As any successful hotel marketer knows, creating an engaging blog is critical to success. Yet writing blog posts is not as easy as simply typing willy-nilly then publishing your unedited thoughts. If you want to attract relevant web traffic and keep the SEO bots satisfied, you’ll need a better plan.
While it’s a cliché, we have to agree that quality trumps quantity. At the same time, most hotel marketers don’t have the luxury of simply sitting around and waiting for the next ingenious idea to strike.
If writing isn’t your strong suit, then creating and updating blog content can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. While we are all for breaking the content mould on occasion, we can also see the value of certain tried-and-tested formats that can help you come up with ideas for your hotel blog.
Whether you’re looking for inspiration for your next post or for new formats to shake up your hotel blog, here are 10 types of posts that help increase web traffic.
1. The list
These are everywhere on the web and for good reason. They streamline information into an irresistible, easy-to-read package and, as it turns out, we’re actually hardwired to like them. Some naysayers claim the format has been done to death, but audiences don’t lie, and as BuzzFeed’s impressive readership stats attest, this type of post remains as effective as ever.
In case you’ve been living under a rock, here are some examples of the unstoppable list post; this one from Lošinj Hotels & Villas lists ‘Four Ways to get in Shape at the Vitality Hotel Punta’ and this one from Boutiquehotel Stadthalle in Vienna offers ‘Five Tips to go Green’.
2. Thesis with expert opinion
The key to a good thesis post is knowledge. You have to offer a theory that challenges the status quo and then, most importantly, back it up. What’s best about this type of article is that they tend to have legs and can attract new readers long after they’re first published. Here, Mr and Mrs Smith make a case as to why Copenhagen is cool again.
3. Topical post
A topical post requires you to have your finger on the pulse. You don’t necessarily have to report on breaking travel news stories; there are other ways to create timely content.
