Checklist for Content Marketing

Over 30% hotel website revenue is generated directly from listings on organic search engine results. That is, by being listed on search results when travel search for keywords is very good for business. Of course it is an average and is only effective for hotels that do have organic listings.

That is no small task as Google’s algorithm changes more than 500 times every year. This past Google took issue with mobile search and with their “Mobile-Friendly Algorithm Update” of April 2015. that change caused 21% fall-of for those sites that were not mobile-friendly. That is 21% of sites fell of the first page of google search results because of the change (BrightEdge).

The blog offers a 10 point checklist of things that hotels can do to increase or maintain their search listings.

The Report is a Bit Short on Specific Examples

The points are pretty basic like write engaging content, but without any tips on what that means it is not going to be very helpful to hoteliers and marketer>
For example – Videos are a engaging and High impact images and Visual systems do increase engagement.

The AllCast visual first video offers some examples of this (see video at end)

It really depends on how much one already know and for beginners it is a good place to start!

Best Advice

I have select 4 items which i consider are the best advice. That not to undermine the 10 points, just trying to offer value here by dramatic summary. It really depends on one level of knowledge – The language is complex but the issues are basic, so I cut out a lot.

1. Tools Worth Looking at

BrightEdge – monitoring of keyword ranking visibility
Industry-leading analytics platform like Adobe Analytics.
Google Search Console and Webmaster tools as well as Bing Webmaster Tools.
Moz Open Site Explorer to check performance
Ensure content is Mobile-Friendly – See mobile checklist

2. Get Listed on Authority Sites & Avoid Low Quality Links

If your page is linked for an authority site it will boost your ranking – Site that are authority are Wikipedia and other  trustworthy, high-value sources – such as .edu, .gov, or popular editorial sites.

Burt beware, search engines  consider links from non-trustworthy, spammy, or low-quality sources a negative ranking factor. Don’t allow low quality sites that are not relevant to rank to you.

3. Consider Paid Advertising

Hotels should boost paid search spend along with SEO efforts. Example “a hotel took its paid search campaigns from dormant to 40,000 impressions over the course of six months and saw its organic search traffic ride a similar trajectory. In that case, the hotel’s organic traffic grew by 116% over the course of nine months, growing organic bookings initiated by 161%.”

4. Build Local Content

“Content should go beyond hotels own information and entice the visitor with insightful information on the local area and activities.”  Actually we have taken this a further step by often comparing the property with other properties and offering advice for those who would be better off somewhere else.. See http://poinsettiavillas.com/st-lucia-villas/#whynotus

Source: 2016 Checklist to Maximize Revenues from Content Marketing + SEO

Related Videos

Visual Marketing for high impact and Engagement

Mobile Hangouts.