What better time than the present to reflect on your SEO performance and set the stage for better results in the year ahead? If you haven’t looked back and amended your SEO strategy for a while then it’s time to plan, budget and strategize for your SEO success in the coming months.

Here are the top 6 definitive SEO trends to help your hotel dominate Google’s search results in 2018:

1. Refresh Keyword Research:

Competitor strategies and business strategies change, so should your keyword columns. A common mistake in SEO strategies is targeting too many keywords. Our advice: Stick to three relevant and captivating keywords in your meta title to ensure the best results.

Another point to take note of is the rise of digital assistants, which have presented a growing market that is changing the way search queries are performed. According to Google, 1 out of 5 searches already come from voice queries. The significant rise of Voice Search expected in 2018, means your Keyword strategy for on-page content and meta descriptions should focus on long-tail keywords (consisting of 3+ words), with more of a conversational tone. For example: ‘What is the best 5 Star Hotel in Dublin City Centre?’.

2. Make Mobile a Priority:

Google are no longer just experimenting with mobile-first indexing, mobile is overtly favouritized over other devices and is set to be fully implemented by 2018. This shows that it’s one of the most important SEO trends and should be a serious priority for hotels. It is no longer enough to have a site that is mobile responsive, you need to be building your online interactions with customers to be convenient, accessible, and intuitive on mobile devices first, for the best results when it comes to SEO.

3. The Rise of AMP:

You may have heard the term “AMPs” thrown around lately. So, what exactly are Accelerated Mobile Pages and what do they mean for search?

To put it quite simply, Accelerated Mobile Page (or AMP, for short) is a project by Google and Twitter designed to make mobile pages super-fast. Fundamentally, Accelerated Mobile Pages enable mobile sites and ads to appear above all other search results, to consistently perform faster, provide better user experience and load pages in an instant across devices and distribution platforms. With a guaranteed higher CTR and higher rankings, AMP will continue to be the talk of the industry as webmasters and SEOs try to get the most from AMP results in 2018

4. The Rise of SERP Features:

Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) is the digital marketer’s term for search engine results. A user enters their search query (often using specific terms and phrases, or better yet, keywords), upon which the search engine presents them with a list of matching results.

Increasingly, SERP features like; local packs, Knowledge panels, and featured snippets, are stealing the attention of searchers, and clicks from organic listings. Competition is fierce, and technological developments in search mean that it’s more important than ever for digital marketers to know how search works and what they can do to maximize their visibility.

Besides the traditional search ranking factors, like page speed, content relevancy and page authority, search engines are also using information about the user, such as interests, browsing history and location, to provide a personalized search results list.

Ultimately, your SEO goal for 2018 should be to get to the top of search results using platforms like Google Hotel Ads, as well as incorporating consumer trends and data into your content.

5. Link Social Media Posts Back to The Hotel Site:

When it comes to boosting revenue and bookings, social media can be a powerful tool. Especially when you consider that 46% of web users look towards social media when making a purchase, and 70% of business-to-consumer marketers have gained more business via Facebook. Link your social media posts back to your website to increase traffic and to maximize the potential for conversions.

6. Be Consistent With Updating Content:

In 2018, Google will continue to enhance the web user’s experience by scanning the relevancy of a page’s content. In-depth and regularly updated content tends to rank best in Google. Meaning that instead of measuring content, you should be focusing on context. The best solution is to have quantities of richer, more detailed, long-form content. This may mean that you will have to put more effort into every piece you produce, but you’ll stand out from the competition, gain the trust of your readership and secure more conversions as a result.

The truth is, you must adapt your SEO strategy to time, technology and consumer behavior as the dynamics of SEO are continuously changing and improving year after year. By incorporating the above key trends and pieces of advice into your SEO strategy in 2018, it is sure to be your best year yet and you can strive towards being number one on SERPs, website visits, ranking and engagement with your audience in this growing digital era.

Emma Cotter graduated from University College Dublin with a degree in Economics and recently graduated from her Master’s degree in International Business Management. As Net Affinity’s SEO specialist Emma works closely with each client to grow their online presence even further by devising key search engine optimization strategies. When she is not analyzing consumer data and SEO trends for Net Affinity’s clients, Emma is passionate about creating content for her personal blog, photography and the outdoors.

Net Affinity
Focused exclusively on the hotel sector, Net Affinity has collated the brightest, most commercially focused, experienced and passionate team of online marketers, account managers, designers and developers whose combined skill set ensures our clients online success and continued growth. We created this blog because we wanted to share our expertise with you, and offer you the knowledge that over 15 years experience in the hotel industry has given us.

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