If you own or manage a tourism website, you should know how important it is to make sure travelers find you on Google. After all, what’s the point of having an awesome website if no one finds it?
That is why it is crucial to improve the SEO of your tourism website to increase online visibility and bookings. In this article, I will introduce you to effective strategies and tips to improve the SEO of your tourism website and increase bookings. Interested? Keep reading!
Why Is Tourism SEO Important?
When travelers search for information and travel plans online, most of them use search engines like Google to find the information they need. In fact, 80% of travelers use online search engines to plan their trips.
Additionally, it is estimated that 57% of online travel bookings are made through organic searches on Google. This means that if your tourism website does not appear in the first search results, you are missing out on a lot of opportunities to attract travelers and increase bookings. I encourage you to read more about this blog here: How To Make A Tourism Marketing Plan
SEO for tourism: What are the benefits?
If you have a business related to tourism, it is important that you pay attention to the benefits that SEO can bring you.
- You increase your web traffic for free: It is logical to think that the more visits your website receives, the greater your results will be. SEO can help you position your content effectively in search engines, which translates into a constant increase in quality traffic.
- You get more direct bookings: If you have a hotel, restaurant, or other tourism business that offers direct bookings, SEO can be your best ally to improve your results. By appearing in the first search results, you will have a better chance of users choosing your business to make their reservations.
- You get more possibilities for improvement: SEO will not only help you improve search engine rankings, but it can also have a positive effect on other areas of your business. For example, it will allow you to improve the writing of your content, your marketing strategies in social networks, and your social ads, among other things.
- Knowing that your website receives a constant stream of visits from potential customers looking for a product or service like yours gives you some peace of mind, don’t you think? SEO can give you the assurance that there will always be potential customers interested in what you have to offer.
5 SEO Strategies For Tourism Websites
1. Don’t Forget The Mobile Factor
Users do not leave their mobile phones even on vacation, in fact, they use it more to search for leisure plans, restaurants, routes, or curiosities of the city they visit. It is very important to keep in mind that smartphones have limitations: the screen is smaller, the charging speed is slower, and it does not have external accessories such as the mouse or the keyboard.
By adapting the web to a Responsive Web Design we will significantly improve the loading time, and the usability of the page for the user, and, therefore, the bounce rate, the permanence time, and the number of visits will decrease.
This implies that if the requirement of improving the user experience is met and we offer them what they want, to a certain extent we will have more options to be better positioned in the SERPs.
2. Bet On Longtail keywords
When doing keyword research to try to position your website, it is recommended that you resort to a longtail strategy. Long-tail keywords are those that are not as competitive; avoid keywords that all your competition is fighting for.
For example: instead of using “hotel in Malaga”, choose something like “hotel in the center of Malaga”. With this strategy, you may think that you are sacrificing search volume, but you will certainly increase your chances of ranking for keywords.
Another example: Imagine that you work in a hotel in Barcelona and you want to offer your rooms. Instead of trying to position yourself for “hotels in Barcelona” you can try to position for “hotels with sea views” which has a good search volume and very little competition.
3. Take Advantage Of Local SEO
Local SEO in a tourism company, especially if you offer your services in a specific city, is vital. If a traveler comes to the area where your business is located during their vacation and searches for “restaurants” and yours doesn’t appear, you will lose opportunities to get new customers. To avoid this, you can register in Google My Business, add your business data and start receiving visits.
In addition, by being registered in Google My Business, customers will be able to leave reviews and help your place not only be better known but also rank better.
4. Create Content Optimized For Search Intent
Content is very important in any strategy, but in the tourism sector, we could say even more so. In addition to helping us position our website, we offer the user quality content that shows that we are a benchmark and, therefore, the service is excellent and personalized.
And what can we talk about in a travel blog? The answer is quite simple, put yourself in the shoes of the tourist, what would you look for? When you are clear, answer these questions by focusing your content strategy on your products.
In the tourism sector, users can have different search intentions, from researching destinations to booking accommodation. For example, if a user searches for “places to visit in Madrid”, you can create an article that offers a list of recommended tourist places to visit in Madrid.
5. Use Quality Links
As we have mentioned before, to be a reference you have to share good content, links are also important for SEO. In tourism, there are multiple links of interest that do not have to be competitive and can complement the tourist service you offer. For example, public transport services, tourist offices, museums, etc.
At the same time, try to get links to increase your popularity. For Google, a website to which many external links or backlinks point, referencing the quality of its content, is synonymous with credibility, which will significantly improve your positioning in the rankings.
Tips To Take Into Account In Your Tourism SEO Strategy
- Reviews and comments are important for the SEO of your website. Encourage reviews and comments from your satisfied customers and respond to negative comments professionally.
- Use social networks: Social networks are an excellent way to promote your tourism business and improve your SEO. Make sure your social media profiles are up to date and that you share content regularly.
- Resort to the uniqueness of your accommodation: Tourists willingly choose non-standard accommodation facilities to experience something new. Sleeping in tipi tents, treehouses, mines or castles is becoming more and more popular.
- Weekend trips are becoming more and more popular, so this segment of tourism will undoubtedly become more important in the coming months. It is worth keeping this trend in mind and adapting it to your marketing and SEO strategies.
- Advertise your sustainable practices: More than a buzzword, it is a win-win for your tourism business, as travelers are increasingly aware of the negative effects that tourism has on the environment. Announcing your sustainable practices can be a differential factor before your competition. However, be careful not to fall for greenwashing.
- In conclusion, SEO can be a great advantage for your tourism business, since it provides you with Google positioning, visits, reservations, income, and, consequently, peace of mind.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What Is SEO Tourism?
Enhancing the volume and excellence of website traffic through natural search engine outcomes is known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
What SEO Strategies Improve In A Website?
SEO strategies are crucial for the success of any website. Here are some effective SEO strategies that can improve your website’s ranking and visibility:
- Keyword research
- On-page optimization
- Link building
- Content creation
- Social media optimization
How Does The Use Of SEO Enable To Increase The Number Of Visitors To A Website?
SEO is essential as it can boost a website’s traffic by improving its ranking on the search engine results page (SERP). A higher ranking can attract more visitors who may turn into potential customers.
What Is The Importance Of SEO In The Tourism Industry?
The objective of SEO is to demonstrate the significance and worth of our product, service, or website in relation to a specific search query, in order to improve our position in search engine results.
Since the travel industry is heavily reliant on online visibility, travel SEO should be a top priority for any travel company aiming to thrive in the digital realm.
Conclusion
In conclusion, SEO can be a great advantage for your tourism business, since it provides you with Google positioning, visits, reservations, income, and, consequently, peace of mind.
Now that you know the benefits that SEO can bring you in tourism, we invite you to train with us in the Master in Tourism Marketing. Sign up and discover the best marketing techniques to attract more customers. We will wait for you!
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