Question on Blog Silos for Hotels

[klizzyfaye]

I have mostly worked with those in the service industry, not in hotels. This is a local bed and breakfast/hotel. Usually for services it is pretty straight forward how to handle the page titles and subsequent blogs and their categories. However, for the Hotel, I'm not 100% sure how to proceed with Page titles and blog categories. It's not like people are searching for "Deluxe rooms in _" and I'm not sure what blog posts I would even put into that category.

I did see some suggestions from research that " Things to do in _" and having blog posts categorized to that. That makes sense to me. So, would the pages that have the types of rooms, etc not be the pages that are linked to blogs then? More like a booking or contact page?

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[fisicx]

Blogging is unlikely to help ranking. SEO has moved on a lot and this type of activity isn't much use for hotels.

Making sure the website ticks all of Google's boxes and the GBP is complete and updated with reviews and customer pictures.

 

[Lluc]

I have mostly worked with those in the service industry, not in hotels. This is a local bed and breakfast/hotel. Usually for services it is pretty straight forward how to handle the page titles and subsequent blogs and their categories. However, for the Hotel, I'm not 100% sure how to proceed with Page titles and blog categories. It's not like people are searching for "Deluxe rooms in _" and I'm not sure what blog posts I would even put into that category.

I did see some suggestions from research that " Things to do in _" and having blog posts categorized to that. That makes sense to me. So, would the pages that have the types of rooms, etc not be the pages that are linked to blogs then? More like a booking or contact page?

Thank you in advance for your help!

Hi klizzyfaye,

When you shift from service-industry SEO to hotel SEO, you’re stepping into a different game. The hotel vertical is very different to other industries. It is very difficult to provide guidance or recommendations without information of the property and location.

I work for clients that have hotels in Aruba, if that is where the hotel is located, and the market is highly tour-operated (flight + accommodation + transportation + entertainment etc). Do you have access to their Analytics?

If you want, I can take a look at the hotel and give you feedback. If so, it would be great if you can send me privately the following information:

Hotel name

Key Selling Points - List of amenities and services

Target users (if you target users in the EU, be aware of all the differences and changes implemented due to the DMA)

What booking engine, if any, are you using?

If so, have you set up Google Hotel Ads?

Are you advertising in OTA’s?

Are you building a new website or just updating the current one?

Which technology powers their web?

GBP, have you updated all of the hotel attributes?


With regards to the blog, I strongly disagree with fsicx comment “that the blog is unlikely to help ranking”. There are some cases or scenarios where this might be true, but in general, if done correctly, the blog is going to be the only way you have to gain visibility for the queries your target users are using for their holiday research. It will likely be the only option you have to build backlinks from relevant sources. Not to mention visibility in AI’s, but I don’t have enough information at the moment to go in detail.

I’m particularly fond of the strategy followed by Barceló Hotels & Resorts, where they have a blog and a travel guide. There are other great examples of great hotel blogs, check if your local competitors (by location, typology, amenities and of course OTA’s) in a tool like ahrefs or semrush.

https://www.barcelo.com/pinandtravel/es/

https://www.barcelo.com/guia-turismo/es/

I must also recommend you follow Tim Capper from Online Ownership, a Google Product Expert that specializes in hotels and is always super helpful and insightful. He has a GBP for Hotels guide published in BrightLocal that might be of help (it’s from 2024, some parts are outdated due to changes from Google.


Saludos!

 

[klizzyfaye]

@Lluc wowowow! Thank you so much for this! Very helpful indeed!

Funny enough, the hotel is in Aruba. Small place with one a few rooms in Santa Cruz. Here is the website: https://mammaloes.com

This is my first time taking a look at the site. I'll be updating it most likely via her developers who built it. There is obviously MUCH to change and room for improvement. Not even just for SEO, but for User experience and clarity as well.

Hotel name: Mammaloes Aruba

Key Selling Points - List of amenities and services:
-space for yoga
-Small pool
-can book your excursions for you
-book car rentals and have them dropped off here
-willing to help you arrange things before arrival. IE for a birthday, etc.
- eco lodge
-unique rooms
-colorful and secluded

Target users (if you target users in the EU, be aware of all the differences and changes implemented due to the DMA)
- yogis
- couples/single women from EU, US and S. America

What booking engine, if any, are you using?:
My Tourist

If so, have you set up Google Hotel Ads?
No Ads yet

Are you advertising in OTA’s?
Using Booking.com and Expedia. Not sure if advertising but they are listed and get bookings.

Are you building a new website or just updating the current one?
Just updating

Which technology powers their web?
Do you mean their site host? They use Wordpress.

GBP, have you updated all of the hotel attributes?
Not yet. This is on my list! Currently getting my plan together as there are alot of things as you will see if you take a look.

Thank you so much!

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[fisicx]

I should probably qualify my statement that "that the blog is unlikely to help ranking".

If your posts target niche search queries you can generate traffic. But it's not the blog itself that does this it's the content. Which means it could just as easily be a page rather than a blog post. A blog should be part of the marketing strategy rather than just a means to generate content.

Looking at the site there are loads of things you could do to improve both ranking and lead generation before worrying about a blog. For starters decide if you want to be a boutique hotel or airbnb.

If you are targeting yogis and couples/single women from EU, US and S. America - where is this clearly stated on the site? What is does say is: "Perfect for vacationers and long stays — ideal expat housing in Aruba"