Folly Beach Makeover: Updated Site Ready for Wave of Tourists

FOLLY BEACH, S.C., Jan. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- FollyBeach.com, the official guide to Folly Beach, South Carolina, has unveiled a brand new design and format to provide travelers an even easier way of planning their next trip to The Palmetto State. The newly launched FollyBeach.com incorporates features such as a fully responsive site design as well as videos and content to engage and inform both visitors and residents.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140109/CL43045)

"The new FollyBeach.com is based in focused research around technological developments and consumer trends in the travel and tourism industry," said Robert Hart, project director for the site. "Our goal with creating the new site was to provide a resource for residents and visitors to Folly Beach that would allow them to easily find the information they are seeking, all in one place. We especially wanted to offer first-time visitors a way to experience the area virtually as they plan their trip."

One feature on the new FollyBeach.com site that helps create a rich virtual experience is the bird's eye view video footage. Filmed using a high tech device similar to those Amazon Prime plans to use for its drone package delivery, the footage captures the essence of Folly Beach, including the wide stretch of beaches, Morris Island Lighthouse, the Folly River, Center Street and the pier.

FollyBeach.com, which serves more than 750,000 unique visitors per year and receives more than 2.5 million page views annually, is a vital resource for travel planners who seek to make Folly Beach vacation plans, book vacation rentals or experience the beauty and charm of the low country.

Visitors to the all-new FollyBeach.com can still expect to find everything they have come to love about planning a trip to the "edge of America," but now the content they need is more streamlined in a user-centric and easy to navigate responsive interface.

According to research from HeBS Digital, more than 40% of online traffic related to travel queries comes from mobile devices and this number is increasing. The responsive feature of the FollyBeach.com site design optimizes the viewing experience whether the user is accessing it via a desktop computer, smartphone or tablet. 

"We wanted to create a great consumer experience with regard to usability and accessibility that wasn't dependent on what type of device was used to view it," said Hart.

In addition to the design concept and its fully responsive functionality for optimized mobile viewing, FollyBeach.com also has an updated content strategy and layout to offer a completely streamlined user experience. From the homepage, users can quickly access popular features such as vacation rentals, up-to-date news, dining and entertainment options and an event calendar. Taking a data-driven approach, the most commonly requested content has been displayed prominently on the site.

"As one of the country's most popular tourism destinations, Folly Beach needs a top-notch digital platform to serve and inform its visitors," said Hart. "Many people depend on the tourism industry to make a living, and FollyBeach.com helps to drive visitors to South Carolina in a way that positively impacts tourism as well as economic development of the region and ultimately the whole state."

According to a report from the South Carolina Department of Travel and Tourism, domestic traveler spending in South Carolina directly generated approximately $1.6 billion in tax revenue for federal, state and local governments last year. Additionally, more than 100,000 jobs within South Carolina were directly supported by traveler spending in 2012.

To learn more about Folly Beach, S.C. visit http://www.follybeach.com.

About FollyBeach.com

FollyBeach.com has grown to be the most comprehensive source of up-to-date information about Folly Beach on the web. To learn more, visit http://www.follybeach.com or check us out on Facebook.

Media Contact:
Kate Spears
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SOURCE FollyBeach.com