It’s been a tough couple of years for the hotel industry.
With international travel on hold, hoteliers have faced significant financial difficulties.
It sure feels like we’ve been treading water since early 2020, but we now need to look beyond the pandemic and prepare to hit the ground running when normality kicks back in.
That time is closer than you think. So how do you plan to maximize your occupancy and make up for a lost time? Shaping your marketing strategy now will ensure you’re ahead of the game in the post-pandemic era.
Recent surveys indicate that travelers planning to travel in 2022 exceed that in 2019. People are hungry for adventure. With over 90% of people using search engines to map out their travel plans, here are five SEO strategies to make sure they find you first.
1. Update Your Keywords
The pandemic has been a driving force behind major shifts in consumer behavior.
The keywords and phrases you used in 2019 may no longer be relevant.
Keywords are the terms your audience searches for and gives you words and phrases to structure your content around. As it’s best practice to base your keywords on user intent, it’s a good time to update or add keywords to include what guests want in a hotel in 2022.
Searchers are now including terms like “COVID precautions”, “cancellation policies”, and “contactless service” in their search phrases. Travel is not like it was in 2019, but more people than ever are researching their holidays online.
Grow your keyword list to reflect the searches of post-pandemic travelers.
2. Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
Local SEO methods emphasize your location, improving your search ranking for hotels in your region.
With limitations around COVID-19, we’ve seen increases in searches for “hotels near me”.
If your site isn’t optimized for local SEO, you won’t show in the top results for these kinds of terms.
You’ll no doubt have a Google My Business listing (if not, get onto it right away!). It’s crucial to optimize your listing and appeal to the many searchers planning their impending travels.
Here’s what you can do:
- Update your images
- Respond to reviews
- Publish regular updates and promotions
- Add room rates and booking buttons
- Include keywords in your description
- Answer questions
- Provide useful information
Optimizing your Google My Business listing increases your chance of showing up for a broader range of search inquiries. If you’ve ever wondered why businesses appear in the boxed area at the top of search results, this is how.
3. Update Your On-Site SEO
Your website is your best sales tool. This is where you can influence potential guests to book with you, not your competitors. Optimizing your hotel’s website enhances your customer experience and heightens your chances of new and repeat bookings.
Improve Existing Content
Your website’s on-page copy and blog section are where most of your customer engagement takes place.
Use your content to increase the time spent on your website. This will signal to search engines that your site boasts strong engagement, helping you outrank your competitors and increase new bookings.
After the past two years, your content could do with a refresh. Incorporate your new keywords and share in your travelers’ excitement. It’s a good time to ramp up your emotive writing, assuring guests you’ll provide them with an unforgettable experience.
Optimize Images
Don’t overlook the smaller details that have a big impact on SEO.
Optimizing images is easy and goes a long way in speeding up your website and helping it rank for your chosen search terms.
Size: Make sure your images are compressed and consistent in size. Images are major culprits for slow page loading times. If your site is struggling with speed, resize your images to rectify this.
Alt-tags: Alt-tags is a text alternative to an image. These should describe the image and provide search engines with the correct information to index your page correctly.
File names: Always customize your filenames. Google likes SEO-friendly filename structures as they provide a better user experience. The more you can please search engines, the better your search ranking potential!
Create new content
Your customers’ pain points have changed. The pandemic has made many rethink the way they travel, placing health and perceived risk at the top of their list of priorities.
The emphasis is now on staying as healthy as possible while traveling for business or leisure.
Create new content that reassures your guests that you take their well-being seriously and the measures in place to protect them.
Content adapts to customer behavior, making it an ever-evolving element of your SEO strategy. However, the more potential guests you can appeal to, the more bookings you’ll see in the post-pandemic era.
4. Optimize For Mobile
Over 70% of people research travel plans on their smartphones.
Make sure your website is optimized for mobile to ensure you’re reaching this large share of the market.
Google switched to mobile-first indexing in 2019, meaning the search giant looks to your mobile version first to determine your search ranking.
Take a good look at your mobile version and make sure it’s user-friendly. This is where most of your customers will find you, so make sure you provide a good experience that motivates them to book with you.
5. Build Great Landing Pages
Landing pages are one of the most effective ways to boost your direct bookings. A landing page is a single web page that appears when someone clicks a search result, social media campaign, or email promotion. This gets your visitors to “land” exactly where you want them, rather than sending them to the home page every time.
If your conversion rate is looking a little grim, it could be down to your lack of customer outreach and landing pages. Connect with your customers through social media and email and direct them to the page that suits their needs.
To get those direct bookings up as quickly as possible, tap into your customer database and develop a strategic email marketing campaign. Talk to your ideal guest, send targeted offers, and direct them to the landing page that promises the benefit they’re looking for.
Set yourself up for a successful comeback
After two years of uncertainty, the future of hospitality is looking bright.
The question is, are you ready to put your best foot forward?
Potential guests are searching for their ideal getaway, but their needs have changed. Adjust your current SEO techniques to appeal to the searchers of 2022 and be the accommodation provider your guests are looking for.
Get ready for the post-pandemic era with a solid digital marketing strategy. For industry-specific ideas and coaching, contact me at: hotelblogger@aremorch.com
Read more: The ultimate hotel’s operations management guide
Over to you
The hotel industry is always changing, especially during a time of crisis. Make sure to future-proof your business and continue attracting new guests by investing in these solutions.
Ready to take your hotels digital transformation to a new level?
Hire a digital transformation coach for a new and bright future!
Related article: Best SEO Techniques to Rank on the Top Page of Google in the Hotel Industry
Where to reach me
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 going to CDC, WHO, AHLA, AAHOA, and HSMAI. Also, follow information from your local authorities.
NOTE
The hotel industry still is facing some uphill challenges. Make sure you follow their guidelines and say THANK YOU to those that now show a unique spirit to serve, and help us all get through this!! #hotelstrong #hospitalitystrong
About Are Morch
Hi, I am Are Morch. Your Digital Transformation Coach helps hotels create unique and unexpected experiences by freeing up resources to focus on new ideas through value innovation and a growth mindset.
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