The role of SEO in your travel marketing
Travel SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is no dark art. It is a series of steps that you follow to optimise your travel website for Google search. A site with good SEO will rank highly and a travel site without SEO will not rank at all.
It is invisible.
Whether you are a tour operator, destination or a hotel: SEO is basically a dance with Google, but your competitors are dancing too.
SEO is fundamental to any digital marketing strategy, whether you are in the travel sector or not. It increases qualified traffic to your website, and warm leads mean sales.
It is a slow burner, but it works.
Travel SEO is about creating the digital foundation for steady, long-term growth. You are not getting into that constant bidding battle with your competitors that burns through your marketing budget.
Once you have done the work to optimise for search engines, travel SEO is mostly about monitoring SEO monitoring and maintenance content editing.
Monika has developed and implemented an SEO & content marketing strategy for our luxury holiday apartments in the Black Forrest. Where we were previously found for exactly 1 keyword, after 1.5 years we now rank for almost 1,300 keywords, including over 80 on page 1 of Google. An ROI of well over €800 per month is definitely something to be proud of. Thank you, Monika!
Alexandra und Alexander Hugenberg, Owner, Palais Wunderlich
5 benefits of travel SEO
for hotels, destinations, and tour operators
The big benefit here is that you become visible. If people are searching for a destination, a service or hotel like yours, they can find you, but the benefits of travel SEO do not stop there.
1. It is passive
you can front-load the work (do it once, do it well, maintain it)
2. It gives you an edge
your weakest competitors probably are not doing it
3. It is cost-effective
cheaper in the long term than paid advertising
4. It is more effective
most website traffic comes from organic search (not ads)
5. It is measurable
SEO tools can measure and report the ROI of travel websites
Your travel website on page 1 of google.de?
We can do that!
As a German content writer, travel blogger, and SEO consultant, I frequently travel to clients all over the world. It goes without saying that I write one of the leading travel blogs in Germany, “Komm mit nach woanders”, which is naturally optimised for search engines.
For the keyword “reisebloggerin” (female travel blogger) I managed to rank on Google within only 6 weeks with my travel blog. After less than 6 months, my travel blog even started to rank on page 1 of google.de for this keyword.
It was even faster with the search term “madeira reiseblog” (Madeira travel blog) because I have built up a lot of content about Madeira over the last few years.
If I can get my personal travel blog to the top of the search engines, we can get your website there, too. Let’s put my experience in SEO for the travel industry to work for you.
Does your destination or hotel have a website that doesn’t perform the way you want it to?
Working with Monika is fun: she provides us with everything from the website concept to SEO content and German translations from a single source. I particularly appreciate the fact that she thinks outside the box and offers valuable advice beyond her tasks as a copywriter.
Annabell Weber, Marketing Manager, Sonnenburg Hotels
How I help you with your SEO content strategy
My role as a German SEO specialist is to drive qualified leads to your website: guests. I do this by designing relevant, engaging travel content writing that pleases your prospect and Google at the same time.
Marketing content can be images, video or podcast. However text is crucial across all media because it tells search engines what the content is about, and if it is relevant to your target market.
Luckily, I am also a specialist in content writing for travel websites. I know how to make your offer attractive to German speakers, and turn site visitors into real life guests.
Which travel SEO services can I offer you?
If you are in the travel sector and interested in adressing German guests and need help with content SEO, I can help.
Maybe you are using an existing provider but you are unhappy with the ROI?
Maybe you are writing a wonderful blog for your destination, but traffic is low because it is not optimised correctly.
Do you have regional objectives? Do you need to integrate multiple destinations into a content marketing strategy?
My results are measurable. So if you like data, you are in the right place!
I always take the holistic view. I am interested in what specific tools and approaches we can use to meet your goals.
Because I offer a broad menu of services, I do not need to upsell anything. I just recommend the ones that work.
No two hotels or travel destinations are the same, and the competitive landscape always contains unique and exciting SEO challenges.
I want to see your website in your unique context. If it looks like you need less of one approach and more of another, I will tell you.
SEO Content Audit & Strategy
Is your current content working hard enough?
I will analyse the content of your German site and tell you if it is working for you or against you (yes, that is possible). Each piece of content, from blogs to landing pages should be optimised to reflect your marketing objectives.
Once we have run the audit, we can:
- Look at your medium/ longer term goals
- Carry out research for the right travel SEO keywords for your business (and look at your competitors)
- Create a long-term, SEO content strategy for measurable results
- Optimise your existing travel content for the German market
Relaunch: Consulting & Support
Are you re-branding or relaunching your website?
Your developer has worked hard and your new site looks great. Everybody is happy. The last “person” we have to please is Google. Many of my clients come to me feeling a bit confused how to do that.
They have a shiny new (expensive) website, but their bookings are not going up.
