Optimising your hotel's online visibility: A guide to keyword strategy to build organic traffic

An effective SEO strategy helps you drive your website to the top of search engine results pages (SERPs), while utilising the right keywords brings premium traffic to your website – customers towards the end of the sales funnel who are ready to book a stay at your hotel. 

So, how do you implement organic SEO elements to boost your digital presence and stand out in a crowded market? 

Let’s take a look

The value of organic traffic

Many companies take the paid search option to drive traffic – they’re the ones with ‘sponsored’ written next to their search entry at the top of the search results page. But the cost of these pay-per-click ads can add up, and they are inefficient when it comes to competing with big companies that have big budgets. Finally, the minute you stop advertising, you’ll also see a drop in traffic to your website.

When it comes to effective SEO for the hotel industry, organic traffic is like digital gold for emerging companies. It is free and driven by the topics that your audience is searching for. They are looking for specific needs or solutions to their problems, and when your website ranks highly and uses keywords that your brand is known for by search engines, your brand will be presented as the provider of a product or solution they need.

This is a way to reach people who may not have heard of your brand before and increase brand awareness. Organic website traffic is also scalable, meaning it has the potential to steadily grow with more SEO-optimized content, helping you reach a larger audience.

Building a Keywords strategy

To build a keyword research strategy, you first need to identify your core audience. Are you targeting luxury travellers? Families? Or maybe solo adventurers, or young couples with lots of disposable income.

Keywords are terms that your audience frequently searches for and the main concepts that your hotel offers - it can be one or two words. Long-tail keywords are phrases that are more specific, and typically longer. They normally have a lower search volume because they are more niche, but this also means they tend to have a higher conversion rate, as they are targeted, and you are answering a very specific customer query. 

They also have a lower competition, and because fewer companies are using them, you have more chance of ranking in search engine results for those phrases. 

Consider using the ‘autocomplete’ and ‘people also ask’ features on Google Search as an initial way to find longer phrases and other ways people might search for your services. You could also consider using a keyword research apps or programs to find niche keywords.

However, some of these apps and programs can be costly and difficult to implement, making it more beneficial to seek assistance from an SEO content agency. They can conduct thorough research for the SEO strategy and incorporate relevant keywords into the content they create.

Please refine your list of keywords by selecting specific ones that are relevant to the hotel industry, target country, and editorial perspective on how you target user research and their needs. It is recommended to aim for a balance between high search volume (100 or more) and a reasonable keyword difficulty. This difficulty is an estimate of how challenging it will be to rank for that particular phrase on search engines. A score of 0-10 can be managed with an entry-level SEO strategy, while 20-40 may require a well-planned approach to building your authority and ranking online.

Keyword implementation

Well-written and properly implemented keyword-rich content is highly valuable for hotel websites, as they are constantly competing against online travel agents (OTAs) and online magazines and bloggers to be on first pages to achieve direct bookings. To execute a successful keyword strategy, you must first target each page by assigning a primary keyword. This should be followed by optimizing your content to align with the chosen primary keyword.

Secondly, you’ll need some light keyword sprinkling. This requires a subtle touch and involves integrating keywords evenly throughout the content. Keyword stuffing, (using as many as possible in a short space), is easily picked up and subsequently rejected by search engines. Smoothly include your keywords in headings, subheadings, and your content.

When it comes to SEO for hotel brands, taking a strategic approach to keyword research can improve your organic SEO. These keywords can shape your content and attract more targeted traffic to your site. If you are unsure of how to begin, contact Peregryn SEO Travel agency today and let our expert team drive sustainable and organic growth.

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