Search engine optimization (SEO) should be a go-to strategy for hotel marketing, especially to increase direct bookings – but it isn’t.
NB: This is an article from CartStack
When scored against SEO best practices, a recent report by three&six found that hotel websites achieved a rank of just 58.3% on average. To put this into perspective, the top Google search results under the search term “best hotel in New York City” aren’t hotel websites, or even websites related to the hotel industry.
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Instead, the top search engine results pages (SERPs) are filled with blog articles from publications like Forbes, CN Traveller, and Vogue.
Finally, on page five of the search results, I found a landing page from IHG Hotels & Resorts. Now tell me, how many travelers are willing to click through five pages of search results on Google? Few – if any at all.
This demonstrates why online travel agencies (OTAs) have such a stranglehold over hotel bookings, as their pages often secure the top spots on SERPs. However, with more than half of all travel bookings being made online, it’s crucial for your hotel website to pull its weight in the digital bookings landscape.
Key Components of Hotel SEO
Keyword Research and Targeting
Understanding the specific terms and phrases that potential guests use when searching for hotels is crucial. Keyword research involves identifying relevant keywords and incorporating them strategically into website content, including titles, headings, meta tags, and descriptions.
On-site Optimization Techniques
This refers to optimizing various elements on your hotel’s website to improve its visibility to search engines. It includes optimizing page titles, meta descriptions, URL structures, headings, and content. Additionally, optimizing website loading speed and ensuring mobile responsiveness are essential factors for both user experience and search engine rankings.
Content Creation
Creating high-quality, relevant, and engaging content is vital for hotel SEO. Hotels can optimize their websites by regularly publishing blog posts, articles, destination guides, and other valuable content that appeals to their target audience. This not only helps with organic search visibility but also establishes your hotel as an authority in the industry.
Local SEO
Given the importance of location for hotels, local SEO is crucial. It involves optimizing your hotel’s online presence for local search queries, such as “hotels in [city].” This includes creating and optimizing a Google My Business listing, ensuring consistent and accurate business information across online directories, and obtaining positive reviews from guests.
Link Building Strategies
Link building, more commonly referred to as backlinking, is the process of obtaining links from external websites in order to direct users to your hotel’s website. Attracting external links from reputable websites increases your authority and credibility in the eyes of search engines. Websites with a large number of backlinks are more likely to reach the first page of search results.
