Frequently Asked Questions
General Q&A
Why Do You Offer a Free Program
Why do we offer a free start?
Because we’re not here to “sell services”—we’re here to build long-term success together.
At OTA, we offer a free start to show real value up front. That usually includes:
✅ A complimentary SEO & performance audit of your website
✅ Basic onboarding into our Preferred Partner Network
✅ A strategy session to identify untapped revenue & traffic opportunities
✅ Inclusion in one partner’s referral page (to test visibility and traffic gains)
We do this because most tourism providers have already spent money on web designers or marketers who never delivered real results. We’d rather show what’s possible with our system before asking for a commitment.
How can we afford to offer this?
Our business grows by referral, and we’re very selective. If we believe you’re a great fit for our trusted network, we’ll prove our value first—and only work together long-term if we both see it’s worth it.
How Do We Get Started
When Should I Expect Results?
The answer is, just about immediately. As soon as the SEO Platform is attached properly to your website you can see gains as soon as 14 days. The longer you remain on service the more top results you will achieve. Also keep in mind that all organic efforts will have a snowball effect and you will find yourself ranking for more than just the terms you choose in your package. In more competitive markets it can take up to 6 months to achieve maximum results.
You can learn more about what we do to achieve all levels of service.
What makes OTA better than a typical website developer or web marketer?
What makes Odyssey Tourism Alliance (OTA) better than a typical website developer or web marketer is that we don’t just build websites or run ads—we build sustainable revenue systems tailored for tourism businesses.
Most developers stop at design, and most marketers focus only on traffic. We go further by integrating everything:
✅ SEO-optimized websites that actually rank
✅ A trusted Preferred Partner Visibility Program that boosts your authority
✅ Strategic OTA integrations with 27,000+ resellers
✅ Upsell systems at booking via Bokun
✅ PPC campaigns tied directly to conversions
✅ Technical site audits and upgrades for better performance
✅ Guidance for managing your brand’s voice on social media
We don’t sell services—we manage the entire digital side of your tourism business so you can focus on what you do best. And the difference? Our network grows through referrals and proven results, not sales pitches.
What’s the Difference Between Traditional OTAs and Odyssey Tourism Alliance (OTA)?
Most Online Travel Agencies (TripAdvisor, GetYourGuide, Viator, etc.) act as middlemen. They promote your tours and activities but charge commission fees of 20% or more for every booking made through their platform.
By contrast, Odyssey Tourism Alliance is not a booking middleman—we’re your digital growth partner.
✅ We don’t charge any commission or booking fees
✅ You keep 100% of the revenue from all bookings made through your website
✅ We help you build your own brand and direct traffic to your business
✅ You own the customer relationship (not the OTA)
With OTA, you keep the full €10,000 that would have gone to commission.
And unlike traditional OTAs, we help build your own direct booking channels—so you’re not paying for the same customer over and over again.
Would you like this turned into a branded visual or downloadable PDF for partners or presentations?
What are the benefits of recommending my trusted (non-competing) partners to join OTA at the free level?
Recommending your trusted partners—those who don’t compete with you—brings several strategic benefits:
1. Increased Visibility for Your Own Business
When your partners join OTA, they add reciprocal links and preferred partner pages that boost your SEO authority and bring referral traffic back to you. The stronger the network, the more visibility for all.
2. Higher Booking Value Through Upsells
When a partner is in the OTA network, they’re encouraged to upsell your services during their own booking flow (and vice versa), using tools like Bókun. This helps increase your average revenue per booking without extra marketing costs.
3. Enhanced Trust with Guests
Offering a curated list of trusted partners—such as local guides, transfers, or boutique hotels—improves the guest experience and makes your brand more valuable.
4. More Influence Within the Network
Referring others strengthens your position as a key member of the OTA ecosystem. The more high-quality referrals you bring, the more strategic support and visibility we provide to you.
5. No Cost for You or Them
It’s completely free for both you and your referred partner—no commissions, no listing fees, just mutual growth and shared digital authority.
Why don’t you offer full social media management like other agencies?
Because after 30 years in the industry, we’ve seen it time and time again: hiring someone who doesn’t live, breathe, or understand your business or local culture is one of the biggest misuses of marketing funds.
Social media is not just content—it’s communication. No outside agency can fully capture the tone, passion, and real-time experiences of your brand, your staff, or your guests.
Instead of offering generic management, we give you:
A proven content framework for what works in tourism
Strategy tailored to your goals and audience
Guidance and tools so your team can post authentically and effectively—on your terms
We’ve found this approach creates better engagement, stronger trust, and more direct bookings—without wasting money on someone outside your world trying to pretend they’re in it.
