Hotel SEO: How to Find the Right Keywords For Your Hotel (Updated)
If you want to know how to find the best hotel keywords for YOUR property, you’re in the right place.
Keywords are (sorry) key to your hotel marketing strategy. That’s because content marketing and Search Engine Optimization, aka SEO, go hand-in-hand.
The SEO landscape is always evolving. Updated algorithms, AI, semantic search, structured snippets… Not going to lie, it’s a lot to keep up with.
That’s why all hoteliers can benefit from learning the basics of hotel SEO.
Let’s start today by understanding hotel keywords: What they are, how to find them, which ones to target, and how to implement them correctly on your website.
Also included in this post is a FREE on-page hotel SEO checklist. Pin it, print it, save it, or share it. Use it as a handy reference the next time you need to create content for your hotel website.
*Heads up, this post contains links to products or services I recommend, which I may get commission from.
What is a keyword — and why does keyword research matter?
How search engines use hotel keywords
Before jumping headfirst into the wild world of SEO for hotels, you need to identify the best hotel keywords to go after.
A keyword can be defined in a couple of ways.
A keyword is a word or phrase that describes the subject or topic of your page. It’s also defined as any term or query that people search for on Google or other top search engines.
Ranking in the top position on page one of Google for a super-specific, high-volume keyword like “San Francisco hotel” sounds tempting. Guess who else thinks so? Every other hotel in the San Francisco Bay area AND sites like TripAdvisor, Expedia, and Booking.com.
These juggernaut websites dominate search rankings. They claim even more of the top spots through paid ads. Your hotel could try to outbid them — if you’re willing and able to spend some serious cash.
Generally speaking, it’s still a best practice to optimize your homepage for that coveted “[Your Location] + hotel” keyword. In less competitive markets, your hotel website could still rank organically and reap the benefits.
But that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
Quick note: Google is not the only search engine in the world. (Shocking, right?) Certain geographic areas do favor other sites like Bing, Yandex, and Baidu. Since it’s still the undisputed king, this article focuses on Google. If you want to learn more about the others, I suggest reading my article on the world’s top search engines.
Watch this SEO Tutorial: Keyword Research For Hotels
Where do hotel keywords fit on the customer path to booking?
Hotel keywords and user intent
Consider the booking journey as a funnel. At the top is your largest ‘bucket’ of potential customers. Maybe they’ve recently been inspired to travel and have just started to research their options.
These are the customers who are most likely to be searching for broad keywords. They’ve decided to go to San Francisco and they know they’ll need a hotel, but they’re far from ready to book.
This is why hotel aggregators like TripAdvisor and OTAs will continue owning these broad search results. They don’t care what hotel you book, as long as you book it on their site.
So what keywords should hotels be going after?
Consider aligning your internal pages to “long tail keywords” instead.
What’s a long tail keyword? They’re more specific search terms consisting of three or more words. Long tail keywords tend to have lower monthly traffic but higher potential for conversion.
Take, for example, someone searching for “New York hotels near Madison Square Garden.”
Put yourself in the customer’s shoes for a moment. What can we infer about them from this query?
They’re traveling to New York
They want a hotel in New York City, not New York state
They want to stay near Madison Square Garden (now think about why!)
They aren’t looking for just any hotel in the city. They’ve decided that being close to MSG is important to them. They could have tickets to a Knicks game or want to tour the famous stadium.
Let’s say your hotel is right in the heart of Midtown, just a block away from Madison Square Garden. Imagine you have relevant content ranking on page one of Google — something that shouts “We’re thisclose to MSG.”
Congrats! You’ve instantly become more attractive to that customer and more likely to win the booking.
User intent is important to understand.
When people tell you what they’re looking for, believe them!
If you run an ultra-luxe, 5-star hotel in San Francisco, do you want to be on page one for the keyword “best cheap hotels in San Francisco?” Nope!
But what if you run a youth hostel or shared guest house in the Bay Area? You might not want to shy away from an identifier like “cheap” if that’s what your guests are looking for.
Different accommodation types cater to different travelers. You wouldn’t want your high-end safari lodge appearing on page one for hostel keywords. And keywords for resorts in the Caribbean won’t be the same as keywords for a ski chalet.