Where is the ROI?
Thankfully, a targeted mix of clever tactics and German SEO copywriting can help most hotels and destinations.
In these situations, I normally start with the following:
- On-site SEO (metadata, H-structure, technical optimisation)
- Copywriting landing pages that convert visitors into guests
- Optimising your Google Business profile/local SEO
- Writing travel content and optimising your booking platforms
Blog content & landing pages
Are you a marketing manager who needs unique, inspiring German website content that engages your visitors and boosts search visibility?
I design delicious SEO content for your hotel or travel destination that amplifies your USPs. Blogposts, landing pages, copy for content hubs ‒ anything your content strategy needs.
To achieve this, I usually travel to your destination and see the beauty for myself. The result is unique travel content that guests can (almost) taste, smell, and touch. Which will make them want to book their next trip to you. Now.
You do not have a content strategy for your travel business? Let’s combine your customer knowledge with my writing and publish the kind of content that drives website traffic and conversion.
German SEO Services:
Website translation & more
So you have a great website but you need it translated into German to address this audience?
Maybe you would like to attract more German speaking visitors to your location.
I have got you covered. I help you to make the transition to a new market through SEO based website translation and copywriting.
Launching a multilingual site is a great time to look at SEO. What works for one segment, may not work for another.
For example, your German clients might be looking for family skiing and child-friendly restaurants, but your American guests are retired and want folk culture and castles. They need different content, not a 1:1 SEO translation.
If you want to speak directly to your customer’s needs, then we need to see what they are searching for. We want to use natural, conversational language that native speakers can trust and international guests can understand.
Your words are your verbal branding, and I make sure that they resonate for the right people, in the right way.
Klick on this button to find a full breakdown of my travel SEO services.
Who can profit from SEO in the travel industry?
In fact, SEO is an essential part of any modern business. It is useful throughout the sales funnel.
If you are online, you need to be visible. SEO is simply the most sustainable and cost effective way to be seen.
Remember those paper based business directories back in the days?
The difference with SEO is that it is not just about being in it (Google is not alphabetical!), it is about being at the top. Research shows that people very rarely look past page one.
As a German travel writer, I can help you achieve that visibility.
Here is a list of my different client groups in the travel sector and how I help them to win through targeted travel SEO services and content strategy.
Destination marketing organizations (DMOs)
& tourist boards
SEO for destination marketing
Your region has a lot to offer. Maybe you are looking to bring visitors to a beautiful mountain village with skiing opportunities? Perhaps you want to diversify the regional economy or develop tourism for an entire region or province?
You know that destination SEO will be a crucial part of your digital marketing strategy. With its local, national, and international reach, SEO is the foundation for sustainable, measurable growth.
With the travel sector going digital, there are many challenges and many technical boxes to tick. However, as travel habits change, there are also many opportunities for existing travel destinations to boost their profile.
With new destinations entering the market, solid destination SEO is now more important than ever. Destination marketing requires a multi-channel approach across traditional, digital, and social media.
SEO is where it all begins.
If your region has something special to offer ‒ and I am sure it has ‒ then we need to celebrate that and make sure people know about it!
If you have big plans, I am ready to help.
(Luxury) Hotels
SEO for hotels
Your guests are out there – and we want them to choose your hotel for their next trip.
But for them to stay at your hotel they first need to find your website. With my five-star quality German SEO services, you can lead visitors from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria directly to your hotel website – in the long term and without any additional booking fees.
When they are planning their trip on Google, your customers see your hotel first (before they even think about entering a booking platform).
Yay!
We will use hotel SEO to…
- discover what your guests are searching for (keyword research)
- analyse the strengths and weakness of the competition (competitor insight)
- find out which luxury travel keywords your guests are looking for
- create a content marketing strategy to drive qualified traffic to your website
- optimise your website so that Google loves it (onpage SEO)
- perfect your local SEO and boost reviews (Google Business Profile)
- measure the impact and refine the strategy over time
- speak to your German-speaking guests in their mother tongue (German website translation)
I have helped several luxury hotels and short-term rental businesses worldwide to build, improve, and maintain an effective multilingual SEO strategy that addresses international and/or German travellers.
You are looking to boost your hotel’s SEO and save on fees through direct bookings?
Optimize for booking platforms
Yes, your venue can be listed with a multitude of online travel agencies like Booking.com or AirBnb as these are essentially hotel search engines.
They are great for customers and will be an important part of your hotel’s SEO and marketing strategy.
As part of my SEO services for hotels, I will make sure that your listing is written in clear, attractive German. Your words will be charming, engaging, and optimised for people searching for hotels in your area.
This way, your guests can find your SEO-optimized entry on those booking platforms.
Via a booking platform – or better still direct?
