I'm on social media, do I even need a travel agency website?

There are so many places where your travel business can show up online. 

Between social media, networking, email, host agency pages, Travel Leader profiles, and everything else out there, it makes sense to wonder if websites even matter anymore.

Especially when you’re trying to decide where to spend your time and money.

The short answer is “it depends”.

The longer answer is “yes, in most circumstances” but there are variables.

Not every advisor needs the same type of travel website.

And your first website probably shouldn’t be your forever website.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I may get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

Travel agency websites can’t work magic

Some advisors build their website and wait. 

And wait.

And wait some more.

Six months or a year later, they think “Nope, not doing this…a website doesn’t work for me” because they don’t get anything from it.

Websites don’t automatically create clients.

People still need ways to get there.

Social media, referrals, networking, emails, and blogs can all lead people to your site.

But they have to come from somewhere.

Ok, but why do I need one?

No one has to have a website. 

Some advisors totally build their business on social media.

If it works for them, that’s great.

But I don’t think building a business almost 100% on rented space is ever a good idea, especially in the travel industry.

Don’t forget, no one has a “right” to be on social media. Platforms can disappear, your account can be hijacked, or something goes wrong and you’re totally locked out.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be on social media. 

By all means, spend time building your facebook group, putting up reels, and doing those things that show up in people’s news feeds.

But when you’re building your travel business, it’s always best for the main part of it to live somewhere you own and control.

And remember, potential clients need someplace to land besides social media.

If you think every potential client is going to be comfortable reaching out via DM when you’re only marketing on social media…think again.

Here’s another way to look at it.

If a potential client meets you at a networking event, sees you on social media, or gets referred by a friend, a lot of them are going to look you up before reaching out.

Travel isn’t a $19 Etsy purchase or eating out at a local restaurant.

You’re asking someone to trust you with thousands, and sometimes tens of thousands, of dollars.

People tend to do some homework before making that kind of decision.

If you want someone to hire you, show them you run a professional business.

Take a look at your existing site if you have one.

Would you trust it if you were considering spending several thousand dollars? What about tens of thousands?

Who's it for?

Think about who you’re trying to reach. 

Are you doing it in a way that resonates with them?

Remember, you’re the travel expert. 

If you’re mainly focused on vacation packages, luxury, cruises, or adventure travel instead of what you bring to the table, what reason do they have to hire you? 

Having an actual website gives you another layer of credibility. This doesn’t mean a Linktree or individual landing page. 

Granted, for some types of clients, it’s not as relevant to have an actual site. 

But the reality is, it’s still pretty important to a lot of them.

It should be clear that it makes things easier for them to hire you to plan that luxury vacation, river cruise, safari, or romantic getaway. 

More importantly, that hiring you can give them an absolutely exceptional travel experience.

If you wouldn’t hire someone to provide a premium service without having a clear, good online presence, why do you expect someone to hire you? 

Not sure who you're actually selling to? Learn more about ideal clients here.

Everyone doesn’t need the same thing

Just think for a minute.

Where do your current clients come from?

More importantly, where do you want your clients to come from?

If you want your clients to come mainly from social media, it makes sense to focus a lot of your effort there.

If you want clients to find you in other ways, don’t spend all your time focusing on social media. 

Unless you’re going all-in on only social media, it’s important to have a good, clear website that says what you do and who you do it for.

If you want clients to find you organically, meaning through search engines (SEO) and AI-generated answers (AEO), then you need to put in the time and effort for that to pay off.

That means investing the time and energy into updating and adding content that focuses on a destination, an experience, or why someone would hire you as their travel advisor. Don’t just let your site sit stagnant.

You’re in charge of your business.

Think about where you want clients to come from, and spend the time to get good at it. 

Maybe that means having a website. Maybe it doesn’t.

The decision is up to you and how you want to run your business.

If you aren’t sure where travel clients come from, check out this post.

I want a site but I don’t want to spend a ton of money

Fair enough, and you don’t have to.

Yes, there are tons of website designers out there who can build you a fantastic website. We know…one of our services is building sites specifically for travel advisors.

But it’s not a cheap proposition. No matter who you use for website design, having a premium site built for you that works well is going to come at a premium price.

It’s a good option, but it’s not your only option.

You can start by purchasing a domain name. One connected to your email address is always best. 

Google Workspace can be a great option, but there are other ones out there too.

Then comes the site itself.

Going the DIY route is usually the least expensive in terms of money, but can be the most expensive in terms of time.

(Yes, you can hire someone on Fiverr or elsewhere, but buyer beware. Maybe you'll get lucky and get a great site...but more times than not, it doesn't turn out like you want.)

You don't have to start from scratch to build your site. There are templates available for Wix or Squarespace that let you customize without building it all. 

Yes, it’ll take some work, especially if you’ve never done it before. But it is possible to do.

You’ll need to connect your domain name and your website before your site goes live. The steps to do this will vary, depending on where you’ve built your site.

You can also look at options like Travefy, Google, or even Canva. 

Just remember that not all options are created equal.

Think about how you want people to get to your site before you decide where you want it built.

If you want people to find it through Google or other search engines, where it's built is really important.

Wix and Squarespace are good for organic search, but you’ll need to spend the time and energy to keep your site up-to-date and add to it regularly (ideally through a blog).

If you’re going to push people to your site from social media, email, or networking, where it's built becomes far less important. 

Just don’t switch your strategy later on.

Don't assume you can optimize a Canva or Travefy site to perform really well with organic search.

There are things that can be done to make it more searchable, but it’ll never do as well as one built on a platform like Wix or Squarespace.

If you think you'll want it to be searchable in the future and don't want to build an entirely new site, it's best to use Wix or Squarespace. Build a simple site now with plans to expand it later.

Where do I start?

Think about how a potential client is actually going to end up on your site in the first place.

If you aren’t sure, you can start with a low-cost site. It can be DIY or on a platform like Travefy. (Just remember, you may need a new site if you truly want to optimize searchability later on.)

After someone gets to your site, what do you want them to do next?

Should they book a call? Join your email list? Learn more about a destination or type of travel you have expertise in?

A low-cost option is great if you’re more focused on collecting email addresses or booking a call and you're pushing people to it. 

Just don’t forget that people don’t usually hear about you once and immediately schedule a call. Having a lower-pressure way to get to know you (like joining your email list or facebook group) is a good thing.

But if you want to show your expertise, and have potential clients find it organically through search, it’s worth investing in your business and having a great website that plays well with search engines.

In today’s world, people don’t need a travel agent to book a trip.

They need time to get to know you and build trust. As you build the relationship, you can show why it benefits them to hire you.

Remember, your first site shouldn’t be your forever site.

Your second or third website may not be your forever site either!

Your business will change over time. Your website likely will too.

The bottom line: It’s your travel company

How you want your site to integrate with the rest of your marketing is 100% up to you.

There’s a lot of advice out there. 

It’s anything from you have to have a website to you never need a website. It’s the same with email lists, social media, or just about anything else.

The business you’re building is yours.

A website can be a fantastic tool to help you along the way. 

It doesn’t have to be huge or cost thousands of dollars. And it doesn’t need to be perfect the first time around.

But it needs to work together with the rest of your marketing.

It should make sense for how you want to build your travel company.

Start with something professional. You can build from there as your business grows.

If you’re ready to read more, check out our latest blog posts.