Tips to reach the top of search engine results.
Introduction
The intention of this guide for the hospitality industry on how to position yourself online is to provide all the necessary information so that you don't go unnoticed on the web. Learn everything from its importance to the necessary tips to reach the top spots in search engine results.
SEO Positioning
It is of utmost importance to understand what SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is. This refers to all measures taken to optimize any website so that it can be displayed in the top positions of search engine results. For anyone concerned about the future of their business, it is always best to keep SEO in mind. This is the only tool that can offer you:
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Stability over long periods.
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An economical customer acquisition cost, unique in the entire market.
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Decrease in paid advertising investment.
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SEO will not disappear over time, as its operating conditions do not vary.
What is On-Page SEO?
On-Page SEO is precisely that: all the optimization you can give to your site directly on the page. You will work on all the content you want to appear in the top positions of search engine results.
Importance of Online Positioning
The importance of online positioning is generated by various aspects, such as:
The Choice
If you want to be the choice of travelers, you should know that online positioning, when done well, helps maintain results in the medium and long term. This means you will continue to grow even after investing in it.
Stability
Similar to the previous point, SEO is a good choice when it comes to generating stability for your business. We all know that, in business, surprises are rarely allowed, as are unexpected surcharges. And we are precisely looking to protect ourselves from them!
It is necessary for you to know how long you should wait for potential guests to reach you, how many there will be, and the cost involved in acquiring them. Likewise, it is essential to know the processes or strategies planned for peace of mind at each step of that process.
This is why, now that you know your objective and the path to achieve it, you must ensure you acquire good SEO. The future of your hotel's online positioning will not only be secure, but it will be many times more profitable than you imagined. It's the right decision!
Why is the stability provided by SEO fundamental to your business?
It's simple. It is essential to have a stable business because, in this way, you will be able to reach new potential guests each month who will be interested in the products or services you have to offer. But don't think it will be that easy; for everything to fit perfectly, there will have to be some investments in advertising. All in favor of Google trusting your website, and continuing to work on SEO, so that your positions remain stable.
You'll be on the map for potential guests for a good while!
Growth
Anyone looking for an improvement in their business should bet on SEO. The exponential growth of your business will become more pronounced over time. You'll know you're at the top when you lead Google and other search engine results. SEO work will give you visibility and draw attention to you in a very economical way. It's worth noting that it's at least 7 times cheaper than paid advertising on Facebook, and up to 10 times cheaper than Google Ads.
Popularity
Believe it or not, online positioning, in the long term, has the ability to create brand reputation. On the internet, only one side of what truly exists will be reflected; if you manage to position yourself, the client will keep you in mind at all times.
Importance of Positioning for the Hospitality Industry
A hotel is a business like any other, but it is important for them to remain positioned. This will help, among other things, ensure that some of the techniques to attract guests can achieve the success they expect. For example, the following:
SEO Positioning
To reach future guests in the way hotels desire, it is necessary to have a website solely about the services offered. But not only that, it must be equipped, in all its content, with the powerful tool of SEO to succeed.
For a hotel to be positioned thanks to SEO is important to avoid extinction. Even years after having made that investment, the fruits can be reaped if there is a stable platform that attracts new guests now and then. It's like never stopping repeating the commercial during a soccer game.
Social Media
We are in an era where being present on social media is synonymous with existing. But how can we do it? Because simply creating a page is not enough to attract potential guests to you and, of course, redirect them to your company's website.
Online positioning can also be worked on towards social media, which today are perhaps the most attractive communication channel hotels have with their potential guests. The traffic they provide is truly significant, which helps revenue and results continue over time. Besides, popularity is known to be of great importance when considering an option based on others' opinions. That's why many users read reviews on websites like TripAdvisor, or on social media, before making a reservation. It's best to be present!
Tourists No Longer Research Their Trips as Before
It is understood that before, it was enough to have an advertisement on a radio, television, or newspaper to attract potential guests to purchase your products or services. But that is something that has changed over time, especially concerning travel and stays. People don't want something that leaves them unfinished. They want to get all the information upfront and, if possible, make a reservation immediately. "Call now" no longer works. And that is something that is avoided with online positioning. The potential guest will simply get all the information you have for them right away, and this is truly good for helping them make a quick decision. That way, they can decide on the spot if it's something that interests them.
Advantages of Good Positioning
Attraction of Qualified Traffic
When we talk about correct online positioning, we are not just referring to attracting anyone to your website, but to potential guests. There's no point in having 10 users visit your site if none of them decide to purchase the service or product you offer.
This is because you will only reach people who are looking for a service or product that matches your characteristics. Although it's impossible to promise that all 10 will acquire it, there is a higher probability of gaining new guests over an extended period.
