“ Many tiMes , once you find a good Mix , the landscape changes , so it requires an ongoing cycle of test , Measure , optiMize , repeat .”
“ even if these are not the Main topic of your website , there can be a sMall segMent of your potential audience that could be interested in a related topic .”
Technology : SEO
“ Many tiMes , once you find a good Mix , the landscape changes , so it requires an ongoing cycle of test , Measure , optiMize , repeat .”
— RobeRt McDowell , choice hotels inteRnational
“ Many times , once you find a good mix , the landscape changes , so it requires an ongoing cycle of test , measure , optimize , repeat ,” says Robert McDowell , senior vice president of distribution , Choice Hotels International , Silver Spring , Maryland .
New strategies The most significant shift in search over the past year has been Google ’ s Hummingbird search algorithm update , which places more weight on a website ’ s content by semantic relevance . Rob Torres , managing director , travel , Google , says hotel companies should focus on content and a strong user experience to create search engine-friendly content . In terms of research , Google says its Google Trends data bears inspection by hotel marketers . “ One of the hidden gems for marketers is
Google Trends , which provides insights based on actual search data ,” Torres says . “ Google Trends can help hoteliers understand what travelers are most curious about and how that interest changes over time . For example , it can be used for understanding seasonality , as well as which destinations are trending based on search activity on Google .”
In response to this , hotel companies ’ on-site optimization strategies now include communicating a hotel ’ s appeal for niche audiences using longtail keywords . “ Even if these are not the main topic of your website , there can be a small segment of your potential audience that could be interested in a related topic ,” says Alejandra Moreno de Tejada , e-marketing manager , Great Hotels of the World , London .
Best Western International , Phoenix , is
how to choose
Alejandra Moreno keywords de Tejada , e- marketing manager , Great Hotels of the World , London , uses the following criteria when determining which keywords to target :
• Think about what your website is offering . What could a user type to reach your page ? What could they be looking for ? The questions involve a “ could ,” not a “ should ,” meaning endless possible keyword combinations . Use this to make a list with your main keywords .
• Run a competitive analysis and see what your competitors are doing . What keywords do they rank best with ? If these are not on your list , add them .
• Once you have a list , there are a few keyword selection tools you can use to analyze the search traffic for each keyword or phrase . Use the results to tick off the list the keywords you want and do not want , taking into account the competitive analysis . You will still need to include a few basic keywords even if there is a lot of competition for them .
• Use the keywords your typical person would use , with their language . If you are getting a lot of traffic with no conversions , this might mean that your ideal customer is not searching for the keywords you are targeting .
• Once your main keywords are optimized and you are ranking high in all search engines , start thinking about longtail keywords , which are specific keyword phrases with thousands of combinations . Although they may not be searched as often , they still bring a considerable amount of traffic when combined . This will also make your site stronger against your competitors in search engine rankings .
“ even if these are not the Main topic of your website , there can be a sMall segMent of your potential audience that could be interested in a related topic .”
– alejanDRa MoReno De tejaDa , GReat hotels of the woRlD
52 HOTELS January / February 2014 www . hotelsmag . com