New Local SERP Display Puts Directories Front and Center

Anyone who uses Google will be familiar with just how extensively they’ve been testing new SERP displays recently — from big clickable images to the rollercoaster that is desktop favicons.

Now, Google has rolled out a brand-new display feature for local search results in Europe, pushing third-party directories to center stage.

Read on to find out what we know so far, who the update will affect, and what the new SERP display means for local SEOs and businesses.

What we know so far

On February 21, 2020, a new SERP was spotted across Europe.

SERP results for “Dentists in Brighton”.

In what could be considered a new “position zero” for local businesses fortunate enough to be featured in the directories linked to, branded directory buttons are now showing above Maps and local pack results.

We know that the update has definitely rolled out across the UK, Belgium, Greece, France, and Spain, but it’s most likely visible across all countries in Europe by now.

@rustybrick do you know anything about this “find results on” field? It shows results from directory sites. First seen today for Belgium and Greece. Some SEOs from Spain & France say this is available for some months now. Do you think it can be related to the EU antitrust fine? pic.twitter.com/Zk1jwAbahC

— Michalis Logothetis (@Michalis_log) February 21, 2020

The new local SERP is thought to have been implemented as a result of Google’s previous history with the European Commission. In March 2019, the European Commission fined Google €1.49 billion for abusive practices in online advertising, i.e. favoring its own pages in search results and creating unfavorable conditions for competitors. 

Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, (responsible for competition policy), commented at the time: 

Today the Commission has fined Google €1.49 billion for illegal misuse of its dominant position in the market for the brokering of online search adverts. Google has cemented its dominance in online search adverts and shielded itself from competitive pressure by imposing anti-competitive contractual restrictions on third-party websites. This is illegal under EU antitrust rules. The misconduct lasted over 10 years and denied other companies the possibility to compete on the merits and to innovate – and consumers the benefits of competition.

It looks like Google is now hoping to appease the European Commission by placing third-party directories in a position of prominence. The introduction of this new feature means Google can showcase its compliance with the EU’s antitrust shopping policy. This would certainly explain why the new SERP display has rolled out in Europe and not the rest of the world.

What we don’t know

Though the SERP display itself is pretty straightforward, there are still some unanswered questions.

Will this change affect countries outside of the EU?

Firstly, many of you may be wondering “Will this new display be rolling out elsewhere?” The answer to that seems to be no — at least not any time soon. 

Given that this new display appears to be in response to EU regulations, there would be no immediate reason for Google to implement this change elsewhere.

The antitrust policy is exclusive to the EU, so unless other countries like the US enforce a similar plan of their own, it’s very unlikely searchers outside of the EU will see this new display. 

That said, some American states have followed the EU’s suit and introduced new privacy regulations such as CCPA in California (a similar regulation to the EU’s GDPR law). So who’s to say that more stringent regulations won’t be implemented in the future? 

Will the new SERP remain once the UK has left the EU?

The fact that the new SERP display is active in the UK, which left the EU on January 31, 2020, has caused some confusion.

While the new local SERP display is active in the UK at the time of writing, it’s entirely possible it will revert back to normal further down the line of Brexit negotiations. 

Google’s new terms of service page states that UK users’ data will be regulated and managed by Google LLC operating under the laws of the USA.

Google has already announced that it will be moving UK users’ data from Ireland to the US post-Brexit. Some UK-based Google users even received an email this week notifying them of changes to Google’s terms of service.

The email read:

We’re improving our Terms of Service and making them easier for you to understand. The changes will take effect on 31 March 2020, and they won’t impact the way that you use Google services. And, because the United Kingdom (UK) is leaving the European Union (EU), Google LLC will now be the service provider and the data controller responsible for your information and for complying with applicable privacy laws for UK consumer users.

Given that the UK will no longer be covered by the EU’s stringent privacy regulations, there’s no reason Google wouldn’t remove the third-party links after the fact.

How does Google choose which directories to surface?

