Hotel search marketing is an important tool in attracting new guests and event planners to your property.
NB: This is an article from SocialTables
Google and other search engines now employ sophisticated algorithms that determine search engine rankings. And with websites who make it onto the first page of results receiving nearly 95% of all search traffic, you’ll want your hotel to get on that page.
If you want to maximize your hotel search marketing opportunities you need to take these three steps.
#1: Regularly update your social media sites
Here’s a fact that probably won’t surprise you: people spend more time on social sites than any other websites by a large margin. Often some of the top search results for hotels are social media sites, even above a hotel’s own website.
You need to make sure your hotel social media sites have accurate information, active links, and attractive images of your property. You also need to post regularly to signal to both potential guests, planners, and search engines that you are active on social media.
Keeping your social media sites updated also gives you more chances to interact with guest and potential guests. It is a low-cost way for you to build awareness of your property’s features and special offers.
#2: Leverage customer review sites
Some of the most important factors in search engine placement are strong back links. One of the best ways to get strong back links is to leverage your good reviews on sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor. Make sure you have a branded page on these sites that links back to your hotel’s website.
You can also leverage the power of review sites in your hotel search marketing by actively encouraging guests to leave reviews. The more reviews you have the higher those reviews will show up in search engine results.
When you leverage your reviews you could have your brand website, social media sites, and positive reviews on multiple sites all show up on the first page of a keyword search.
#3: Test out paid ads for greater brand awareness
Organic search engine traffic is a wonderful way to boost your bookings. However, it can take months, or even years, to build up a regular flow of organic traffic. The good news is that you don’t have to wait for your organic traffic to build up. You can start driving traffic to your website and online content right away through paid ads.
Paid ads are a key part of your hotel search marketing strategy. There are hundreds of different types of ads that you can run. The best way to get started is to set a small budget and test what types of ads and approaches work best.
You can run pay-per-click (PPC) ads on search engines and test running ads on different social media channels. You don’t need to run ads everywhere. It is best to start out small until you have a better handle on what is effective. Paid ads can be used to build brand awareness or they can also be used to encourage people to take advantage of a special offer. Paid ads on search engines can also make it look like your hotel ranks higher than it really does in search engine rankings.
Once you have learned what your ideal guests are most likely to respond to, you can use paid ads as a secret weapon to fill vacant rooms, to get the jump on competitors during the busy convention season, or the keep your hotel top of your guests’ minds.
