SEO and Google Ads are fundamental to hotel and hospitality marketing. As AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini emerge, hoteliers face new challenges in adapting their SEO, GEO, and Google Ads strategies. Before diving into these shifts, it’s important to clarify how SEO and Google Ads currently support the industry.
Sixty percent of travelers begin their accommodation search online. When searching for a hotel, Google Ads from OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) commonly appear first. Booking Holdings (booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, Kayak) spent about $6 billion on marketing, mostly on Google Ads. With OTAs earning 15-30% commission on bookings, they invest heavily to attract bookings to their sites. Yet, a recent study shows most users (70%-80%) are still more likely to click organic search results than ads, keeping SEO highly relevant despite OTA ad spending.
This continued customer behavior underscores why it remains crucial for hotels to optimize their own websites for search engines. Doing so helps them compete more effectively with OTAs for direct bookings and can ultimately increase profitability.
Effective SEO strategies for Hotels are as follows:
Local SEO is vital for hotels, as a high percentage of local searches, such as “hotels near me, hotels in Manila,” result in a purchase (approximately 28%). Optimizing the hotel or resort’s Google Business Profile will also impact their searchability in Google Maps and Waze, with approximately 40% of local searches leading to a click in Maps.
Content and Reviews: This is another effective SEO strategy for hotels, as it builds credibility and trust among their target audience. About 87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses, and 63% of them are influenced by it in making a decision. Content such as destination guides and blogs helps establish credibility and can aid the site in ranking for a wider range of keywords.
With the rise of AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini, hotels should consider how these technologies impact their digital presence. AI chatbots provide more conversational and personalized answers, changing how travelers search. Generative Search Optimization (GSO) helps hotel websites create content that directly answers specific traveler questions—such as through FAQ pages—making it more likely the hotel will appear in chatbot and generative search results. By targeting conversational queries and actual user intent, GSO allows hotels to reach travelers more effectively. GSO works alongside SEO, and hotels should incorporate both strategies to stay competitive as AI-driven search grows.
At Fortify Digital Marketing, we help hotels excel by integrating SEO and GSO. These strategies keep hotels competitive and profitable in the evolving digital landscape.