Make sure the content of your page aligns with the specific user intent of your target keyword.
How to find the right keywords for your hotel or resort
Best hotel keyword research tools
Now that you have an idea of what hotel keywords to look for, it’s time to find some that will work for you.
Remember, not all hospitality industry keywords are created equal — and just because it’s got a lot of volume, doesn’t mean it’s the right one to target.
You need to do your research.
There are lots of keyword research tools hotels can use to make this easier. Here are a few of the best free keyword tools for hotels:
Best free tool overall: Moz Keyword Explorer (free account has limited number of searches)
Best for a quick look at volume: Google Keyword Planner
Best for ease of use: Google’s built-in search suggestions (scroll to the bottom of the results page to see similar queries under “Searches related to…”)
Best for seeing trends over time: Google Trends
Best for brainstorming ideas: Answer The Public (doesn’t give volume)
Best Chrome browser plug-in: Keywords Everywhere (free version)
With all of these tools, understandably, you’re limited to what you can do without a paid plan.
If you’re just looking to get ideas, or just starting to learn how to do SEO for your hotel, you shouldn’t feel any pressure to invest in a paid keyword tool.
Moz, Ahrefs, and SEMRush are some of the biggest names for paid SEO products — their tools are powerful, yes, but in my opinion, it’s not necessary to shell out big bucks. (All three start at $99 a month.)
Most hoteliers don’t need all the bells and whistles to have a successful SEO strategy.
That said, free tools can only get you so far — if you do want a keyword tool that does a lot for less, here’s what I recommend:
After quite a bit of trial and experimentation over the years, my favorite affordable keyword tool for hotels is KeySearch.
At $17 a month for the Starter plan, the price is right for a small business — or you can use promo code KSDISC for an extra 20% off, making it less than $14 a month!
Sign up for KeySearch here* and get 20% off with coupon code KSDISC.
Friend, I don’t recommend products lightly.
For a while now, KeySearch has been my “secret weapon” to growing this blog and my own business. It helps me identify what you — my audience — are interested in, so I can write the kind of content you actually want to read, answer your questions, and help you succeed.
To be frank, you probably found me through Google — and a lot of my SEO success is due to KeySearch.
Along with a powerful keyword research tool, KeySearch gives you all of the following:
Rank tracking
Competitive analysis
Content assistance
Saved lists
SERP analysis
I could go on… But we have a lot more to talk about when it comes to keywords! If you’re ready to set your hotel up for SEO success with an affordable keyword research tool, KeySearch is my recommendation.
Sign up for KeySearch here* and get 20% off with coupon code KSDISC.
Now let’s shift back to what you can accomplish with a FREE keyword research tool, like Moz Keyword Explorer.
You’ll want to start your research by plugging in a few keyword ideas you think customers might be using.
For example, a simple city or destination search like “Boston hotel” or “best hotel in Boston.” Keyword Explorer will suggest pages and pages of related keywords for you to consider.
Look through the list and pull any long tail keywords that could be relevant to your property’s features, location, or style.
Make sure you’re choosing keywords that specifically align with your ideal audience personas. Use the keyword tool to look for search terms that may resonate with your hotel’s target customer, based on their interests or travel needs.
Make note of each keyword’s average monthly search volume, too.
If you find a highly relevant term but it has a low amount of traffic, don’t chuck it out just yet. Getting on page one for that keyword will be easier and could still result in qualified visits to your hotel website.
Remember, more specific search terms tend to result in higher conversion rates.
Here are a few examples of specific hotel related keywords to look for:
Boston hotel near aquarium or Boston hotel in Beacon Hill - Find points of interest like a museum, attraction, or well-known district.
Boston convention center hotels or Boston hotel near TD Garden - Proximity to conference venues, concerts, or sports games could be a deciding factor for your guests.
Boston hotel with pool or Hotel in Boston with roof deck - Capitalize on the unique features or amenities that help your hotel stand out from the crowd.
Romantic hotels in Boston or Best hotel in Boston for families - Remember your audience personas. Does your property suit a particular occasion or lifestyle?
Boston LGBTQ wedding package or Boston Seaport conference venue - Don’t just limit your brainstorming to Rooms. Remember to consider your other business segments like MICE.
