On January 1, Visit Savannah launched the newest iteration of its highly successful website VisitSavannah.com.
 
“On behalf of the staff and Board of Visit Savannah, we could not be more proud of or pleased with the 4.0 version of VisitSavannah.com,” says Visit Savannah’s president Joseph Marinelli. “We feel strongly that the new website is truly a best-in-class product and really does hit the mark that we set: to inspire increased travel to the Savannah area.”
 
The former version of VisitSavannah.com received more than 1.7 million visits in 2017, with more than 1.3 million of those being unique visitors to the site. Time spent on the site averaged 2 minutes and 34 seconds and 3.67 pages per session. More than 79 percent of visitors were viewing the site for the first time. The new site also merges Visit Savannah’s wedding, meetings and blog sites, SavannahIDo.com, SavannahMeetings.com, and SavannahSecrets.com, into the main VisitSavannah.com. This will streamline the browsing experience for those audiences and make that content easier to find and consume.
 
Jeremy Harvey, Visit Savannah’s vice president of marketing and communications explains the concept of the new website design: “The new site allows Visit Savannah to bring our rich content library including engaging video and editorial to the forefront as the main driver of travel inspiration. The site showcases Savannah’s rich and diverse neighborhoods for the first time, and informs potential visitors of the extraordinary experiences offered by each. Our goal is to inspire visitors to add to their length of stay by enticing them with all the greater Savannah area offers them on their getaway.”

The new VisitSavannah.com is content-based, spotlighting an extensive collection of editorial materials and lists intended to inspire the traveler with all that Savannah has to offer. Articles can feature an interactive map for visitors to tailor their getaway and create an itinerary that they can save, reference and share. Partner profiles feature large, high-resolution imagery and pull in consumer reviews from TripAdvisor and Yelp in order to encourage bookings. The new site’s responsive design means it will maintain a flawless translation between computers, smartphones and tablets. The website also takes the opportunity to spotlight Savannah’s many diverse neighborhoods alongside downtown, traditionally the biggest draw for visitors.

Following an extensive process of bidding and proposal review, a website task force selected Florida-based Miles Partnership to tackle the website redesign. Says Marinelli of the partnership with Miles, “Our collaboration with Miles Partnership in developing the site has been dynamic and engaging and I believe the final product showcases those efforts. I’m confident that our members, advertisers and our visitors are all going to enjoy interacting with the new VisitSavannah.com.”

Miles Partnership is a full-service agency marketing destinations and hospitality businesses by working with state tourism offices, convention and visitors’ bureaus, hotels and other organizations in the tourism industry to create forward-thinking digital and print content-marketing solutions.
 
“The redesign reflects what Savannah is to visitors and the people who live and work in the city. It’s refreshing, uncluttered, easy to navigate, inviting and authentic, with the dash of quirkiness that makes Savannah stand out,” says Rebecca Jones, the project’s art director. “The new VisitSavannah.com is a gallery to showcase the visual stories of the features, partners, and attractions Savannah offers, and was built with the flexibility to grow and expand with the city itself.”