Google Organic Search for Hotels: Does It Still Matter? (Part VI)
After a hard look at the current state of a Google hotel search, I wondered about this. Does it still matter? Look, a search for a term like Miami Hotel turns up mostly Google ad spaces, Local listings, and OTAs. There’s only one actual hotel website returned. And, anyway, aren’t more and more users making decisions based on social media recommendations and traveler reviews? Does organic really matter anymore?
Yes! There are still plenty of opportunities to get organic placement, especially for the old-school long-tail keywords. While I don’t get many hotel websites searching for Portland hotels, I do when I search for Portland airport hotels and Portland luxury hotels. I’m guessing a peek at analytics would show most hotels are still getting Google search traffic for targeted terms, and it pays for travelers to be able to find you in all possible ways.
Take your organic strategy further than meta data on your site, though. Narrow down your keyword targets and include them in content everywhere. Content still matters more than just about anything—and, ultimately, that’s what all if it is from TripAdvisor details to social media posts. It’s all just content.
