We’ve seen a lot of complaints online recently from tour operators whose TripAdvisor rankings have gone down unexpectedly without any bad reviews or changes in their account.
Other tour operators have found that their ranking has unexpectedly gone up, which is great for them, but still, all of this begs the question: what is happening with TripAdvisor?
So far, TripAdvisor has not shed any light on these changes. But many, including Chris Torres of Tourism Marketing Agency(opens in a new tab), are theorizing that TripAdvisor’s algorithm has changed.
Chris believes that TripAdvisor’s new algorithm is rewarding TripAdvisor users who frequently respond to both positive and negative reviews that they receive. Additionally, it’s not enough if a tour company has lots of great reviews but hasn’t had new reviews in months. You need good reviews coming in consistently.
Start taking steps toward these two things. Even if TripAdvisor’s algorithm hasn’t changed, it’s good practice.
Try encouraging and reminding your guests when they leave to write a review on TripAdvisor. And if you’re collecting emails, send a follow-up email with a direct link for them to leave a review. Leaving reviews is so easy, and all someone really needs is a little encouragement to write a review for you.
The other theory on the internet is that the change in TripAdvisor rankings is just a bug that will be fixed and that your ranking will go back to normal. If it is in fact a bug that TripAdvisor is trying to fix, that would explain why TripAdvisor isn’t talking about the change in rankings. Surely if it was a change in algorithm, they would tell tour operators as a courtesy (let’s hope!).
We’ll keep everyone updated on what we find out about the change in TripAdvisor rankings that some of you are dealing with. In the meantime, work on responding to positive and negative reviews that you receive, and always encourage your guests to review you!
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