Marketing: Net gain

Having some presence online is worthwhile - but do you know how to go about it? Phil Mellows offers some advice.

If you want to get your pub onto an internet portal there are a couple of ways of going about it. Firstly, you can pay. Pickapub.co.uk, which currently operates in Essex but is looking to expand, charges pubs £260 a year for a listing that includes a full web page with details of facilities and events, a glowing review and a map showing punters how to get there.

"All the key information is there and we call the pub regularly to make sure it is all up to date, so the licensee doesn't have to worry," says Pickapub's Terry Stevens.

Visitors to the site can search for a pub by clicking on a map or looking for something in particular, such as food, children's facilities or entertainment. Pickapub currently lists more than 120 pubs and has sister-sites for restaurants and hotels.

The alternative is to get your pub reviewed by a site like Fancyapint. It's free but that's because Fancyapint is aiming to build a reputation based on its independence. You risk getting a bad review, although it will still list your facilities, recently including whether the pub is a wi-fi hotspot or has an ATM.

The website's research shows that pubs that get a good review can see their trade boosted as they are checked out by Fancyapint's growing web community. You can also buy a link to your own website. "We see ourselves as something quite different to other pub websites and paper guides such as the Good Beer Guide," says the site's Steve Watson. "We aim eventually to include every pub in London so wherever you are you can check on what the nearest pubs are like, not just the very best pubs or ones that have paid to be in it."

Changing behaviour​

Human beings are much less creatures of habit than they once were. Certainly that's true when it comes to visiting pubs. The daily stroll to the local has to a large extent been replaced by fewer, better organised visits to venues that can offer more of an experience.

People are exercising choice, and one way they can identify that new place to meet, eat, drink, watch the match or catch a band is through the internet.

In its short life Fancyapint.com (pictured)​ has been able to track the behaviour of people who use the site to find a pub in London. Amid steadily rising traffic, hit numbers bulge around 5pm on weekdays when people are thinking about where to go that evening, for instance, and on special occasions. The site recorded its second highest number of visits on a single day last week - it was St Patrick's night.

Fancyapint is busier during the week, when people are able to log on at work, but it's now growing at weekends as home computer use increases.

It confirms that people use the web for practical reasons and are not simply browsing around. If they are looking for a pub they are a potential customer, not some idle surfer with a thing for inns.

Fancyapint also has the ability to be fairly sure whether the virtual visit to a pub's page is followed by a real visit. It can tell whether the page has been printed off or emailed to others - both are strong clues there is a genuine intention to go to the pub.

It means licensees are able to evaluate the effectiveness of their website - and their investment.

Pubs are listed for free on Fancyapint but licensees can become partners for a fee and receive regular reports on how well the internet is working for them. They can compare their performance, both in page views and probable real visits, against the site average and other pubs given a similar rating by the Fancyapint reviewers - ordinary pub-goers throughout the city.

Each pub is given a pint rating, from one pint to the rare five pinter, and the top 10 pubs are highlighted each month - usually seeing their hits and visits scores soar as a result, suggesting users take the site's recommendations seriously. Fancyapint also held its first pub awards last October.

Search engines​

There were, at last count, 320 million websites on the internet - with a new one being added every four seconds. So it's not surprising that the vast majority of them never find their audience.

You can up the chances of your pub's site being found by a customer searching the web, however, by understanding how the major search engines work.

One way a search engine finds a site, for instance, is through what the computer geeks call "meta tags". An engine such as Google will search for key words in the html language hidden behind the screen you actually see. So by building in tags such as "pub" and "food" and "family friendly" it increases your chances of being found by the people who are looking for you.

This is obviously quite techie, and could mean that if you want to get a really effective website going you should hire an expert.

There are plenty of consultancies out there. It's a question of finding one you trust who isn't going to blind you with science and will do things how you want them.

Don't forget, either, that you'll need a site that, ideally, you can update yourself.

These two have helped with this article, but give others a try:

• www.greatpubwebsites.com
• www.thepickmangroup.co.uk

Top tips for building a site​

If you want your own website, here's Fancyapint's top 10 tips to help you make it effective in building your business.

• Understand your audience:​ You're talking to people who don't know anything about your pub. What will persuade them to visit?

Keep it simple, keep it focused:​ People aren't going to visit your site to admire it, they want to know about your pub - keep the site fixed on that one thing

Link up:​ Link to other sites that have useful, relevant information that might bring people to your pub, such as local attractions and events

Make it useful:​ If you have events in your pub, such as live music, make sure they're featured on your site. That way your regulars know what's going on, too, and they have a reason to visit your site

Keep it up to date:​ Remove information as soon as it is out of date. Changing your site content regularly moves your site up search engine rankings and out of date information puts people off

Have realistic expectations:​ Don't expect lots of emails, phone calls or hits right away. Even half a dozen new visitors a month can easily recoup the cost of building your site so plan for the long term

Learn from others:​ Look at other sites - and not just pub websites - to see what might work for you. Be critical of your own site - you can be sure others will be

Don't worry about technology:​ The web technology you need is simple, tried and tested and there are plenty of people who can help you if you're unsure. However, don't get talked into adding things you don't really need -such as a Flash intro

Market your website:​ You'll need to tell people about your website - people rarely find sites by accident. Make sure the URL, or web address, is on your business
stationery and included on any promotional material

Rather than get stuck, get help:​ Fancyapint can help you, as can others. There are lots of professional services you can call upon. A little money invested at the start can reap benefits in the long