No Contracts
It’s a rare occasion when you can find a service that has no strings attached and It’s especially rare when that service is from a SEO company. If there is one thing that traditional SEO has taught us, it’s that you have to be patient. At least that’s what SEO companies lead you to believe and love to pitch. Why? Because it gives them a solid foundation to lock you into a long term contract. You get the age old SEO pitch of “SEO doesn’t happen over night, it takes time, and therefore we need to lock you in with a long term contract so you can commit to the results you need – Yada Yada Yada”.
Here, we throw that traditional thinking out the door. We don’t bury our signup with page after page of print so small that you need your grandma’s 1/2 inch thick reading glasses and a law degree to understand. We want to keep it simple, and we want you to be comfortable with us, our service, and our pricing.
We are so certain that you will see positive results in your first month, and each month after, that we require no commitments — Nothing, nada, zilch.
You signup, you pay a month, and from that moment on you are free to continue or quit whenever you like. Just a simple phone call, email, text message, or carrier pigeon away and service can be stopped. We feel that an open door with easy access, installation, pricing, and terms really puts us above our competition. On top of that we even give away a limited number of monthly trials on our paid package simply because our service sells itself.
Give it a try, you will be glad you did.
Website Design and Internet Strategist Q&A
What is The Preferred Partner Visibility Program
Powered by Odyssey Tourism Alliance
The Preferred Partner Visibility Program is a strategic initiative to increase online visibility, traffic, and bookings for trusted tourism providers through shared digital authority, curated referrals, and SEO-driven content placement.
What It Includes:
1. Featured Placement on Partner Websites
Your business is listed on trusted partner websites within our network, complete with:
Short & long business descriptions
Keyword-rich anchor text
Backlinks to your website or booking page
Special offers for partner visitors
2. SEO-Infused Link Sharing Network
Each placement is part of a carefully planned internal linking strategy that boosts your domain authority and search engine rankings—especially when combined with our on-page SEO support.
3. Cross-Promotion Opportunities
Partners are encouraged to upsell or refer each other’s services at the booking stage via Bókun or other booking systems—helping you increase your average order value and gain direct, high-converting referrals.
4. Authority by Association
Being included in a curated group of premium tourism providers builds your perceived trust and credibility—both with travelers and search engines.
5. No Commission Fees
All referrals and bookings from the network go directly to you. We never take a cut.
Why It Works
Unlike traditional OTAs or paid directories, our program is referral-based, SEO-focused, and designed for long-term visibility. We only include tourism providers we trust, and all links are placed in contextually relevant pages—no spam, no fluff, just real impact.
I’m not comfortable giving anyone outside access to our website. Can we still benefit from OTA?
Absolutely—and we completely respect that.
You don’t need to give us any direct access to your website to benefit from the Odyssey Tourism Alliance. Many of our partners prefer to keep things in-house, and that’s totally fine.
Here’s how we make it work without access:
We can send you (or your developer) detailed recommendations for SEO, content improvements, or booking optimizations.
We can help your business gain visibility through our Preferred Partner Network—which means more traffic and referrals, without touching your website at all.
If you’re open to it, we can even build and manage a separate branded page or microsite that promotes your business and connects to your booking system, with no impact on your main site.
Our process is flexible, transparent, and always designed to work with your team—Ke
If you build a microsite for my business, who owns it?
If Odyssey Tourism Alliance builds a microsite or booking portal for your business, we retain full ownership of the site. These are digital assets we build using our own systems, SEO strategy, and booking integration to generate traffic and sales.
When the microsite is actively generating bookings for you, we charge a 30% commission on confirmed bookings made through that site. There are no upfront costs—you only pay when you earn.
We may also, at our sole discretion:
Lease the site to your business or another provider
Sell it in the future as a performing revenue asset
Redirect traffic to a different trusted partner if the partnership ends
This structure allows you to benefit from a high-converting, search-optimized booking funnel without needing to build or maintain it yourself—while giving us flexibility to manage and grow the value of the asset long-term.
Why do you start everyone at the free program and then graduate them up phase by phase
“Why do you start everyone in the free program and then graduate them through phases?”
Great question—and it’s one of the most important things that sets our network apart.
At Odyssey Tourism Alliance, we don’t believe in selling services blindly. We believe in proving value first, building relationships based on trust, and helping our partners grow in stages that make sense for their business.
