How to do SEO for Travel Websites: Grow Your Audience In 2024

Are you curious about unlocking the potential of SEO for your travel website? Imagine this: increased online visibility, more traffic, and higher engagement leading to greater conversions and ROI.

Sounds promising, right? Yet, getting into travel SEO without a clear strategy can significantly affect your rankings on search engines.

As an SEO strategist myself, I’ve seen firsthand the power of positioning your site optimally in SERPs for targeted keywords. 

It’s not just about attracting visitors; it’s about drawing in potential travelers eager to explore what you offer- insightful blogs, captivating podcasts, or engaging videos.

I’ll share my expertise and guide you through the essential steps to make your travel website visible and irresistible to your intended audience. Remember, in the world of travel SEO, every strategic move counts.

Read my LinkedIn post below for the TLDR:

How Do People Find You in a Search?

People discover your travel site through the magic words they type into search engines, known as keywords. These keywords get more specific and targeted when people go deeper into their vacation planning.

Imagine someone dreaming of a winter skiing adventure. Initially, they might search for “best winter destinations in 2024 for skiing,” which helps them explore various places they could visit.

After browsing several options, they might narrow their search to a specific location, like looking up “best Canada tour companies” if Canada catches their interest. 

Or perhaps they’re curious about activities and search for a “Canada skiing trip itinerary.”

When ready to turn their dream trip into reality, they search for cheerful places to stay and reliable tour operators.

Every step in this search process is an opportunity for you to present relevant content and showcase your offerings to potential travelers. 

As an SEO strategist, I understand the importance of aligning your content with these search stages to capture the attention of your target audience effectively.

The Importance of SEO for Travel Websites

The importance of search engine optimization (SEO) for travel websites can’t be overstated. 

SEO is a game-changer for travel companies looking to reach more people. Let’s look at some key points and stats that show why SEO matters so much in travel marketing:

• A survey by Google found that 77% of business travelers and 74% of leisure travelers use search engines to plan their trips. This fact alone tells us how crucial SEO is for the travel industry.
• The travel industry adds $9.2 trillion to the world’s economy, so having a strong online presence can set you apart from the competition.
• With 75% of people not bothering to look beyond the first page of search results, it’s super important for travel websites to rank as high as possible. Being on that first page means more people will find you.
• Moz, an SEO tool and community, reports that 75.1% of clicks on Google go to the top three search results. This highlights the need for travel websites to aim for these top spots to get noticed.

How to Do SEO for Travel Websites?

Doing SEO for travel websites involves many of the same steps as regular SEO, like picking the right keywords, getting backlinks, and ensuring your images are easy to find online.

But, the travel world has its challenges. Often, people search for travel info with broad terms and don’t usually book anything on their first website visit. 

It means you have many keywords to consider and need smart ways to bring people back to your site.

I’m here to share some advice on using SEO tactics specifically for the travel industry to help your site do better in search engine rankings and on search engine results pages. 

Leveraging AI SEO software can significantly enhance your strategy by automating keyword research and optimizing content to meet these unique challenges.

Here’s how you can make your travel business stand out online:

1. Know Your Keywords

Knowing the right keywords is key to doing well in SEO. Start by listing words that describe what your travel business offers, like the services or products you provide.

A good place to start with your keywords is Ahrefs. Remember long tail keywords, which are important for your travel SEO. 

You should focus on search terms such as “family vacation packages” or “luxury hotel rooms.”

It’s also smart to include keywords specific to places, like “Miami beach resort” or “New York City tour guide.”

Spend some time checking out what your competitors are doing. You can understand which keywords are popular and how often people search for them, known as keyword research and search volume.

As someone who’s been in the SEO field, I can tell you that finding the right relevant keywords and developing a solid keyword strategy are crucial steps for making your travel website more visible to the right people.

Use Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are longer phrases, usually three to four words, that match exactly what your business offers. Not everyone will want what you have, but these keywords help you catch the attention of those who do.

For instance, check out these long-tail keyword examples that target specific travel interests:

• Bargain trips with kids
• Luxury resorts for seniors
• Best bargain cruises
• Adventure travel for singles
• Iceland on a budget
• All-inclusive Cancun beach
• Pet-friendly hotels in NYC

Once you have your list of these detailed keywords, sprinkle them throughout:

• Blog posts
• Meta descriptions
• Social media updates
• Website’s URLs
• Online profiles and directories, such as your Google Business Profile and Yelp.

This is a great first step, but knowing how to use these keywords smarty boosts your visibility on search engine result pages.

