Hotel and resort marketers possess an array of tools at their disposal for attracting new guests, with organic search being one such element of their marketing mix.
Encourage guests to share their experience at your property via social media; this will build engagement while acting as an SEO growth spurt.
1. Backlinks
SEO (search engine optimization) is an integral component of any hotel’s digital marketing strategy. SEO works by optimizing various elements of a website such as its content, HTML structure and page title tags to increase search engine indexing and boost visibility; however with so many changes happening regularly with Google’s algorithm updates it can be challenging to stay abreast of current trends and best practices.
Hotels should focus on building high-quality backlinks from relevant sources to attract high-quality backlinks known as link equity or “link juice.” Backlinks play an essential role in determining a website’s rank on SERPs; high-quality contextual backlinks can dramatically boost its rank, visibility and credibility in search engines.
Hotels and travel companies rely heavily on local audiences to visit their websites and book rooms, so creating content that engages both informative and engaging is key to drawing in visitors. By performing keyword research, hotels can develop relevant material that aligns with target audiences’ needs and search terms – then incorporate that content into titles, headings and body copy for enhanced search engine optimization.
By engaging in collaborations and building relationships that attract backlinks from trusted sources, hotels can optimize their rankings on search engine result pages (SERPs) and grow organically. This synergistic relationship between backlinks and Google rankings is especially critical in tourism-based industries where visibility and credibility are integral for drawing travelers in.
Although it’s essential to understand the impact of backlinks, it’s equally as essential to comprehend their limitations. Contrary to popular belief, backlinks do not serve as an accurate barometer of website quality or relevance; rather they are one factor among others that influence SERP ranking – for instance a website dedicated to orphaned kittens would receive greater credit from search engines than one focused on car racing – similarly for online business practices such as quality/authority link profile comparisons between sites.
2. Engagement
Engagement is one of the best ways to boost SEO on any website, as more likes, shares and views indicate to search engines that content provided is valuable for its intended audiences and that search engines reward websites with high engagement with higher visibility in SERPs.
Social media can be an extremely effective tool for increasing engagement. Not only can it share valuable content, but also generate dialogue on industry news or trends. By hosting online discussions or simply posting news articles that interest your target audience, these strategies will increase likes and reposts – leading to more organic traffic and an improved SERP ranking for your hotel’s page.
Google is beginning to recognize social media as an invaluable source of information, demonstrating their shift toward considering it as part of organic search results.
As with anything related to SEO and social signals, it’s essential not to conflate correlation with causation. Studies have confirmed a direct relationship between social media activity of businesses and their rankings for certain keywords on search engines; however, its true impact remains unknow.
Remember that your hotel website and content remain the cornerstone of its ranking in SERPs. Optimizing content while making sure keywords match with what people are searching for are both key components to successful SERP optimization and ranking in search results pages (SERPSs). That is why having an integrated marketing strategy that encompasses SEO, PPC and social media strategies is so essential.
Optimizing your website SEO is crucial to driving bookings and optimizing the return on investment of your marketing dollars. Search engine optimization involves cleaning and organizing your site so it’s easier for search engines like Google to index it – with higher SERP rankings coming with increased chance of guest notice! Therefore it is vital that you optimize your website to stay ahead of industry best practices by regularly optimizing it with new strategies.
3. Social media reputation
Social media presence can help your hotel to establish trust among customers while keeping an eye on competitors’ activities, helping you to create highly targeted marketing campaigns. It’s important to note, though, that not all social media platforms offer equal potential for business growth; therefore it is crucial that you select channels appropriate to your hospitality business.
Social media influencers are an ideal way to promote your hotel brand on social media. By choosing influencers who mirror the values and reach of your hotel brand, influencers can help increase brand recognition while simultaneously drawing new customers in. In addition, influencers provide invaluable customer service – quickly responding to any complaints or inquiries related to services provided.
One effective strategy for marketing your hotel on social media is sharing high-quality posts, videos and images such as blog posts, videos and photos to increase engagement with your audience and encourage them to visit your website. Furthermore, using search functions on each platform to optimize hotel listings will ensure your hotel appears among the first search results when people search nearby accommodations.
Last but not least, it’s essential that your hotel keeps track of its social media successes by tracking conversion rates. To do this, look at how many visitors visit your website versus bookings; an ideal scenario would be an increased conversion rate that means more of your traffic is becoming reservations.
As previously discussed, social media can make an incredible difference to your hotel’s SEO. If your organic traffic has seen an uptick due to social media efforts, that may well be why.
4. Local listings
Local listings (sometimes referred to as local citations or NAP) are mentions of your hotel business across multiple online platforms like Google, Bing, Facebook, Yelp and Apple Maps that contain its name, address and phone number. Hoteliers know they’re an invaluable tool as search engines use them to provide more relevant results when users search for businesses near them; in turn this increases how prominently listed hotels appear on search engine result pages (SERPs); with complete and accurate listings featuring prominently in what’s known as the Local 3-Pack which features at the top of search results containing only relevant local businesses containing 3 businesses displayed at once!
Local listings not only allow search engines to display your hotel in the Local Pack, but can also boost SEO by providing more in-depth details of your services and offerings. This can help customers determine whether your hotel meets their needs before clicking through to it, which increases booking chances. Furthermore, many listing websites include customer reviews that help build trust between businesses in your community and customers who may book directly with you.
To maximize the benefits of local listings, it is vital that all information listed is accurate and consistent across all listings and aggregators. This includes your business name, address and phone number (NAP), as well as links to your website and relevant location-based keywords in descriptions; using tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs will allow you to uncover valuable keyword suggestions, search volumes and competition.
By making sure that your local listings are updated and optimized, you can significantly boost the SEO and bookings for your hotel! For more information about optimizing local listings, check out our free Local Listings Optimization Guide or take a look at our comprehensive local SEO service for hotels which combines manual claiming of listings with tracking aggregators to guarantee accuracy.