HOTEL WEB DESIGN & SEO BEST PRACTICES

Your online presence through your website is one of the most important marketing tools for your hotel or motel.

It’s often the first impression potential customers have of your hotel or motel and it’s what drives online traffic from search engines.

Consider these 7 best practices for your web design and SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) to get more bookings for your motel or hotel.

1. Place your contact information in a prominent position

Potential customers need to find the contact information easily. If you have placed your phone number in the website body, website visitors could overlook it.

Some guests prefer to book over the phone, or may have questions need answering before booking, so it is in your best interests they quickly and easily find the phone number.

2. Use geo-targeted keywords throughout your website

By focusing and using the right keywords throughout your website, you will attract the right potential guests looking to stay in your area.

Use geo-targeted keywords, like “Parramatta B&B” or “boutique hotel in Canberra,” to increase your website’s relevance to search engines like Google.

When you do so this potentially enables a higher page position in search results, which equates to more page views, and thus potentially increased bookings.

Use these keywords in your page descriptions, website copy, image descriptions, and web page titles.

3. Add keywords for amenities or niche packages

Does your hotel or motel have honeymoon packages or a business area and facilities? Does your B&B cater to gay couples, or is pet friendly? Each of these specific niches have great SEO keywords to target in website copy, page titles, and more.

Sprinkle phrases like “pet friendly bed and breakfast” or “pets welcome B&B” in web copy.

Write blog posts showcasing your niche offerings and things that make you stand out from your local competition. The more you use these niche keywords, the better positioning in the search engines which will lead to more enquiries.

4. Implement an automated booking system

Integrating an online booking system into your website is a great way to increase online bookings, but it can lead to difficulty on the user’s end.

In today’s world the majority of guest look to book rooms using an online booking system, in preference to sending an email and waiting to hear a reply. Use an automated, and seamless online booking system to give guests a great first impression.

5. Include photos of all amenities and rooms 

Photos establish customers expectations for their stay, and in the online age, they’re a must have. If you only have photos of your top-of-the-line room, booked customers may be very disappointed in their mid-range room they are staying in.

B&Bs often post photos of every room, and sometimes allow guests to select their preferred room.

Small hotels and motels can post a variety of room photos to set guest expectations. When showcasing room photos, don’t forget to post pictures of your common areas, grounds and amenities.

6.  Website speed

If your website loads slowly, users will potentially click away.

Optimise images to file sizes under 100KB, so they don’t slow your page load time. If you’re relying on an old content management system or website builder, update to something current to potentially stop losing enquiring customers.

7. Social proof 

Do people love you on Yelp or are you a top-booked property on TripAdvisor? Post badges from reputable websites to boost guest confidence prior to booking.

As you adopt these best online practices, you will notice increased traffic and more direct bookings.

It may not happen overnight, but keep applying these strategies to see greater success for your business