Long-Term Positioning
One of the advantages of online positioning is that, if achieved with good SEO, you won't easily drop from the top positions in search results. They will love your website, which will help you stay in the eye of potential guests for a long time.
Increased Brand Visibility
We are in times where, if you are not on the internet, you don't exist. But sometimes, just being there is not enough. Many hotels fail to achieve a prominent online presence because they lack good SEO. Online positioning will make you visible to a large audience, regardless of whether they are within or outside your local limits. Google and other search engines will recommend you for being in the top spots and for trusting what you have to offer.
Prestige from Appearing in Top Results
There's a reality: very few people reach the second page of their search results, and almost no one even touches the third! This is because they tend to trust the top results to satisfy their needs. The human brain reasons that if these results have managed to position themselves among the first, it's because they truly offer quality information. And it's true. Google's algorithm, and other search engines, evaluate each content to ensure it solves the problem. Otherwise, they place it much lower.
Increased Sales
When you sell a product or service, you can build a local clientele without any problem. However, there's a chance you might never expand due to a lack of popularity in other regions. A website and good SEO can be the solution for this. Professional SEO consultants are responsible for bringing your products or services to clients beyond your borders. This will help you gain popularity, prestige, and increase your sales, which is what every business owner, like a hotel owner, desires today.
Tips to Improve Positioning
Check if your website is functioning correctly. For this, you must start by choosing the best possible hosting. If you make a bad choice, your site might spend less time functioning than in operation. And we must avoid that!
You must ensure that your website's loading speed is not slow. Not only because no one really waits 5 minutes for the content they need to appear on screen, but also because Google takes this point very seriously.
How shared your content is. It's no longer enough just to have high-quality, unique content. The factor of whether it is widely shared or not also comes into play. If it is, then you can expect many more visits, and Google will begin to understand what users like.
User behavior. Believe it or not, Google has the ability to know if the user has entered your website and found what they were looking for. If it's junk content, it might be well optimized, but this won't place you in the top spots.
Try to make your URLs friendly. No one finds it appealing anymore to visit a page with a URL full of incomprehensible numbers. Nowadays, the goal is for them to be as descriptive as possible. For example, "www.example.com/something-like-this-is-what-is-sought."
Try to make the titles of the information you are sharing completely attractive. Online positioning is a way to grab attention, and no one likes to see "Hotel Information"; they want "Everything you need to book at (hotel name)."
Use of keywords. Believe it or not, highlighting your keywords will make search engines recognize the theme of your content. This will help you reach many more people.
Positioning on OTAs
Today, OTAs are among the main distribution channels for hotels. Being positioned on them helps achieve those much-desired sales. Being present will lead to more website visits and much smoother conversations.
Search results on OTAs stem from a clear strategy to maximize their sales; these are not randomly selected. Online positioning in the top spots of OTAs involves being in compliance with each of their requirements, and these vary across platforms. But, generally speaking, you should keep in mind:
Stability
Similar to the previous point, SEO is a good choice when it comes to generating stability for your business. We all know that, in business, surprises are rarely allowed, as are unexpected surcharges. And we are precisely looking to protect ourselves from them!
Content
Within online positioning, this is a fundamental topic. As long as you have good communication, OTAs will prioritize you. Why? Simple, this will help you generate many more sales through them. It's a point they consider a "win-win." However, you should know that this communication must have certain characteristics, such as being as clear and complete as possible. The more data you provide to the potential guest, the less their uncertainty will be, which in turn will put them in a better position to make the reservation.
Reviews
This point is closely related to the previous one. Within online positioning, it is often the reviews that determine whether a potential guest will make the reservation or not. It's about knowing the perspective of another user who has enjoyed the product offered.
Suppose two hotels shown on OTAs have the same price and truly similar services. What will help the user decide? The experience. Nothing will speak so well of a possible choice as knowing, firsthand from former guests, what it was like for them. Within this point, it is also important to consider responding to reviews: if you personalize responses and address their questions and problems, travelers are more likely to book your hotel.
Prices
Any OTA could penalize you if its system detects that there are better offers from competitors. It will give those offers to the user first! It's a necessity to offer services at a value that can work for both parties without exaggeration. To avoid this, you don't necessarily have to give away your services; it helps to think of ingenious ways to offer them. In some cases, offers and dynamic rates help with online positioning. What places many hotels at the top of the results are the offers they have for the user.
Inventory
During "high" seasons, potential guests quintuple, which is why portals always prioritize hotels that have the capacity to meet needs. That is, those that can accommodate the largest number of guests. On the other hand, there is a minimum number of spots that must be sold per day, always authorized by the hotel. Make this quota match that of the different OTAs; they will automatically use it to help you reach the top spots. You can, in case of high occupancy, sell them at higher prices.