences of opinion, sometimes remarkably so, can be readily seen by scanning the reviews of many properties).

One of the most popular posts on About the Inn over the years has been a post on how to add a booking form to your Facebook page. However, this has frustrated many, as it requires a bit of cut-and-paste code, and only works for some booking engines. Finally, Facebook has made a move in the right direction, adding a booking button for everyone! Our friends over at Acorn Internet Serviceshave a blog post with step-by-step instructionsand screenshots.