However, those platforms can not fully communicate the refined elegance and individuality of all that your hotel has to offer. And they are a costly intermediary as they charge increasing fees for their services.
Booking sites are a useful tool, but they lack class and sophistication. One of the problems with these platforms is that when customers search for a hotel, they see you alongside your local competitors.
For some hotels in highly competitive markets, this association is not always positive. Customers do not see your hotel in context, and they do not know how wonderful you are!
We can change that with an SEO strategy for your hotel. Effective travel SEO for hotels is about presenting your hotel as the best option for your customers.
SEO for hotel recruitment
If you work in Human Resources in a hotel, you know how hard things are at the moment. The hospitality industry has faced huge challenges recently and recruiting and retaining good staff is a tough job.
This is especially true for hotels who do not have a dedicated HR department or only a small one.
For many of my hotel clients, recruitment is their number one priority at the moment. They have the venue, they have built the reputation, and their sales strategy is working well.
Sadly, they cannot get the staff.
Where SEO and copywriting can help
The recruitment market is fluid, and professional hotel staff are looking for new opportunities. To be competitive in the job market, hotel owners and HR managers need to do two things really well:
- Create unique, benefit-focused job descriptions (copywriting).
- Make sure the right people find (hotel SEO) and then read them (UX).
When I work with hotels to improve recruitment, it is my job to make your hotel sound just as wonderful a place to work in as it is to visit. Once that is done, the next task is to make sure that your new staff can find the advert.
This means SEO for the vacancies section on your own website, but it also means posting SEO optimised job descriptions on the recruitment sites that are used by your potential employees.
Without good copy and targeted travel SEO, potential staff will be reading but not applying; you will be losing great workers to your competitors.
Recruitment headache?
Tour Operators
SEO for tour operators
As a tour operator, you are taking all of the hard work out of travel planning. In an age of almost endless travel options, a tour operator is providing a useful time (and head-ache) saving service.
Tour operators have a special place in my heart because they remove so much burden of choice. Sometimes, it is just easier when somebody else organises everything.
Operators can offer travel packages to target specific customer segments, across a wide range of locations. Your customers can book an experience without worrying about the variables. That is your job!
However, in order to be competitive, tour operators must best their direct competition in the sector as well as established booking sites.
Great on-site SEO is essential to ensure that you rank. A dedicated content strategy will drive qualified traffic to your products and services.
Maybe you are an established tour operator looking to become more competitive? Perhaps you are thinking of starting a new travel business? I can help.
Takeaways
- Travel SEO is about visibility. Without SEO you are invisible on the internet.
- Good content drives visibility.
- Visibility drives traffic and attracts in guests.
- Great copywriting turns traffic into bookings.
Conclusion
I am here to make sure that German and international customers can find your travel business on the internet. If you are an international travel destination, a tour operator or hotel with a blog or website, I know how to get you ranking high on Google.de.
Thinking about SEO for the German market? Book a free call and tell me what travel SEO services you need.
Frequently asked questions
Destination SEO is about raising the profile of a particular geographical region or city. The aim is to celebrate all the wonderful and unique experiences that a destination has to offer and to ensure that interested tourists take notice.
By attracting visitors to a particular destination, regions, cities, and counties can expand their economic footprint and raise their cultural profile.
Travel SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is an important step in any destination’s marketing strategy – especially for tourism boards. It offers a range of tools and strategies to increase visibility on Google & Co. and drive traffic and customer loyalty.
If you want to successfully market a destination in the German-speaking market, a customised German SEO and content marketing strategy is your best friend.
Yes, it is especially important for luxury hotels that their website is visible on the Internet thanks to SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).
Luxury hotels have to be visible. In the past, your hotel may have relied on word of mouth and being in an A location. The plan was simple: just be wonderful, do some print advertising, and make sure you have good signage on the high street. Today, that’s not enough.
We also want German guests to find your hotel on the internet when they enter the right luxury travel keywords.
However, both competitive pressure and online visibility are becoming increasingly important. With solid travel SEO, you can leave the competition behind – keyword by keyword.
Make sure your German guests see your hotel website first when they search for a luxury holiday destination on Google.
If your hotel isn’t working with SEO, you will remain virtually invisible online. My travel SEO services will help you put your hotel on the (Google) map.
If you run a travel website and traffic is slow, you probably need a solid SEO strategy as your next step. Without travel SEO, it’s hard for German-speaking guests and prospective travellers to find even the most appealing website.
Travel websites help people: they make it easier for holidaymakers to find truly exceptional experiences and accommodation that will make their holiday unforgettable.
Travel websites can be full of inspiring stories, remarkable places, and stunning images, but without travel SEO and content marketing, they are virtually invisible on the web.
That’s exactly what I can change with my services – SEO, content marketing and custom travel content.