To get more direct bookings from organic search, you need to go after the right hotel keywords. I’ll show you how.
Where to put hotel related keywords on your website
Grab your copy of my free Hotel SEO checklist
Once you have a good idea of where the opportunity lies, you need to take action. Hotel keywords belong in two separate areas of your website: in the actual copy and on the back-end. I’ll explain.
The first thing you want to do with your new keywords is group similar ones together.
For example, any terms related to a point of interest could be organized under a “Destination Guide” section of your website. Create a landing page (or even a blog post) for the keyword and start writing content relevant to that point of interest.
What information might your potential guest need to know about that point of interest?
What is the attraction and why is it special?
How close is your property?
Do you have any unique connections to the place? Keep in mind, this could be a special offer, exclusive access, or even an interesting historical tie.
Why should a guest looking to be near this attraction or neighborhood choose your property?
Be mindful of over-doing it, though. Keyword stuffing is a big no-no! There’s no perfect ratio of text-to-keyword, so just keep your reader in mind. We write for people, not search engines.
The content of the page is what your website visitors will actually read. But there’s a bit more you need to do on the back-end.
Every page on your hotel website has what’s called “meta” text. It’s text that isn’t typically viewable to a visitor, but it’s what Google and other search engines use to “read” your website.
It’s also the text that appears on the search engine results page — so it’s pretty important!
It’s good to include your target keyword in meta text, but again, this is NOT a place to stuff your keyword in over and over again.
Your page title and meta description should make the user want to click-through onto your website.
As you learn more about SEO, you’ll repeat these steps and get comfortable placing keywords naturally. Make sure to download your copy of the free hotel SEO checklist — and keep it handy!
When will I see results from choosing my hotel keywords?
AKA how long does it take to rank on Google?
Now that you’ve started publishing relevant, quality content around your selected hotel SEO keywords, you probably want to know when you can expect to see results…
The short answer: it depends.
The long answer is that Google doesn’t “crawl” every website on the same fixed schedule. Some websites are crawled multiple times a day. And others? Only once every six months or so.
(Pro tip: If you have access to your site in Google Search Console, you can speed up this process by submitting your new or updated pages directly.)
Generally speaking, and only with consistent effort, you can expect to start gaining traction (improved ranking and traffic coming in) in around 2-3 months.
Organic search is also the only marketing channel that pays off in dividends — as in, when you invest a little bit of time and effort, your returns significantly snowball over time!
To see how you’re doing, check your site’s analytics at least once a month, and look at how your organic search channel is performing: Which keywords are ranking well? Which keywords aren’t making an impact yet?
You might notice that a landing page or blog post has a high “bounce rate.” That means visitors are exiting your site instead of continuing to browse or book.
Remember that the purpose of your website content is to make a compelling case for that guest to choose your business over another property.
To keep valuable visitors on your site, your landing pages need to have a clear call-to-action that seamlessly takes them to the next step along their path to purchase.
If potential bookers are exiting instead of exploring other pages or blog posts, you may need to revisit your copy. Use the free hotel SEO checklist to guide you through improving your copy for SEO.
Final Thoughts
Generally speaking, SEO is not a quick fix.
It’s not a hotel marketing strategy that generates instant or last-minute bookings. Hotel SEO is a long game, but if you play it right, you can make an enormous impact on the bottom line.
Ads require significant investment to make an impact. If you run out of budget, you’re out of luck.
The great thing about SEO is that, when set up correctly, your content keeps working for you in the background, bringing in high-quality, unpaid traffic — your potential guests come to you, instead of you interrupting them with an ad!
Finding the right keywords for your hotel is only the beginning. To see real results over time, you may want to consider setting up an affordable keyword tracking tool like KeySearch.
Sign up for KeySearch here* and get 20% off with coupon code KSDISC.
I cover a lot of valuable digital marketing topics on this blog, from social media to copywriting.
But if you want to really learn how to do hotel SEO, my new online course Simple Hotel SEO opens for enrollment soon. To get early access, make sure you join the waitlist.
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*Heads up, this post contains affiliate links. If you decide to make a purchase using my link, I’ll get a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products and tools that I use and love. Thanks for supporting my business — and iced coffee habit.
Published: 5/26/2019
Updated: 2/22/2021