Ceningan Divers has been open since August 1, a little under five months. That is not a full year, but it is enough of a first season to ask, before the holiday period, a central question: where did the guests actually come from?
The answer is less technical than one might expect from an agency. Websites and social media strategy have been the core of our work for most of our careers, and they matter. What fills the boats in a first season, however, is more human: reviews, word of mouth, good relationships with neighbours, and a large number of photos.
Why do the first online reviews matter so much?
Because they shape the business's reputation for the following years. For dive shops in Bali, TripAdvisor is where travellers make their decision. Google reviews exist and are growing, but for a dive trip TripAdvisor currently carries the most weight. Travellers read it on the ferry, at the guesthouse, or the evening before.
A new business starts with zero reviews, which is difficult to sell. Few travellers want to be the first to try a dive centre with no track record, on an island they barely know, when established shops are a short boat ride away. The first reviews therefore carry a weight that later reviews never will.
They also set the tone. If the first fifty or so reviews all describe the same qualities, such as small groups, careful instructors and a friendly team, those qualities become what the business is known for. Later guests arrive expecting them, notice them and mention them again. If the early reviews are mixed, it can take years to raise the average. That is why we consider the first fifty reviews decisive for the following years. This is not a statistic; it is an observation from our own operations.
How can a new business obtain its first reviews?
By asking for them. At the end of a good day, when the guest is satisfied and the dive is still fresh in mind, the request should be made in person. The process should then be as simple as possible: a card with the link, a message with the link, or whatever requires the fewest steps.
Every review, positive or negative, deserves a reply in a natural, professional tone. A calm and specific reply to a negative review often does more for a business than five positive reviews, because the next traveller sees how problems are handled. Replies should never be argumentative, and the same thank-you message should not be copied under every review.
TripAdvisor offers a free set of guides for owners on its TripAdvisor Insights site for businesses. Some of the material is basic, but it is worth an evening for anyone new to managing a listing.
Google reviews also deserve attention. Reviews on a Google My Business listing appear directly on the map, where a person standing in the street with a phone is looking. For a restaurant or a guesthouse, they may already matter more than TripAdvisor, and the trend suggests this will extend to other sectors. Completing that listing properly is a major part of local SEO, and it is free.
Can neighbouring businesses really send guests?
Yes, and this source is often underestimated.
On a small island, many guests never search for a dive shop online. They stay nearby, eat nearby, and someone local tells them where to go. That recommendation comes from a homestay, a nearby restaurant or a scooter rental. Everyone knows everyone, and a recommendation from a local carries more weight than any advertisement.
The first season is therefore built on relationships. On a small island, this is simply how business works. Owners get to know the people around them, send their guests to the neighbouring restaurant, and receive guests in return. Every guest referred in this way must be treated very well, because that person's experience also reflects on the neighbour who made the recommendation.
The same principle applies in any small community: a mountain village, or a lakeside town in Canada. The B&B owner tells guests where to eat; the restaurant tells visitors which trail to take. Businesses in a small area are each other's best marketing. We recommend introducing yourself in person, bringing a business card and becoming a customer of the neighbouring businesses.
Why photograph something every day?
Because each day produces new content that is lost if nobody records it. A dive centre offers something different every day: different divers, different conditions, sometimes a turtle, sometimes a manta, sometimes simply a fine sunset on the way back.
The team therefore photographs everything: the boat, the guests, the staff, the classroom, the island. Most of these photos are unremarkable individually. Together, they build a Facebook and Instagram feed that shows a real, busy and welcoming place, day after day. They also give guests something to tag and share, which feeds directly into word of mouth.
Two recommendations apply to any business. Always ask permission before posting a person's face. And organize the photos from the first day: a season of daily photography produces thousands of images, and the one good shot needed for the website is impossible to find unless the photos are sorted as they are taken.
What matters most in a first season?
Reviews and relationships with neighbours, in roughly equal measure. The website and social media make the rest easier, but they do not replace either one. This assessment comes from an agency whose core business is building websites, which gives it particular weight.
The habit of asking for reviews should begin on the first day, not in the third week. In the rush of opening, asking may feel awkward, but there is no reason for hesitation: the first guests of a new business are often the ones most willing to help it.
The holiday season is beginning and the boats are getting busier. Awards and major press coverage are not yet part of the picture. For a new business, the plan is simple enough to fit on a card: treat guests well, ask for the review, maintain good relationships with neighbours, and take the photo.