Here’s why we start everyone at the Free Preferred Partner Program and gradually offer more advanced phases:
1. We want to prove our value—before asking for anything.
You don’t have to commit upfront. Our free entry program gives you real benefits from day one, like:
A full partner listing with backlinks to your site
Featured placements in our SEO content
A discount or offer you control
Access to cross-promotional and upsell guides
We want you to see results first—increased traffic, visibility, and partner collaboration.
2. Every partner has different needs and timing.
Some partners are ready for full-scale growth and paid ads right away. Others want to start with small steps. Our phased approach means:
You grow at your own pace
You can add services when the time is right
You never feel pressure to “buy in” before you’re ready
3. The more you grow, the more we can offer.
As your bookings, visibility, and technical needs grow, we can support you with:
Conversion-focused site improvements
Paid search traffic and OTA bookings
Complete management of your online sales funnel
We’ll recommend the right next step when the time is right—and only if it makes sense for your goals.
4. It builds a stronger network for everyone.
By starting with shared goals and mutual benefit, we’re creating a trusted alliance of top-tier tourism providers in Greece. Everyone who joins contributes to the strength of the network—and everyone benefits from being part of it.
👣 What’s the next step?
Start in the Free Program. There’s no cost, no obligation—just a shared commitment to quality and visibility. From there, we’ll help you grow, connect, and decide what’s next when you’re ready.
WIX - "What are the long-term trade-offs between launching quickly with Wix and investing in a professionally designed site from the beginning?"
Here’s a breakdown of why Wix sites might seem superior at first glance, and why a professionally designed site usually wins in the long run.
Why Wix Sites Can Appear Better:
Speed & Templates
Wix sites use pre-optimized templates that look great out of the box. For someone just starting, it’s easy to build a slick-looking site quickly.Built-in Features
Wix has drag-and-drop tools, form builders, galleries, booking systems, and even basic SEO tools ready to go — so users can launch without custom coding.Optimized Hosting
Wix handles hosting and performance optimization for their platform, so pages load fairly quickly — especially for small, simple sites.Lower Cost Upfront
No designer or developer fees. Just a monthly subscription.
Where Professionally Designed Sites Outperform Wix (by a lot):
SEO Power & Control
Custom sites (especially on WordPress or other open platforms) offer better control over:Page speed
On-page SEO structure
Schema markup
URL structure and redirects
Custom sitemaps
Wix still lags here, especially for competitive keywords and larger sites.
Branding & User Experience
Templates are generic. A custom-designed site is tailored to your brand — with unique layouts, copy, and interactions that build trust and conversions.Scalability
Professionally built sites are easier to scale: more pages, e-commerce, custom logic, integrations, databases — all possible. Wix can become limiting fast.Performance & Speed Tuning
Developers can optimize things Wix can’t touch: codebase, server settings, lazy loading, image compression, etc. This matters a lot for ranking and mobile UX.Ownership & Flexibility
On Wix, you’re locked into their ecosystem. With a custom site, you own the code, the design, and the platform — and can move, update, or repurpose as needed.Conversion Optimization
Pros use analytics, heatmaps, A/B testing, and copywriting principles to design for conversion. Wix templates look good but don’t sell better by default.
TL;DR:
Wix is great for fast, cheap, decent-looking starter sites.
Professionally designed sites are better for performance, SEO, branding, and business growth.
If you’re seeing a Wix site that looks “better” than a pro site, it might just be that particular pro site wasn’t done well. A solid custom site should blow Wix out of the water when built right.
Would you like help evaluating a specific Wix vs pro site example?
Linking Q&A
Human Link Management
We throw around the term “Automated” a lot and you may be asking yourself how such an important task like link building can be left 100% automated. Well, don’t worry, because we are always watching and constantly tweaking to make sure that this automation delivers the best links possible.
We do this by hand evaluating and monitoring any sites that join our service. If we deem them low quality or even dangerous to our system then we deny them access.
As an added layer of management we also allow each website owner to easily disable any incoming or outgoing link that they do not approve of. This way you stay in control!
All links are also machine managed to make sure everyone stays in compliance. If someone removes the plugin our system will automatically remove any links going to them. We even have a specialized tool that will allow you to add any manual link exchange requests you may get right into your dashboard. These links will also be managed and checked often to ensure the other party doesn’t remove their link to you. If they do, we simply disable the link to them.
Rest assured that your linking is in good hands, through our monitoring and our machines automation.
Could you be considered a Link Farm, Network or PBN
🔗 Link Farm
A link farm is a group of websites that all hyperlink to every other site in the group — purely to manipulate search engine rankings.
