Having a beautiful hotel is only half the battle in today’s digital landscape. The other half? Getting it noticed by the right people. While paid search and social media ads are great for quick wins, your hotel site’s content is the backbone for long-term sustainable visibility. Our secret weapon is blog posts, not only are they a great way to attract and engage with your ideal audience, but they’re also the key to building up organic visibility within search engines.
Here’s how to harness the power of blog posts to get your hotel noticed online.
Why Is a Blog Post So Important for Hotel SEO?
You’ve likely heard the phrase “content is king” – and it’s true, especially when it comes to improving your hotel’s SEO.
Blog posts are the perfect place to keep your website fresh and relevant. Google loves new content, and every time you post a blog, you’re giving Google another opportunity to crawl your site and align it with its algorithm. Plus, it’s a great way to add in those all-important keywords that potential guests are typing into Google.
There are many reasons for hotels to start publishing blogs on their site:
- Your hotel is amazing, show it off!: Your hotel likely has some special characteristics, and they deserve to be shown off! Blog posts can feed into the storytelling element of marketing efforts, and can give your potential guests an even deeper look into what it’s like to stay with you. Like we said, having a beautiful hotel is only half the battle.
- To reach new guests: When done right, blog content can really help with your hotel site’s organic ranking in search engines. This can really help tap into potential guests that haven’t come across your hotel before, the intent is there when they search, so it’s just a matter of aligning your blog content with that intent and inspiring new guests to directly book with you.
Generating Blog Ideas for Your Hotel
Before you get started right away, writing blog posts on anything and everything, there are some critical steps to take before putting pen to paper (or hand to keyboard?). It’s about understanding what your potential guests are actually searching for, enter, you guessed it, keyword research!
Tools like Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush’s Keyword Magic Tool will be your best friends in discovering what your audience is looking for, and from there you can generate content ideas and implement these keywords into your title, headings, and main body.
Remember: avoid keyword stuffing – your keyword density should account for less than 2.5% of your content, otherwise Google will penalise your hotel site’s visibility.
In addition to keyword research, take a look at what your competitors are blogging about to help you spot popular themes and see what’s resonating with your target audience. Tools like AnswerThePublic can also provide valuable insights by highlighting the questions people are asking in real time. With this combination of competitor analysis and keyword tools, you’ll be able to generate content ideas that both engage your audience and align with SEO best practices.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Local Travel Guides: Guests love to know what’s nearby. A post titled “Top Things to Do Near [Hotel Name]” could bring in tons of traffic from people researching trips to your location. This kind of content is known as evergreen content, relevant and beneficial in the long term.
- Seasonal Content: Are you running a special Christmas break or autumn adventure? Create posts around seasonal events and holidays that can be linked back to your hotel.
- Local Events: If your hotel is near a big event or attraction, write a post that shows your guests why your hotel is the perfect base.
How to Write SEO-Optimised Hotel Blog Posts
Now that you’ve got your topics, it’s time to get writing. To ensure your posts actually drive traffic and boost your rankings, here’s what you need to focus on:
- Optimise Your Titles: Your title is the first thing people see, and it’s crucial for SEO. Make sure it’s clear, includes your keywords and has a good hook. Instead of using a generic title such as “Autumn at [Hotel Name]”, you could use “5 Reasons Why [Hotel Name] Is Your Next Autumn Getaway”. Numbers work well in titles, they’re more eye-catching than words, and give your readers a sense of what they’re getting themselves into when clicking through to your blog article – it’s straight to the point.
- Natural Keyword Placement: You’ve done your keyword research, but it’s important to place them naturally throughout your post. Like we said before, it’s important to avoid stuffing, and your readers shouldn’t be able to pick out where your keywords are implemented. Search engines are clever enough to pick up on it, and you’ll end up with clunky, unreadable content that drags your hotel’s SERP visibility down.
- Internal and External Links: Don’t forget to link! Direct guests to your booking page or other important sections of your website. This will help with user experience as it makes their journeys on your site more seamless, not only that, but it also helps carry authority over from other, more authoritative, pages on your site.
You should also include external links to reliable sources (such as local guides or attractions) to boost your site’s credibility.
Promoting Your Blog Posts
Once your blog is live, the work isn’t done! To maximise its impact, promote it across all your marketing channels:
- Social Media: Share your blog posts on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, make sure your approach is appropriate with the platform. You can even turn snippets of your blog into bite-sized posts or reels – it’s important that this is done in a way that is digestible for your audience.
- Email Marketing: Include your blog in your next newsletter, or maybe you have a campaign going out and you also have a blog post that aligns with it. It’s a great way to drive traffic back to your website from an already engaged audience.
- Guest Blogging: Collaborating with travel bloggers or influencers? Suggest that they link back to your blog in their content. This can expand your reach to a whole new audience, and also show Google that your site is credible, this will help with your site’s authority.
Tracking Your Blog’s Performance
The final piece of the puzzle is understanding how well your blogs are performing. Make use of Google Analytics and Search Console to keep track of your blog’s organic traffic, bounce rates, and time on page. This will give you a clearer picture of what’s working and what needs tweaking.
Blog posts are an essential part of your hotel’s digital marketing strategy. They not only help improve your online visibility but also allow you to connect with potential guests in a meaningful way. By regularly producing well-written, SEO-optimised content, you’ll see your organic traffic grow – and with it, your bookings.
So, if you haven’t already, now’s the time to start crafting blog posts that boost your hotel’s online presence!
