The travel and travel tech industries are some of the most competitive around. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, travelers aren’t just looking for a destination. They’re looking for an experience, and the tech to make every step of their experience as easy as possible. With so many options available at the touch of a button or click of a mouse, how do you stand out in the searches of excited travelers?
Enter Search Engine Optimization, commonly referred to as SEO, comes into play. By optimizing your online presence, your travel company can significantly increase your visibility, drive more traffic to your website, and ultimately maximize your ROI, or return on investment. Having a thorough online presence is essential in this day and age, and SEO is how you make that happen.
What Is SEO and Why Does It Matter?
Search engine optimization is how search engines understand your content and connect it with relevant users. It drives traffic to your website organically and helps you rank higher on search engine result pages. Using targeted search words and phrases, SEO can make your website easier to find, and get it in front of the right people.
As Search Engine Land explains, optimizing your content reaches two critical categories: people, and search engines. It’s not just enough to have high quality content, though that is a large part of it. Reaching people includes using targeted keywords, using well-researched and accurate information, and a well-structured format that’s easy to read. It needs to be well-written and original content, and bonus if it includes images or videos.
To reach search engines, however, you need to consider more technical things. You need to use your keywords in meta descriptions and title tags, use headers to break up your content (again, using keywords) and add alt text to your images. Not just because that’s important for visually impaired visitors, but it provides another way to use (say it with me!) your keywords.
SEO drives organic traffic to your website, rather than paying for sponsored listings or PPC ads. It’s a sustainable form of marketing that keeps giving long after you invest in it (say, by hiring a freelance writer.) It also builds trust, both in people and search engines.
How Will It Help My Travel Business?
Alright, now we know what SEO is, but why is it worth the effort? One of the most important things it does for you is it gets your website seen. Ranking higher on search engines means your website is going to show up for more people and get more clicks. Think of it this way, when is the last time you scrolled to the third, fifth, or tenth page of a search you did? The hard truth is that 75% of people never go past page one, which is why your website needs to be there.
SEO also helps you reach your specific audience. It’s a targeted strategy that helps you reach potential customers who are actively looking for travel solutions. Searches are the top driver that get people to your site, beating social media by over 300%. With stats like that, SEO starts to look pretty cost-effective, especially when you consider the long term benefits.
When paid advertising ends, so does the traffic those ads drive. But SEO keeps going, long after you’ve invested. Websites that rank higher on search engine results pages are considered more authoritative. But the race to the top of search engine results is a competitive one.
Key SEO Strategies For Your Travel Business
The best way to rise up above your competition is a strong SEO strategy. You may have noticed that I’ve mentioned keywords once or twice in this article. That’s because they play such a huge role in making sure your audience finds your website. If you’re not sure what words or phrases to use, type one of your general keywords into Google and see what the suggestions say. Aim for 10 keywords and phrases, with a mix of short and long tail keywords.
Having high-quality content on your site is a great way to organically insert the keywords that you’ve chosen. Make sure you’re posting content that will resonate with travelers, such as city guides or travel advice. Your content can also establish a sense of authority, and if people trust the information on your website, they will link to it. Backlinks are another highly important factor in landing on that first search page. It’s basically like your peers saying “yeah, this company is credible.”
Beyond all this, you need to optimize your website’s on-page elements too. Put thought into your titles, meta descriptions, headers, and image text. Use your keywords there as well. (Side note, make sure your keyword use is natural. Sticking them in haphazardly is known as keyword stuffing, and search engines punish sites that stuff.)
Why Do I Need A Freelance Writer For SEO?
First of all, think of all the time and effort you’re going to save from outsourcing your content creation and optimization. Freelance writers are used to ensuring that what we write is built to meet those needs. We know how to walk the line between naturally flowing text and meeting the needs of the almighty algorithm, which will ultimately boost the traffic to your website.
We also bring a sense of consistency to your content habits. Assigning content to an employee that’s already wearing 10 hats is a great way to make sure your content falls by the wayside for weeks at a time. And that’s not the employee’s fault, or yours! There comes a time when business owners realize that as much as they want to, they can’t handle everything. Hiring a freelance writer means you have someone dedicated to writing the content you need in a timely manner, and make sure that you’re getting it consistently, because that’s our entire job.
If you think your website copy needs an SEO refresh, or want a blog that brings those keyword searches to your proverbial door, get in touch! We can talk keywords, key destinations, or the key factors for a perfect road trip.