Purpose: Artificially boost PageRank by inflating backlinks.
Google’s View: Very black-hat and heavily penalized.
Example: 100 low-quality sites with unrelated content linking to each other.
🛑 Avoid completely.
🔗 Link Network
This is a broader term that can be:
Bad: Synonymous with a link farm if it’s spammy, irrelevant, or designed solely for manipulation.
Neutral or Good: If it’s a curated, trusted network of real businesses linking to each other based on authentic partnerships or value (like your Odyssey Tourism Alliance).
✅ Allowed if it’s natural, relevant, and transparent — i.e., the links exist for users, not just algorithms.
🔗 PBN (Private Blog Network)
A PBN is a set of websites, often owned by one person or group, built solely to link back to a “money site” to improve rankings.
Usually involves buying expired domains with authority.
Posts on these sites often contain keyword-optimized links back to the target site.
🛑 High risk. Google targets these aggressively. Unless carefully done (and it rarely is), this can result in penalties.
What does Google say linking?
Google consistently emphasizes that building good links—specifically earned, natural, and relevant backlinks—is a key component of a successful SEO strategy. Here’s what Google officially and unofficially promotes as “good” about link building:
1. Backlinks Signal Trust and Authority
Google uses backlinks as a ranking signal. When high-quality, relevant sites link to you, Google sees that as a vote of confidence in your content.
“Links help our crawlers find your site and can give your site greater visibility in our search results.”
— Google Search Central
2. Relevance Matters
Google wants to see links from sites that are contextually related to your content. A link from a respected travel blog to a sailing tour site is much more powerful than a random link from an unrelated website.
3. Organic Over Manipulative
Google’s algorithm rewards organic links, not spammy, manipulative ones. That means:
Avoid buying links
Avoid link exchanges (unless they’re natural partnerships)
Avoid excessive directory submissions
“The best way to get other sites to create high-quality, relevant links to yours is to create unique, relevant content.”
— Google Link Schemes Policy
4. Natural Links Drive Traffic, Not Just Rank
A good backlink from a respected site doesn’t just boost your SEO—it can bring direct referral traffic. Google’s John Mueller has pointed out that value from a link can come from visibility, branding, and traffic, not just ranking.
5. E-E-A-T and Link Signals
Links from authoritative sources help reinforce Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T)—a concept used in Google’s quality evaluations.
If you’re building links through meaningful partnerships, shared audiences, and useful content, you’re doing it the Google-approved way.
Want a quick list of the kinds of links Google likes most?
Odyssey Tourism Alliance: Smart Link-Building Plan
1. Preferred Partner Linking Network (High Impact)
What: Have each member of your alliance link to the others in contextually relevant ways.
How:
Add a “Preferred Partners” page on each member’s site.
Use keyword-rich anchor text and natural language.
Example: A Santorini hotel links to “sunset sailing cruise in Santorini” on your site.
Bonus: This boosts all sites’ authority while keeping links relevant and organic.
2. Content-Based Links (Evergreen + Scalable)
What: Create helpful, link-worthy blog content that other sites naturally want to reference.
How:
Local guides: “Top 10 Romantic Activities in Santorini”
Itineraries: “3-Day Luxury Tour in Naxos”
Comparison pieces: “Sailing vs. Powerboat: Which Cruise Is Right for You?”
Outreach Tip: After publishing, send it to relevant travel bloggers, journalists, and partner sites.
3. Guest Post & Interview Placements (Authority & Trust)
What: Collaborate with travel blogs and tourism publications.
How:
Offer expert insights (e.g., from your dive master or skipper) in exchange for a backlink.
Pitch guest post topics like “How to Pick the Best Sailing Experience in Greece.”
4. Strategic Partnerships with Local Businesses
What: Cross-link with trusted local businesses you work with.
How:
Tour operators, wine tasting venues, photographers, etc., can list you on their website.
Example: “Add a sunset sail with [Your Business] after your wine tasting at [Partner].”
Include unique offers (e.g., “10% discount for [partner name] guests”).
5. Get Featured in Local & Travel Media
What: Target Greek tourism sites, travel blogs, and regional press.
How:
Create press releases for new cruise options, eco-tours, or seasonal launches.
Submit them to local tourism boards or travel press contacts.
6. Build Authority Through Listings (Foundational)
What: Submit your business to top directories and platforms (but only reputable ones).
Where:
Google Business Profile
TripAdvisor
GetYourGuide / Viator (and similar OTAs)
VisitGreece.gr
Lonely Planet Greece forum
7. Encourage Organic Mentions via Influencers
What: Invite micro-influencers or travel bloggers for a free experience.
