As 2017 winds down, it is important to reflect on all the digital marketing changes that have occurred this past year in the hospitality space. From the increase in mobile utilization to the rollout of artificial intelligence devices, 2017 brought us many changes in how we approach our marketing efforts.
Going into 2018, we anticipate even more changes with newer technologies and methodologies that will be introduced. As such, we believe there are five digital marketing trends that stick out the most for hotels in 2018.
SEO Emphasis on User Experience
Website user experience (UX) is not only a vital contributor to a hotel’s success when it comes to generating bookings, but it also has a big impact on SEO. Google has established that quality user experiences on websites will heavily influence search rankings throughout 2018. As such, good or poor user experiences on your site will have the power to sway where your site falls on the search results page, as well as how much organic traffic will be funneled to your site.
There’s no time like the present to speak with your digital agency partners about enhancing the UX on your website, especially if your website is a few years old or contains any potential UX roadblocks. Your SEO’s will likely already be aware of these hangups and can provide you with valuable insight on how to improve. We know our team will be initiating this conversation with our hotel partners.
Content is Still King
As we move into 2018, content creation will continue to dominate the digital marketing conversation surrounding hotels. We’ve witnessed the rise of content over the past few years, and 2018 will be no different. Next year will bring even more diversification in content creation, as marketers generate not only new content types but also new approaches to content distribution.
