If you are a travel blogger or own a website that operates within the travel industry, then you will probably be aware how of important it is to drive relevant and engaged traffic to your website. This is easier said than done however as the travel industry is ever growing with literally millions scrambling to stand out from the crowd and make themselves heard.
The recent collapse of the world’s oldest travel agent Thomas Cook is a stark reminder of how much the landscape has changed for the travel industry and how important it is to have a sustainable digital strategy. With that in mind, Levity Digital have put together 7 SEO tactics that you can implement for your travel website or blog today.
Niche Down
Since the travel industry is such a competitive one, it’s a good idea to set yourself apart and define a niche area that you specialise in. If you are a travel blogger for example, then specialising in a particular niche such as vegan travel or backpacking guides will set you apart from the crowd. This is also good in terms of SEO as having niche content will enable you to rank for specific keywords that will be less competitive than the more general “travel blogger” type keywords you would be otherwise competing for. A good place to start is to conduct some keyword research that will allow you to find out what niche topics are popular and of course it always helps to have a passion or expertise in your niche as well.
Contribute Content
Guest posting is still a valuable SEO tactic for any industry but there are lots of opportunities for you to place your content on other travel websites and blogs which should be explored. If you are a travel brand, then lots of travel bloggers are open to collaboration whether that be through a guest post or review of your product or service. If you are a travel blogger yourself, then you can still work with other bloggers and contribute to their blogs while also featuring guest posts on your own blog. Featuring your own guest posts is a great way to drive traffic to your website as long as they are of a high standard and are on topics that your readers will find interesting.
Become a Useful Resource
Many travel agents, bloggers, expat websites to name a few will often have a useful resource page for their visitors to find useful information about their travels. If your brand or blog offers some information that could help make their travels or lives in a new country a little easier, then they should be happy to add you to their list of resources. This is a great way to have a constant flow of highly relevant traffic visit your website. If you have a guide on how to move to China placed on an expat in China website for example, then you have exposure for the exact market you are targeting.
Play the PR Game
This is a great way to earn exposure for your brand and get real life reviews and feedback. An ever-increasing number of PR professionals are using social media to ask brands to collaborate with them on a campaign or travel bloggers are asking for new tech to try out on their next trip. If your brand provides an app that helps people track their luggage for example and there is a PR request from a well-known travel blogger who wants travel apps to use on their next trip, then you will have a good chance of getting them to give yours a try. They will then more than likely give you a shout-out, detailed review and/or link in their write up about their trip.
Create a Blog
Even if you are not a travel blogger, it’s still important to have your own blog. We are all aware of the importance of content in modern SEO and that’s not going to change anytime soon, nor should it. Google’s aim is to provide the most relevant and informative result for any search, it’s as simple as that. This means that your website will only outrank your competitors if you offer visitors more – more detail, more relevance, more explanation of complex travel laws and procedures etc. To achieve this, you need to have your own blog and, if you do your keyword research right, you will be able to target longtail keywords with your posts that help you rank that actual post in the search results. All this improves your rankings in Google while again driving traffic and links to your website which is the name of the game.
Get Featured in Rich Snippets
Having your webpage or blog post featured in rich snippets or “answer boxes” as they are sometimes known, is the holy grail for many websites. It means that not only is your listing top of the organic listings, it also stands out loud and proud above the other results making it almost impossible for users to ignore. In order to have your content featured as a rich snippet it needs to first answer a specific question such as “how can you pack more into a suitcase?”. If you can answer the question in as much detail as possible, using data and examples, then you might stand a good chance of being featured. Google loves lists, so including a number or bullet lists within your content will also give you a great chance of being featured. Once again keyword research is required to understand what type of questions your target audience is asking.
Don’t Forget the Technical Side
All these tips won’t get you very far if your website isn’t optimised correctly and so it’s important that you pay attention to the technical SEO of your website as well. This involves making sure that there are no issues with the website that may stop it being crawled by search engine robots and that your content includes the keywords you are targeting (or semantic equivalents) within your titles, headers etc. You will also need to pay attention to the speed of your website as this will not only affect your rankings but also the likelihood of visitors remaining on it long enough to convert. Don’t forget the importance of internal links and good usability as well.
