If you have a restaurant and you're reading this article, you probably have a presence on TripAdvisor or at least want one. What's certain is that there are a few key steps to make your business stand out on the largest travel website in the world*. Take note of the following ways to succeed on this platform, and put getting clients to the ultimate test.
First: request or register your profile
Have you checked whether your business has a page on TripAdvisor? Sometimes clients create pages for restaurants by uploading images or posting their reviews. The first step is to access the management center (https://www.tripadvisor.es/Owners), type in the restaurant's name, and request the profile if one already exists, or register a new page if one does not. To protect ownership, you'll be asked for your credit card information, but this is only to verify your identity, as creating a profile is completely free.
Now you can get started!
Update your profile
From your computer, or from the iOS orAndroid app, you can edit all of your restaurant's visible information: name, contact information, location, photos, business hours, kitchen hours, prices, etc. by accessing the management center (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Owners).
What happens if the restaurant changes owner? You can also change the owner of the account, including deleting photos and reviews from previous management, in order to start getting clients from scratch. To do this, you'll need to provide official proof of the change in ownership and complete some other steps. If this is your situation, you can access TripAdvisor's Help Center.
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Increase your popularity on your TripAdvisor's ranking
The popularity ranking uses an algorithm that takes into account these variables:
Dates, quality, and quantity of comments the restaurant receives.The more recent positive comments, the better!
This means that correctly managing comments is very important!
Although replying to comments is not mandatory, and the quality of replies does not affect the algorithms, doing so creates a very positive impression for all users, which makes getting clients easier and thus increases the ranking.
Click here for a free template with the best responses to your clients' reviews
Creating authenticity and confidence
TripAdvisor carefully reviews comments before they are published to ensure that they meet certain standards and to verify their truthfulness. If the system detects something suspicious, it automatically alerts a team of specialists, who determine whether or not the comment follows the standards and avoids fraud.
That means you can be sure that the reviews your business receives are authentic!
Watch the video: “An opinion travels through TripAdvisor”
TripAdvisor also has policies and procedures to help owners deal with potential "extortion" from users. Some users may threaten to write negative comments unless they receive some kind of benefit. Report these cases using the management center (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Owners) to receive help from TripAdvisor's staff.
Want to delete a comment you've received? Although it's unusual, there are some cases where this is necessary, whether it's because the user has left a comment meant for a different restaurant, or because the comment was maliciously written by a competitor, etc. In any case, TripAdvisor's team of editors will make an evaluation and subsequently delete the comment.
In fact, it is important to remember that the following behaviors are penalized by TripAdvisor:
- For the owner to write positive comments about the restaurant or to ask family or friends to do so to increase its ranking.
- For the restaurant to offer discounts, incentives, or special treatment in exchange for positive reviews.
- Contracting third parties to publish false comments.
Of course, you can invite clients to publish comments on TripAdvisor, using the “Express Opinion” tool, for example, or on social media. That's what it's all about! But no business may force participation, or it will be penalized. This is to guarantee that the reviews are truly useful to users and that the restaurants' profiles have equal opportunity to compete.
More tools for getting clients.
In addition to authentic comments, TripAdvisor also offers other means of getting clients
-Stickers promoting the restaurant's presence on TripAdvisor.
-Business cards with the restaurant's TripAdvisor profile information.
-Certificates of Excellency to be displayed at your place of business and on your online profile.
Access these fantastic tools in the management center (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Owners) under "Free Tools".
There is one more tool that TripAdvisor automatically adds when a restaurant registers.
The online reservation button!
On TripAdvisor, TheFork's technology is used in the reservation system available to all restaurants with a presence on the website. It's an amazing advantage, since it allows users to make reservations directly, without leaving the platform. Have you tried it yet? Surely you have!
Now, if you already have a profile on TripAdvisor, and you're generating quality comments and benefiting from the reservations button and promotional tools, we invite you to the next level: Try TripAdvisor Premium, where you'll have access to more features that will make getting clients for you business easier.
Don't be left behind!
To learn more about managing your profile on TripAdvisor, visit the FAQ page.
*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, October 2017.
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