With paid Google ads taking up a large proportion of ‘above the fold’ space on desktop and all of what is immediately visible on mobile, having a high ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs), is more important than ever.
In spite of Google’s determination to make paid advertising dominate, organic traffic is still the main driver in e-commerce for hotels. Last year we were discussing how the traffic landscape was shifting for hotels – while traffic was shifting towards paid listings, engagement and conversion rates were growing. This year our client data-set is still showing organic traffic outperforming all other channels in terms of revenue.
Google now show 3 to 4 adverts, followed by an interactive map with several Google Hotel Ads listings, before organic results appear much further down the page. Many users aren’t aware of the difference between the Google ad listings and regular organic results.
According to Google, we crossed the ‘Mobile Tipping Point’ back in 2015 when more people made searches on their mobile over their desktop. Our own client data here at Net Affinity shows mobile searches reaching nearly 60% of total website visits for the first half of 2017. With the smaller screen-size, organic results are shown much further down below the fold on mobile, making it even more vital to position yourself highly.
There are many SEO practices and tips but here are just 4 from the latest algorithm updates to optimise your hotel website’s ranking.
So, what can every hotelier implement to rank higher on organic search results on Google both today and for improvements scheduled in the near future?
Be Mobile Friendly
Google is a constantly evolving animal and you must play by their rules, so keeping abreast of the latest Google algorithms is essential to get the top spot on the SERP’s.