2.  Local SEO

From my extensive experience in SEO, let me emphasize just how crucial local SEO is for your success. 

Local SEO is your first stop. It’s about tweaking your website so it pops up in searches related to your area, especially when people use their mobile phones to search nearby.

You’ll notice a common setup when you look at travel searches on Google. Google shows PPC ads first, then the Local SEO results (like a map showing places), and finally, the regular website results.

To make sure your business shows up in those handy local search results, here’s what you need to do:

• Set up and confirm your business address with a Google Business Profile account.
• Fill out your Google Business Profile completely with the right descriptions, contact info, photos, and anything else your business needs.

• Add special code (schema) to your homepage to help search engines understand your site better.
• Put your local address right on your homepage.
• Ensure your website’s page titles, main headings (h1 tags), and descriptions mention your location.
• Get links to your website from local sites or other trusted websites.
• Ensure your business name, address, and phone number are the same everywhere online (like Google Maps, your website, local directories, and social media).

It’s a powerful way to get potential customers searching for what you offer, using the right target keywords, to notice your business.

3. Ensure Your Website’s Images Aren’t Just for Show

A website with eye-catching images of dream destinations can boost your traffic, especially when those images are optimized for SEO.

Here’s how I do it: I pick keywords for my image file names. So, instead of sticking with something like “DSC2247.jpg,” I name the photos to say clearly what they’re showing. This helps Google understand my images better.

I also put keywords in the alternative text for images, often called “alt text” or “alt tags.” Alt text explains what’s in a picture, which is good for SEO and makes your site more accessible to people who can’t see the images.

Another trick I’ve learned is to keep the image file sizes small. Why? Because the size of your photos can affect how fast your page loads. Google cares about page speed for ranking sites; large-size images can slow your site down.

Incorporating these steps into your technical SEO strategy can significantly impact your site’s performance and visibility on Google.

4. Page Load Time

Your website needs to load super fast, literally in a blink, because if it takes from 1 second to 10 seconds to load, people are 123% more likely to leave. Google suggests websites should load in less than 3 seconds.

According to Neil Patel, 40% of visitors will leave a website if it doesn’t load in 3 seconds. Keeping your website’s loading time short is essential to avoid unhappy visitors, losing potential clients, harming your brand, and dropping in search engine ranks.

Take Amazon as an example; they found out that just a one-second delay in loading could cost them $1.6 billion in sales each year. 

Things like messy code, too many ads, flash content, JavaScript problems, and large, un-optimized images can slow your site down.

I use tools like Pingdom Website Speed Test, GTmetrix, and Google PageSpeed Insights to ensure every part of my website loads quickly. This helps give visitors a smooth experience, which is important for keeping them around.

5. Voice Search Optimization

Voice search lets your travel fans search for things while they’re out jogging, cooking, or even cleaning without stopping what they’re doing. It’s perfect for multitasking.

From an SEO perspective, it’s interesting to note that 71% of people prefer to use their voice to search rather than typing out their questions. Voice search is a great feature for any travel website.

Here are some ways I make sure my site is ready for voice searches:

• Researching keywords people might use when speaking rather than typing.
• Planning my site’s structure and content with voice search in mind.
• I ensure my data is set up so that voice search devices can understand easily.
• Creating content that works well on mobile devices since many voice searches happen on them.
• Optimizing content so it’s easily found by voice search devices like Google Home and Amazon Alexa.

6. Content Creation

Knowing what people are looking for is one thing, but if you don’t create content for those search terms, all that keyword research doesn’t help. 

For example, in the US, “travel packages” get searched about 14K times a month.

Your homepage is more of a general intro to your offer so that it won’t appear in search results for something specific like “travel packages.” 

It’s more likely to appear for broader terms such as “travel agency” or “travel services.”

This is also true for questions like “Where to go on a honeymoon.” To be found for these searches, you must make content that directly answers them.

I use tools like Jasper AI and its alternatives for my content creation. These tools help me generate content that’s not only targeted but also engaging and relevant to what my audience is searching for. 

In this way, I ensure my site has a better chance of ranking for my potential customers’ terms.

