Search Engine Marketing for Hospitality

You would be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t used a search engine to find a hotel or restaurant at least once in their life. Users will likely go with one of the first choices that appear on their search results page. By using hospitality search engine marketing, your hospitality business can be at the top of the page.

You would be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t used a search engine to find a hotel or restaurant at least once in their life. Users will likely go with one of the first choices that appear on their search results page. By using hospitality search engine marketing, your hospitality business can be at the top of the page.

What Is Search Engine Marketing?

Search engine marketing (SEM) allows your hospitality website to become more visible on search engines. The goal of SEM is to increase bookings from the increase in traffic to your website. Hospitality digital marketers use SEM as a marketing technique that pays to promote your website using a paid search platform, such as Google Ads.

Why Should You Invest in Search Engine Marketing for Hospitality?

It is no secret that the internet has become an enormous resource for companies everywhere to connect to consumers. By using SEM campaigns, you can uncover insights into what users are typing into the search bar. With this knowledge, you can then tweak the keywords used on your hospitality site and get more bookings based on what users are searching for.

When it comes to investing in marketing, SEM is one of the most effective strategies. Your business can be found quickly and easily at the top of the search. Those who are traveling can easily search and find your business when typing in destination keywords. Ads can be customized to present different information to individual users based on their search.

Strategies for Hospitality Search Engine Marketing

Set Your Goals

Though your ultimate goal will be to get more traffic and potential bookings, narrowing each project down into smaller goals is helpful. Some seasons your goal may be to attract clients during the holidays. For slower seasons, you may aim to increase bookings during this period.

One of the biggest mistakes made with SEM is going in blindly. First, set your budget, so you know exactly how much you are willing to spend. It is surprisingly quick to completely blow through your budget without even realizing it.

By setting a budget, you will spend your ad money more wisely, allowing you to get more bookings. It is also important to have a set budget to determine your return on investment as you continue to create ads.

As with any marketing venture, doing your research beforehand can eliminate a lot of guesswork. Researching other techniques used by other hospitality websites will allow you to create more effective ads. Look to see which keywords they use by using tools such as the Keyword Magic Tool by SEMRush.

Another mistake made when first using search engine marketing for hospitality is placing large parts of the budget on ads prior to testing. Testing your ads allows you to utilize your budget to get the most return.

By utilizing split tests, you can increase your click-through rate. Simply put, the click-through rate or CTR is how many clicks you get per ad. The goal is to get the highest amount of clicks for the least amount of money.

Start with small chunks of the budget and test a variety of ads to see which perform best. Then, you can begin to add more money to the winning ads.

Using long-tailed keywords rather than primary keywords can save you a lot of money in the long run. The more specific you can get with your keywords, the more likely you will show up with certain searches.

Google has a specific option to help get your hotel in front of more eyes. Google Hotel Ad compares your rates with the Online Travel Agency Rates.

Even if you believe you have found your winning ad, it is important to continually track your campaigns and view insights. Each season, run a few new tests to see if you can increase your click-through rate. Once you get the hang of it, tweaking your ads will become easier. By continuing to look at insights and testing your ads, you can increase your SEM performance.

Conclusion

The internet is a powerful tool when it comes to marketing for businesses, including hospitality. Hospitality Search Engine Marketing can be extremely profitable when done correctly. Having a plan of action before spending your budget will allow you to allocate money correctly for the best return on your investment. It is essential to continually tweak your ads to ensure they are performing well.