Founded in 1983, Kayak Adventures Worldwide provides educational and environmentally friendly sea kayaking tours of Resurrection Bay and the Kenai Fjords National Park in southern Alaska. Trent Gould took over from the previous owners in 2014, after working for them for two years as a guide and manager. With many competing kayaking companies in the Seward area, he wanted to do more than simply escort customers out onto the water. He also wanted to connect them to the environment. “We hold the key to something really special. I can make a difference in this world by getting people outside.”
“We get an amazing amount of guests from just online in general.”
Trent Gould, Owner
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Nearly all of Kayak Adventures’ customers find them through the internet, so Trent turns to Google products to optimize their online presence. Google Search Console helps him monitor the website in search results and Google Analytics gives him insight into how visitors are interacting with the site. When Google Analytics showed that he was losing one-third of potential visitors to his site because it wasn’t mobile-optimized, he created a mobile-friendly site and saw his bounce rate drop significantly. “With these tools I can really get a sense of how the business is doing and what’s going on,” Trent says. “I can make sure that our website is giving our clients the information that they need.” He also depends on his Google My Business listing to allow guests to easily read reviews, get directions and view photos. He uses YouTube videos to illustrate the beauty of their tours. And Gmail makes it easy for him to respond to an email from anywhere.
Kayak Adventures Worldwide has four employees, plus 10 seasonal guides.
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“As a small business owner, time is really important to me,” he says. “There are so many things to do, it’s easy to lose track. Google makes it really easy.” Making it easier for Trent to run his business means he can spend more time making a positive impact and doing the things he loves. “We hope our guests go back home, wherever they’re from, and continue to play outside and build this relationship with our environment. We want to reclaim an active stewardship, and take really good care of the environment.”
For more information on the Kayak Adventures Worldwide case study, visit https://economicimpact.google.com.
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