Is your hotel taking advantage of local SEO tactics to drive more bookings and traffic?
Hotels thrive on physical traffic, but they also need an online presence to increase bookings. Having a hotel website will not achieve anything if potential clients cannot find it.
Therefore, you can improve your online presence through Google Ads, having your hotel listed on comparison sites, hiring an SEO agency, or by working on the hotel’s SEO by yourself. While the basic SEO focuses on keywords and link building to generate leads, it may not be effective in the hotel industry.
Local SEO narrows down your content to a target audience in a specific location. For instance, if you search for a general term like boutique hotels, you will find millions of results, most of which are irrelevant. However, if you narrow your search to restaurants in your location, you will get more specific results.
Here are tips suggested by Noria, a Brisbane based online marketing agency to help you attract more traffic and convert the searches to hotels guests:
Take Advantage of Google My Business Listing
When looking for accommodations, search engine users include location in the search phrase. Google will use Map Pack results to provide the best hotels in the area requested.
As a digital marketer, you need to ensure your hotel appears on Google’s My Business listing. It is vital to have an up-to-date and verified GMB listing with contact information and a map of your hotel. You should also upload high-quality images to increase clicks and bookings. Upload all the required information and include guest reviews.
Post Localised Content
Regular blog posts to your website will let the users know that your website is active. However, if you want to increase bookings, your content should educate people about the local community. Many visitors want to know activities that go on around the location they are visiting.
Create content on the festivals going on in the area, and exciting places to visit, like museums and tourist attractions. Providing all the relevant information about the hotel area ensures your web visitors do not leave your site, which makes them more likely to book your hotel.
Keyword Research
Which keyword phrases is your target audience using when looking for accommodation? Once you have a list of these keywords, find out their search volumes. You can also look for your competitor’s keyword selection. However, ensure long-tail keywords are part of your collection. They rank better than short keywords. Use the selected keywords to optimize your website and improve ranking.
Use Meta Titles and Meta Descriptions
With online marketing, your brand name should not be the focus. Few people are likely to search for the name of your hotel when looking for accommodation.
Therefore, to increase your online traffic, you need to optimize your meta titles and meta descriptions. Your title tags should focus on what your business is offering instead of the name. Meta descriptions will determine whether a user will read the content on your site.
Optimize Your Website’s Speed
After all the hard work to attract traffic, it would be a shame if users abandoned your page due to speed. Make the booking process seamless by directing visitors using calls-to-actions and ensure the website loads fast. Your contact forms should also have fewer fields to avoid high abandonment rates. Your visitors are also likely to search for results on their mobile phones. Therefore, your site should be optimized for mobile and load in less than three seconds.
Grasping local SEO for hotels is challenging since the users’ behavior is continuously changing, not to mention the constant Google updates. It can feel like you are always chasing a new trend. However, local SEO tactics have a long-term impact on the success of your hotel.
We are in this together!
I need to let you all know that we are in on this together. If you need to vent, talk, cry, or just have some to talk with then I am here listening. Since I am working part-time at the local Kroger, I will to the best of my ability to work it out around my schedule.
But you can reach me here:
Email: hotelblogger@aremorch.com
Also, join us at our Facebook Group – Hotel Social Media Community
We will get through this unprecedented event together! #hotelstrong #hospitalitystrong
For any specific information on COVID-19, I recommend go to CDC, WHO, AHLA, AAHOA, and HSMAI. Also, follow information from your local authorities.
NOTE
We are starting to reopen some hotels again (Yay!!!). Make sure you follow their guidelines and say THANK YOU to those that now show a unique spirit to serve, and helps us all get through this!! #hotelstrong #hospitalitystrong
About Are Morch
Hi, I am Are Morch. Your Digital Marketing Coach and Customer Experience Expert specializes in creating effective digital customer experience offer for hotels while growing and scale customer acquisition and revenue.
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