Goal: They’ll often write about it and link to your site naturally.
Tip: Focus on those with their own domain blogs (not just Instagram).
8. SEO-Optimized Internal Linking (Often Overlooked)
What: Strategically link between your own blog posts, service pages, and landing pages.
How:
Use keyword-rich but natural anchor text.
Example: Link from your “Day Cruises” page to “Athens sunset sailing cruise” blog post.
Would you like a shared Google Sheet or template to track links, contacts, and partnership outreach? Or do you want help drafting partner email templates that include the linking request naturally?
Technical Q&A
I’m not comfortable giving anyone outside access to our website. Can we still benefit from OTA?
Absolutely—and we completely respect that.
You don’t need to give us any direct access to your website to benefit from the Odyssey Tourism Alliance. Many of our partners prefer to keep things in-house, and that’s totally fine.
Here’s how we make it work without access:
We can send you (or your developer) detailed recommendations for SEO, content improvements, or booking optimizations.
We can help your business gain visibility through our Preferred Partner Network—which means more traffic and referrals, without touching your website at all.
If you’re open to it, we can even build and manage a separate branded page or microsite that promotes your business and connects to your booking system, with no impact on your main site.
Our process is flexible, transparent, and always designed to work with your team—Ke
My web guy doesn’t like giving outside access to our website—can we still work with you? #2
Absolutely—and we completely understand. Many developers are protective of access, and that’s perfectly fine.
We don’t require direct access to your site unless you specifically want us to implement changes. Most of what we do can be handled in one of three ways:
We provide SEO, content, and technical recommendations that your web person can implement.
We collaborate directly with your developer (with your approval) to ensure nothing is done without full transparency.
If you’re open to it, we can host and manage a dedicated landing page or microsite on your behalf—without touching your main site—and still generate traffic and bookings for you.
Either way, we respect your team and work with whatever setup you’re comfortable with. Our goal is to help your business grow—not to take over control.
Multi-platform Compatibility
We know and understand that no two web sites are exactly alike. Our SEO Plugin is designed to work in conjunction with .ASP, .PHP, .NET, and Cold Fusion websites.
Other plugin options include Word Press, Joomla, Drupal, Shopify, many others. Installation is simple and one of our staff can always help with installation if needed.
With any great service or plugin, distribution will always be the leading factor in success. “Build it and they will come” is just a fancy line in a movie. The key to success in the digital world? Make it easy.
That was our goal over 10 years ago and it still rings true today. What good is a service by way of a plugin if it can’t be widely used? We strive to ensure that our plugin is multi platform compatible. We don’t want to be limited by web hosting factors or your websites coding language. Thats why we have developed our file in PHP, ASP, ASP.NET, and CFM; the major programming languages available. If you own your website and have a hosting account, then there is a 99.9% chance our plugin will work directly on your site.
What’s even better is we are now building platform specific plugins for popular applications such as wordpress to make the install even easier!
There are exceptions, and unfortunately these exceptions can’t be accounted for. If you are using a hosted web builder such as WIX, Live Rez, or Weebly then our plugin will not work as these types of companies don’t give you control over your website files, only the content. Which is also what makes companies like this a bad choice when pursuing SEO as you are limited on what you can change.
If you aren’t sure what programming language your website is built in, or what platform you are hosted on, no worries. All you have to do is contact our support team through email at support@odysseytourismalliance.ciint.com and we will happily evaluate this for you.
Easy Install
We strive to provide the highest quality, safe, and relevant link platform on the market. One way that we do this is to ensure that our plugin is easy to install and widely compatible with modern website technologies. While we do want to maintain a simple user experience the install process does require a little knowledge of how websites work. Mainly how to FTP to your web host.
Our install process simply requires a single file upload and a small snippet of code placed on your home page. Thats it! Sounds pretty easy right?
Now if things like HTML, FTP, or PHP make you nervous, don’t fret. With a simple click you can forward directions right along to your “Web Guy”. Don’t have a web guy? Still not a problem. We have plenty. We will gladly install the plugin for you or even walk you through it step by step through our live chat, email, or phone.
We are also constantly advancing with new direct install plugins for popular web builder applications such as wordpress. We can even be found directly in your web builders plugin directory! This allows some users to install our plugin with a single click!
We are excited and we know you are too. It all starts with the simple installation! Give us a call at 877.823.1543, respond to this email, or click the live help button on the bottom of our pages. We can’t wait to get you up and running!
