In an increasingly competitive industry, hotels need to adopt ever more innovative hotel digital marketing techniques. Enter blog hubs. These are ways to organise your content in a user-friendly way that helps both SEO and reader engagement.
In the blog hub model, a single pillar page acts as the central hub, underpinning the central idea of an overarching topic. Then, a selection of other related blog pages link out from the pillar page, like spokes, developing related themes in depth.
This strategic way of producing content, often referred to as topic clusters, is a highly effective way to maximise SEO efforts. It serves to organise your site’s pages, taking on a streamlined, methodised site architecture and helping search engines know that your site is an authority and is relevant for your core audience.
It also helps give your potential customers a better user experience, with a simple interlinked blog structure, that perfectly showcases your brand’s positioning as a trusted expert in your field.
Why blog hubs are essential for hotel SEO success
Blog hubs are a key element of an effective hotel digital marketing strategy, working to help hotels achieve higher search engine response page (SERP) rankings.
Simply including keywords in your content is no longer enough. Search engines need to know that your content has a deep relevance for your audience, and organising informative, SEO-rich content in a ‘nested’ structure makes your site easy to analyse.
When you establish a clear and coherent connection between your content pages, you position yourself as a trusted source of information. Blog hubs help search engines understand the context and relevance of your content, boosting your SERP ranking and increasing your website’s organic traffic. They also provide a richer user experience, with a clear, easy to navigate structure.
A key element of SEO for the hotel industry, blog hubs consist of:
A pillar page focused on a central theme, with a primary keyword.
Cluster pages made up of several interlinked subtopics, each with a specialised focus. By covering an array of related topics within a cluster, hotels can attract diverse search queries from potential guests.
Strategic linking between the pillar page and the cluster pages (and vice versa)
While search engine algorithms constantly evolve, a topic cluster strategy is robust, creating long-term value for hotels.
How hotel marketing blog hubs drive more traffic to hotel websites
Hotel SEO-rich content that is organised in clusters helps to build your hotel’s authority and demonstrate an in-depth knowledge and expertise on a certain subject. This leads to a higher SERP ranking and an ever increasing flow of organic traffic to your hotel website.
And it’s self perpetuating. With a well-structured, informative blog hub, your site will be ranked higher – the higher its ranked, the more visible it will be to your core audience, meaning more targeted visitors; this in turn means an even higher rank, as the more your audience trusts you, the more search engines will trust you.
Examples of an effective blog hub strategy
There are many examples of how leading hotels and boutiques use blog hubs as part of an effective SEO marketing campaign. The likes of Marriott Bonvoy Traveler use a highly effective topic cluster strategy to demonstrate knowledge and authority within its niche. It groups together themes such as road trips, sustainable travel and beach travel, populating them with articles, as well as linking together destination inspiration pieces with more in-depth articles such as interviews with local chefs and locals.
If you’re looking for another example of getting hub content right, The Telegraph’s travel section showcases the travel blog hub model at its finest. Regions are populated with country guides and linking out from them are top tips articles, city guides and other more specialist articles. For example, you can start reading about North America, delve into an article on the perfect states according to science, then find a guide to New York, further articles on where to stay, what to eat and features on how to enjoy the perfect New York weekend.
When it comes to SEO for hotel industry professionals, you don’t need to do anything too complicated. Start off by planning content that could support you and be useful for your readers Here’s an example of a blog hub format you can begin with:
Pillar content – an overarching look at a relevant subject, such as a destination guide
Topic clusters – related subtopics that can interlink with the pillar content
Travel tips for the destination
Pick of luxury hotels within the destination
Hidden gems that you must visit
10 facts about the destination
Things to do for families at the destination
Creating an optimised travel blog hub is a robust, reliable way to increase your visibility with your audience and give them a better user experience, while demonstrating your expertise. Take your hotel marketing strategy and get in touch with Peregryn Agency. Our hotel digital marketing services are designed to help brands reach a wider audience and boost their bottom line.
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