Everything your
tourism website
needs to do better

Your First Hello is a refreshingly honest guide to getting your website right.
Written for Irish tourism operators: boat trips, food tours, falconry,
kayaking, walking tours, and everything in between.

From Splash, a Kerry web design agency building
websites for Irish tourism businesses since 1996.

What this guide is
Written for the operator, not the web developer

Most website advice is written by agencies for agencies. Your First Hello is written for the person who actually runs the experience: the one who answers the phone, leads the tour, and wonders why a good product is not getting more bookings online. Every chapter is practical, plain-English, and directly applicable to your specific type of business.

A couple in Berlin found you on Google, clicked your site on a phone, looked at two photos and one sentence of text, and decided whether to book within about eight seconds.
Not sure where to begin?

Find out
where to start

Four quick questions about your experience and your biggest challenge. We will point you straight to the tool or chapter most relevant to you.

Find your starting point
Four questions to find the right tool for you
What kind of experience do you run?
Pick the one that fits best. Do not overthink it.
When do most of your bookings come in?
Be honest. This shapes where the biggest opportunity lies.
What is the biggest challenge with your website right now?
Pick the one that keeps you up at night.
How are your Google reviews compared to your nearest competitor?
Think about the experience provider who competes most directly with you.
Free tools, no sign-up required

Seven calculators
and audits

Each one takes under five minutes and gives you a specific result you can act on straight away. No sign-up, no jargon. Just a score, a number, or a shortlist that tells you exactly where to focus first.

What is inside

Five sections.
Twenty-eight chapters

Each one takes under five minutes and gives you a specific result you can act on straight away. No sign-up, no jargon. Just a score, a number, or a shortlist that tells you exactly where to focus first.

all chapters • audio

Every chapter,
on audio

Every chapter of Your First Hello is also an audio episode. The same advice is given in plain English, with no screen required. Listen on the way to work, between tours, or whenever you have ten minutes to spare.

How to use this guide

Read it, act on it,
then come back

Your First Hello is a free guide written for Irish tourism operators. It covers everything from your first impression to your Google ranking, your photography and your quiet months. Read it in any order, use the free tools alongside it, and come back to it whenever something on your website needs attention.

01
Download or read online

Get the full PDF free or read each section on the website. Every chapter is self-contained; you do not need to read in order. Go to the section that is most urgent for you right now.

02
Ask Hello your specific questions

After reading a chapter, or instead of reading one, ask Ask Hello directly. Tell it what you run, and it shapes the advice around your specific experience rather than giving you a generic answer.

03
Get a free website review

When you are ready for someone to look at your actual site, Splash offers a free website review with no obligation. Real eyes on your real website, with specific things to fix.

Your AI Assistant

Ask Hello is an AI assistant
trained on your business

Ask Hello is an AI assistant for your website, trained on your specific experience: your prices, your policies, your FAQs, your seasonal availability, and anything visitors typically ask before they book. It knows your business the way a great member of staff would. It answers questions, handles objections, and guides visitors towards booking. All on its own, at any hour, on any device.

Verified Google Reviews

What Irish operators say
about working with Splash

Splash has been building websites for Irish tourism operators since 1996. In the past thirty years, we have worked with thousands of businesses across every county in Ireland. These are a few of the operators who have shared their experience.

Splash won Tourism Website of the Year at the eir Spiders awards and was also a 25-time finalist at the National Website Awards.
Finalists included Discover Ireland, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and The Guinness Storehouse.
Adam
Dingle Crystal, Co. Kerry
Stephen really took the time to understand our business, our brand, and what we needed the website to do. The end result is a site that looks great, works brilliantly, and is far more user-friendly than what we had before. We would highly recommend Splash to any business looking to upgrade their online presence.
Verified Google review
Graham
Soundwave Achill Island, Co. Mayo
It is rare that you find a company willing to go the extra mile to make your vision come to life. They are a really nice team and are always available when needed. I could not recommend Splash more and will continue to work with them in the future.
Verified Google review
Naoise
Atlantic Sea Kayaking, Co. Cork
Communicative, creative, patient and effective. We are so glad we chose to move our business to Splash. Keep it up!
Verified Google review
Eric
Kingdom Falconry, Co. Kerry
Great team of professionals. Very helpful in every aspect of our project. Top job done.
Verified Google review
5.0
from Google reviews
Used the guide? Leave a review and help another operator find it.
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The gap in practice

This is what the
difference looks like

The gap in practice
What the difference looks like on a real Irish tourism website
As it is
Phone shots and stock images from 2018
A visitor cannot picture themselves there. The experience looks ordinary.
As it should be
Professional images that show the experience as it actually feels
A visitor can see themselves there. The quality of the experience is obvious before they arrive.
As it is
"Contact us to check availability"
Decision made at 10pm. Enquiry sent. No reply until morning. Visitor books elsewhere.
As it should be
Online booking that works at whatever time the decision is made
Decision made at 10pm. Booking confirmed at 10pm. No friction, no lost bookings.
As it is
14 Google reviews, most from 2020
A visitor searching for reassurance finds very little. The competitor down the road has 280.
As it should be
280 reviews, consistently responded to, growing every week
Social proof that builds itself. Each new review makes the next booking more likely.
As it is
"Prices on request"
Visitors who cannot find a price do not ask. They leave and find someone who shows theirs.
As it should be
Clear pricing, what is included, and why it is worth it
Visitors self-qualify. The ones who book are already sold before they make contact.
As it is
Page four for "kayaking tours Kerry"
The visitors searching for exactly what you offer are finding three other businesses first.
As it should be
Page one, built over two years of consistent investment
A position that compounds. Harder to displace every month, generating bookings on its own.
As it is
8 second load time. Text too small. Booking form broken on iPhone.
70% of visitors arrive on a phone. Most of them leave within seconds.
As it should be
Loads in under two seconds. Works perfectly on every device.
Every visitor gets the same experience regardless of how they arrive.
Photography
Free download
Get the guide as a PDF

The complete Your First Hello guide in a single PDF. All 28 chapters, free. Enter your email and it goes straight to your inbox.

On its way. Check your inbox — the guide should arrive within a few minutes.

Also
The guide is also available as a hardback book
Stephen sends physical copies to operators he believes would benefit most. Book a free twenty-minute call — if it is a good fit, Stephen will send you a copy.