Keyword research for hotels is the backbone of any hotel SEO strategy.

NB: This is an article from Travelboom

Ranking for the right keywords can greatly impact a hotel’s success, but choosing the right keywords to target can be tricky. Here are some keyword research tips to help you identify the right keywords to use on your hotel website:

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1. Identify Keyword Opportunities

There are plenty of tools out there to help with keyword research. Here at TravelBoom we like to use multiple keyword research tools when we begin the research phase. Some of the tools we use are:

Search Volume and Competitor Data:

Free Search Volume Tools:

Google SERPs:

  • Related searches (variations of keywords in Google’s search bar)
  • People also ask (questions people are searching pertaining to a particular topic)
  • Featured snippets (answer boxes at the top of the search results page)
  • People also search for (similar to related searches)

Other Free Helpful Tools:

  • AnswerThePublic (for brainstorming and questions people may be asking pertaining to a particular topic)
  • Google Trends (trends for keywords over time)

To begin your keyword research it helps to start with broad terms like “[city name] hotels” or “hotels in [city name]”.

Then find major venues, attractions and events that happen near your hotel, such as “hotels near [venue]” or “hotels near [event name]”.

You also want to determine what your hotel’s differentiators are. For example, if your hotel offers 2 bedroom suites, or pet friendly accommodations you can choose “2 bedroom suites in [city name]”, or “pet friendly hotels in [city name]”. You should also identify keywords with amenities that your hotel offers, like “hotels with [amenity]”.

This should give you a pretty solid list of hotel keywords to start with. Begin by plugging those variations into tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Moz Keyword Explorer to determine keyword competition and search volume, as well as keyword variants you may not have thought about.

Moz keyword explorer tool
Moz Keyword Explorer details monthly keyword volume and related keywords upon an initial search for a particular keyword.

If you’re optimizing an older hotel website, it helps to review the website’s Google Search Console account. Here, you’ll be able to identify keywords that your website already ranks for organically, and drives organic traffic and impressions. That way you quickly have a basis of what is already working for your website and can make a plan to optimize further.

Read rest of the article from Travelboom