When figuring out SEO for travel companies, it can be a bit confusing. It doesn't have to be. Just put yourself in the mindset of someone planning a trip.
When you’re planning a trip and ask Google about the “top things to do in Atlanta,” you’ll get around 24 million results. The last result on the first page is the only website that isn’t a news or review site publication. Even then, the last result (CityPass as of the time of this publication) is a national brand with the top cities to visit in the USA. What does this mean for your tour or activity company?
It’s simple: It’s highly unlikely you’ll be able to get on the front page of Google. Why?
Let's look at another example. When you’re planning your trip, you search for “hotels in atlanta” to get an idea about what a single night will cost in the city. Again, all of the top results are OTAs until the bottom, where an international brand takes the bottom spot (The Four Seasons for this search). If you’re a boutique hotel, can you afford the ad spend or marketing investment to get to the top and compete?
It’s easier than you think.
SEO 101: How to Choose Your Keyword
SEO can be difficult to keep up with, especially in the highly competitive keyword world of travel. The algorithm is always changing “behind the scenes” and it seems like there’s so much you can’t control.
So, forget about algorithms, the Panda update and other scary terms for just a moment. Here’s the only rule you need to know to understand how to compete in SEO for travel companies: Does the writing on the page answer the traveler’s question?
Many people forget that the purpose of SEO is to make it easier for people on the internet to find the information they’re looking for. All of the “algorithm changes” are to help the reader-not companies.
With the number of voice searches raising daily, those algorithms are looking for more natural sounding language. The way people speak is exactly the way you want to word your website.
It’s also the key to finding the right keyword. You’re not creating a keyword or writing content and then picking the keyword. When you create something that answers a traveler’s question, you’ve taken an important first step. But what does this really mean for you?
Win the SEO Game: Answer Traveler’s Questions
Most likely, your traveler is uninformed about your company. They don’t know your hotel, tour or other travel-related business.
How could they? Most people go on vacation at least 100 miles from home, so there’s no reason for them to have heard about you. When planning their trip or looking for inspiration for their trip, they have questions. A lot of them.
You can show up in those first searches when you answer those questions. The purpose of SEO is to tell the search engines what your page is about. This way, the computer looks at what you say the content of your page is and matches it to what someone is searching for.
What questions should you answer?
Don't let your guests get lost. Help answer their questions.
SEO Extra Credit: Long-Tail Keywords
Remember, everything you optimize your site for should help the website visitor. If you already have guests or customers using your travel business, then you have a great starting point. Answer the easy questions first.
- Where are you located? Even if you operate in multiple cities, this is still an important question to answer. If someone can’t find your location easily, they definitely won’t consider you as a place to stay or a company to use for a tour.
- Why do most tourists go there? If you’re near or collaborate with a popular tourist attraction, let your future guests know about it! Many travelers consider several factors when choosing a hotel, including how close it is to the things they want to do.
- What is your most popular tour? Why? If most of your customers choose one tour over another, highlight that on your website. Explain why it’s a popular tour and you’ll be answering other questions your website visitors might have.
- What’s the most common activity your guests take part in? If the top activity in your area is hiking a vigorous trail and the majority of your guests are families with small children who don’t like that type of activity, it’s not the group you want to reach. So, what is the most common type of traveler your particular company gets? You can have more than one but pick your top three.
- Now, what interests those travelers? You’re writing for the people and guests you serve. No one else. What you have to say will interest people outside of that group and they will still visit. If they’re not your ideal customer or best spenders though, you don’t want to devote too much time to drawing them in.
Create Valuable Content that Answers Traveler’s Questions
Now that you’ve chosen the top few questions your guests ask, create content around those questions. You can maintain a blog or permanent pages. I’d recommend you use both, as another part of SEO is how often a site is updated. A blog is a simple way to update your site without changing your regular pages.
You can use your normal web pages to answer questions about your location, your rooms and other information that won’t change. For your blog, answer the more detailed questions about activities or special events in your area.
Don’t create pages or a blog post that are too short, though. These need to be long enough they give a great answer and short enough people read them. If someone is just browsing for ideas, they’re not going to read a 1000-word blog post. They might skim it though.
So, your SEO crash course for travel companies is simple: Always answer your guests’ questions. There are other things you can worry about, but the most important is to create content your guests are actually looking for. Take their top questions and create valuable content.
How do you create great blog post? Download your FREE copy of the 5 Point Checklist for Blogs that Convert below.