Some Content Ideas for your Website:

Here are some content ideas that I’ve found effective through observation and research, without specifically referencing “my website”:

• Destination Guides: I’ve noticed detailed guides on popular destinations engage readers. It offers a full picture of each place, including everything from attractions and local culture to food and travel tips.
• Travel Itineraries: I’ve researched sharing travel plans tailored to various interests like family trips, solo journeys, or romantic escapes can be incredibly useful.
• Packing Tips: I’ve compiled advice and lists catering to different destinations and climates, responding to common questions and concerns travelers observe.
• Travel Trends: Through my research, writing about the trends in travel, such as eco-friendly practices, undiscovered spots, or new travel tech, shows that you’re in tune with what’s current.
• Interactive Content: I’ve seen interactive quizzes or tests, like “What type of vacation suits you best?” engage visitors. It’s a fun way for them to interact and helps keep them around longer, which search engines favor.

7. Link Building

Backlinks are links from one website to yours, and they’re super important for getting noticed by Google. The more high-quality links you have, the higher your site might rank, bringing more visitors.

From what I’ve learned, you always need backlinks to appear on the first page for tough keywords. Take “Where to go on a honeymoon,” for example. It has a difficulty score of 60 out of 100, meaning it’s hard to rank without backlinks.

Link building can be tricky, but there are proven ways to do it. Besides getting links from other sites, I also pay attention to internal links, which are links from one page of your site to another. 

They help spread link equity throughout your site and improve user navigation, which is also beneficial for SEO.

How to Get Started?

First, focus on the top 10 pages that appear in Google for your target keyword. You can find these by typing the keyword into Google or looking at the SERP overview in Ashrefs. 

Next, uncover their backlinks by inputting their URLs into Site Explorer and accessing the Backlinks report.

Identify achievable backlinks for your site and contemplate methods to acquire similar links. This process involves scrutinizing the links to these top-ranking pages and strategizing how to replicate their backlink success on your website.

8. Technical SEO 

SEO for travel websites isn’t just about writing great content. It also involves technical steps to make your site shine.

Using Google’s tools to check how your site is doing is a good idea. Google Analytics helps you see how well your site performs, while Google Search Console shows how Google views your site.

• Optimize Website Speed: People will leave quickly if your site loads slowly. To speed it up, make your images smaller, use browser caching, and consider using Content Delivery Networks (CDNs).
• Mobile Optimization: Your travel site must work well on phones because Google cares about this. Making your site mobile-friendly is key to doing well in search results.
• Secure Website: Use HTTPS to keep your site secure. Google likes secure sites better, and visitors trust them more, too.

9. Social Media

Social media might not be the first thing you think of for SEO, but it’s essential. Sites like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit have billions of users. 

Many of these people could find the content on your travel website useful. You’re missing out on much free traffic if you’re not on social media. 

Nowadays, social media acts almost like a search engine, with people constantly asking and answering questions.

While being active on social media might not directly boost your site’s Google ranking, it definitely helps more people find out about your travel website. 

Travel is all about the visuals, and people love to see where they could be going or what they could be doing.

How Social Media Affects SEO?

Social media plays a crucial role in establishing your credibility. Links from social platforms make your website look trustworthy and authoritative, which is key for Google’s EEAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), which is a significant factor in ranking.

Having active social media accounts is also a fantastic strategy for networking within the travel industry, opening opportunities for backlinks or guest blogging.

10. Schema Markup

Adding structure to your website’s data makes it easier for search engines to serve the right results to your audience, boosting your traffic and position in search results. 

Schema markup is a powerful tool in this process. By using Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper, You can create code that showcases important information from your site directly in search results, such as:

• The average rating of tours;
• The number of reviews;
• Answers to frequently asked questions;
• Types of accommodations available;
• Different pricing options.

Key Takeaways: SEO for Travel Websites

Here are the key takeaways from my journey into SEO for travel websites: insights that have proven crucial in elevating online visibility and engagement for travel-related content:

• Understand and target specific, relevant keywords for your niche.
• Use long-tail keywords to capture targeted traffic and interests.
• Prioritize local SEO to appear in location-based searches effectively.
• Optimize website images for both SEO and faster page loading.
• Ensure your website loads quickly to retain visitors’ interest.
• Adapt content for voice search compatibility and mobile users.

Final Insights on Boosting Your Travel Website

When I started exploring SEO for travel websites, my main goal was to simplify my work and make my actions more impactful.

Applying SEO techniques saved me a lot of time and helped me uncover opportunities and issues on websites I hadn’t noticed before.

I found new keywords I hadn’t considered and identified problems on sites that were new to me. Thanks to this approach, I saw websites increase search engine rankings, which was a clear success.

Based on what I’ve observed, I can say that focusing on SEO for travel websites is worthwhile. It’s advice I’d give anyone interested in this area.

It’s key to remember that SEO and the online world are always evolving. Staying updated with the latest trends and tools is vital for keeping ahead.