Hotel SEO or Hotel Search Engine Optimization
Hotels on the Internet
90% of all search queries are done on the top five search engines of Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, and Ask Jeeves. Google claims they can reach 80% of internet users in the United States through their search engine, search engine partners and their Adwords marketing program. In addition, Google claims they have an 89% satisfaction rating with their users.
Hotel Websites and the SERPs
Google attributes their success to their very secretive and proprietary algorithm which returns relevant results for a search query. While people do not know the formula for this ever changing and elusive algorithm they know the process. There is Panda, Penguin, and others more recently. This is how it works, basically a software program called a robot, web crawler or spider periodically indexes websites by evaluating files and content on your hotels website as well as your competitor sites. When a search query is performed such as Hotel in my town, relevant hotel websites or third party providers that have optimized their site through SEO (search engine optimization) are returned to the user. This page is called the search engine results page or SERP and the goal is to obtain a listing that is on the first page of the natural results, or in newspaper speak “above the fold”. If your hotel website is not there then the OTA’s are or even your competitors website is there. There are no guarantees that your hotels website will appear on the first page but it is worth the effort.
Your Hotel and Internet Marketing
Obtaining “Above the Fold” natural or organic search engine results for your hotel requires an ongoing dynamic combination of coordinated efforts of website development and search engine optimization (SEO). This process requires the technical skills of a webmaster and a technical knowledge with the mind set of a marketer. One skill without the other reduces the effectiveness of an SEO campaign and consequently the end results of reaching potential hotel guests at any point during the buying cycle.
Buying Cycle and Hotel Internet Marketing
There are many theories about online buying cycle behaviors. Search industry experts have identified the following behaviors.
- Awareness
- Interest
- Consideration
- Purchase
- Retention
- Advocacy
If your hotel’s website is not present in the search results display pages at any point during these behaviors you are missing an opportunity to sell sleeping rooms. If your hotel web site is present during these behaviors it can facilitate incremental direct website bookings and improve your electronic REVPAR.
Hotel Online Optimization – Hotel Offline Attribution
Often times hotel guests will book through channels of distributions that they enjoy a comfort level with. For example, a guest reviews the hotels website during the awareness or interest phase of buyer behavior but may book their reservation through a travel agent, directly with the hotel over the phone, or even book with a third party like Expedia, Hotels.com or other third party distribution channels. Some of these channels can be accurately tracked. Tracking for other sources of business may involve reports from the properties PMS. A hotels website that has been optimized using current SEO strategies should realize incremental revenue lifts from all sources.
Hotel search engine optimization services:
- A thorough evaluation of your site as well as your competitor’s web sites.
- An extensive keyword/keyword phrases research relevant to your hotel, demand generators, and competitive set of hotels.
- Develop search engine friendly website or work with your current site.
- Optimize your sites code using best practices to achieve higher rankings.
- Optimize content in your site that is relevant to your hotels market.
- Develop and implement a link building strategy.
- Provide analytics and reports that are important to you.
- Develop a internet marketing plan specifically for your hotel.
Make an investment in your hotels online presence!
Bottom-line is make an investment in your hotels internet marketing strategy. Prepare yourself for success. Take action to level the playing field with your competitors, or get a competitive advantage within your competitive set of hotels by incorporating an internet marketing solution into your overall marketing plan.
Workman_HIMS is a cost effective and affordable hotel internet marketing service that can help you with your hotels online marketing strategy. We can help you get that competitive edge in the competitive online distributions channel.