Traveling the world seems like a dream for many people. Grace Ausley of Amethyst Vacation gets to do it for both her personal and professional life. As a wife and mother of four, her life’s focus has always been on research and environmental studies.
Travel planning seemed like a natural fit. Grace explains, “Planning travel for my ideal client, really involves a lot of behind the scenes research with a network of credible and trustworthy tour operators all over the world that I have built over the last 8 years in the travel industry.” With a researcher heart instilled in her, she set out to procure the best option for her clients. “I always tell my clients that I am their extra set of Google eyes when they are doing their own search for their vacation planning,” Grace mentions.
She got the bug to travel from her mother. “I was born in Malaysia, and my mother had me late in her 30s. Before settling down, she lived everywhere in Europe and the Middle East. She was a registered nurse and would tell us stories and show us pictures of where she had lived and worked. I was absolutely fascinated with that, and wanted to do the same myself and continue to do so, even after I settled down with my own kids.”
Travel planning is a lot more work than people expect, think about every time you’ve tried to book flights, hotels, and more and how difficult it can be to get everything just right. Grace says, “the behind-the-scenes work in travel planning can be daunting and stressful … but it strangely does excite me to be able to come in contact with different tour operators and destination management companies. I quickly learned the value of networking with these tour operators as I perfect my craft in travel planning for my clients.”
And it shows. Grace has garnered acclaim and awards throughout her career as a travel planner. It's the extra bit of research and customer service which puts her in high regard with her clients.
As her business grew, she knew an online component to her business was vital to networking and booking. That's why she reached out to Zibster. “Before my website was very cookie cutter and it was very difficult to get any support or get anything done,” she shares. “Now with Zibster, the platform is a game changer in the way I have my virtual presence and the platform is super user-friendly. My favorite part is their support, it is world-class!”
One thing Grace didn’t have to do was build her website alone. She had our Pro Services team build and optimize her site with Zibster’s We Do It For You plan.
Grace explains, “This service made my life so easy. I didn't have to build my website from the ground up, which definitely is overwhelming to add to my plate as a business woman with four kids. Zibster was attentive to my requests. ” The best part is it didn’t take long at all. “My website was transferred and done in one day!” Grace exclaims. And that time saved is needed, “I am always on the go, like 90% of the time, so my favorite is their mobile-friendly platform. I actually blog mostly from my mobile phone on their platform and it has seriously made my blogging life so easy!”
With her website powered by Zibster and optimized for search, that means more people find her business. When asked about her revenue channels Grace says, ”I have captured a lot of revenue for sure through Zibster, I want to say at least 30% of my revenue now pulls from clients organically finding my website when they conduct a search.”
Top-notch service helps make Grace’s business successful, and she appreciates the same from Zibster. ”I always recommend Zibster, I had another well-known platform elsewhere and absolutely can tell the difference. It’s night and day when I made my switch to Zibster.”
Where is Grace traveling next? Some place she doesn't have to worry about her website. “I am focusing on exciting training for some new tour operators and tourism boards as they open again from the pandemic. My next trip is my annual scuba diving trip to Cozumel this spring.”
Want to see your business grow exponentially online? Zibster’s We Do It For You plan can help you get discovered online by the right people. When you work with our team to utilize design and SEO strategies, you too can see more online sales just like Grace.
Learn more about our We Do It For You plan, and sign up today.
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