Social Media

TripAdvisor: How to Claim and Promote Your Listing

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by Web Marketing Today. Practical Ecommerce acquired Web Marketing Today in 2012. In 2016, we merged the two sites, leaving Practical Ecommerce as the successor.

With more than 315 million monthly users, TripAdvisor is the leading consumer rating and review site for the travel industry.

TripAdvisor allows hotels, restaurants, attractions, and vacation rentals to claim and manage their listing, which creates opportunities for consumer engagement and business promotion.

TripAdvisor is the leading travel industry consumer rating and review site.

TripAdvisor is the leading travel industry consumer rating and review site.

In this article, I outline the steps involved in claiming your business listing and share some of the features TripAdvisor offers to manage and promote your presence on the site.

How to Claim Your TripAdvisor Business Listing

  • Go to the business owners page. You must be an official representative of the property, service, or company. You will see four options: Hotel/Accommodation, Vacation Rental, Restaurant, and Attraction. Click on the one that best describes your business. (For the purposes of this article, I chose “Accommodations.”)
Go to the business owners page to claim your listing.

Go to the business owners page to claim your listing.

  • Enter your business name and city, and then click “Search.” A drop-down menu will appear if your business is listed in the directory. (If your business is not listed, go to the new listing page and follow the prompts.)
  • Register your listing. You can choose to register your business or continue the process without registering. Click “Register for this business,” which is the only way you can manage your listing. Registration is free.
Register your business to access the management center console.

Register your business to access the management center console.

  • Sign in using Facebook or Google+. Alternatively, you can complete a registration form. If you are already a TripAdvisor member, sign in using your current credentials.
Sign in using Facebook, Google+, or register using the form.

Sign in using Facebook, Google+, or register using the form.

  • Complete the registration form. This step connects your TripAdvisor account to the business listing.
Complete the registration form.

Complete the form to link your account to the business listing.

  • Verify your business. For security, TripAdvisor requires that you verify your identity using one of three ways: Facebook profile (recommended), credit card details, or documentation sent via email or fax.
TripAdvisor requires you to verify your property.

TripAdvisor requires you to verify your identity.

Proving your identity completes the registration process and gives you access to your listing’s administrative console, which TripAdvisor calls the Business Management Center.

TripAdvisor Business Management Center

The Business Management Center is where you administer your business listing. When logged in, you will see a “your Business” link at the top of each page. Clicking the link takes you to the Management Center home page.

If you have registered more than one property, the link will show a drop-down menu from which you can select the property’s Management Center you wish to visit.

Manage your listing via the Business Management Center.

Manage your listing via the Business Management Center.

The two most important features of the Management Center are “Manage Your TripAdvisor Page” and “Manage Your Reviews.”

Manage your TripAdvisor page. Here, you can add or update photos and videos, edit your business description and amenities, and track review performance.

TripAdvisor says listings that include photos are more likely to receive attention from users. Also, having the correct address and phone number ensures that prospective customers can find your location or contact you easily.

A “snapshot” feature shows the total number of reviews, your TripAdvisor ranking compared to other businesses of your type in your location, and additional metrics related to your listing.

Manage your reviews. This area enables you to respond to a review, answer questions, track review performance, and encourage new reviews.

TripAdvisor does not allow you to delete or edit reviews. Responding to reviews —  positive or negative — shows that you are paying attention and value the reviewer’s comments.

You can receive an email alert each time a customer posts a new review. According to TripAdvisor, alerts help you monitor the most recent traveler feedback, so you know what parts of the guest experience are going well and what needs attention.

Other features contained in the Management Center include the following.

  • TripAdvisor Insights. An educational portal to help you market your business more effectively on the site. It contains articles on best practices, ways to increase reviews, and instructions on how to manage your listing using the Management Center.
  • TripAdvisor Facebook App. You can add a TripAdvisor tab to your Facebook page that shows recent reviews, and provides a way for customers to add reviews without leaving Facebook.
  • Review Express. Designed to encourage more reviews, Review Express contains email templates that you can send to customers inviting them to write a review. You can email up to 1,000 former customers at a time, save templates for later use, and automatically send follow-up messages if preferred.
  • TripAdvisor GreenLeaders. The GreenLeaders program recognizes businesses that integrate environmentally preferable practices.
  • TripConnect™ Cost-Per-Click Campaigns. A cost-per-click advertising platform.

Free Marketing Tools

TripAdvisor also provides a suite of free marketing tools that help you encourage more customer reviews, create photo slideshows, promote your area by showing local points of interest, and more.

TripAdvisor provides a suite of free marketing tools.

TripAdvisor includes a suite of free marketing tools.

Downloadable badges and widgets are available to display on your website, which you can add by inserting a snippet of HTML code. You can also request window stickers for use at your business location.

Paul Chaney
Paul Chaney
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