This is the big unknown right now. How or why Google surfaces these third-party directories is so far unclear.

And in some cases, we’ve seen directories being surfaced that just don’t seem to fit the nature of the search.

For example, when executing the search “plumbers in Brighton”, Google surfaced lists from Gumtree — a site that you might feel comfortable buying a second-hand bread bin from, but probably not choosing a plumber through. 

Meanwhile, sites like Groupon and Booking.com (which operate more like eCommerce sites than directories) are surfacing for spa queries.

Directories I’ve seen featured in the new local SERPs so far include:

• Yell
• Yelp
• Cylex-UK
• Groupon
• Treatwell
• TripAdvisor
• Gumtree
• Booking.com
• Timeout
• PagesJaunes (France only)
• Foursquare
• Kayak 
• Expedia
• Skyscanner

Like any new feature or display, it will likely take some time for Google to refine its algorithm. But at present, we could really only speculate as to why these directories have been chosen, (outside of just being relevant to the industry).

Will the European Commission approve of Google’s efforts?

The European Commission is yet to comment on the updated SERP display so, at present at least, we’ve no idea if Google will have done enough to adhere to the EU’s antitrust policy.

What does the new SERPs display mean for local SEOs?

Interestingly, the updated local SERPs could have a big impact on citations. 

Recently there’s been speculation as to whether citations are quite as important as they used to be, but now — with directories sitting front and center in local SERPs — local businesses in the EU will need to ensure they’re listed in the relevant places to benefit from this new visibility.

So what this change really means is that citations in popular directories have been awarded newfound importance, outside of just being a ranking factor. 

If you’re a local business operating in Europe you’ll need to make sure, now more than ever, that you’re listed on the big players’ sites: Yell, Yelp, and Cylex-UK, along with any other directories relevant to your industry.

You’ll also want to ensure you’re receiving a steady stream of legitimate, good-quality reviews, in order to influence whether directories place you on their lists or not.

Who does this change affect?

The new local SERP display affects any local business operating in the EU.

So far we’ve seen the new SERPs surfacing for numerous different business categories. The below searches generated third-party directory carousels across the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Greece, and Belgium.

• Plumbers
• Dentists 
• Taxis 

• Restaurants 
• Bars
• Jewelers 
• Electricians
• Swimming pools
• Museums

• Garages 
• Window cleaning
• Spas
• Dog grooming

• Hairdressers 
• Car rental

It’s not just local businesses that have been affected by this change, either. Third-party directories are even showing for queries about landmarks and areas of interest, such as “parks near me”.

As yet I can’t generate the new SERP display for locksmiths, pest control, lawyers, or accountants. Third-party directories aren’t showing for hotels either, (but we know how hotel SERPs tend to differ from other industries).

If you’re based outside of the EU but want to see what the new SERPs look like, Local Search Results Checker allows you to check Google results from any destination.

Share your findings

Have you spotted the new local SERP display? Will it change how you approach citations? If you’re outside of the EU, is this something you’d like to see rolled out in your country? 

Share your thoughts and findings in the comments below!

The post New Local SERP Display Puts Directories Front and Center appeared first on BrightLocal.

source https://thebtrade.com/2020/02/27/new-local-serp-display-puts-directories-front-and-center/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-local-serp-display-puts-directories-front-and-center

The Top 10 Free Local SEO Tools [Updated 2020]

You’ve got your optimization checklist to complete, either for your own local business or on behalf of your client, and you’re wondering which free Local SEO tool will do the manual work for you.

We all love a freebie, but when it comes to the complex and multi-location world of Local SEO, the tool still has to be top-notch, so that you can sit back and trust that it’s doing the job you want it to.

In this reactive industry, you also want free tools that can give you a quick and accurate answer as soon as you’ve thought of the question. That’s why we’ve compiled the top 10 free local SEO tools in the industry so that you know where to turn.

Local RankFlux

BrightLocal’s own Local RankFlux is the only ranking fluctuation monitoring tool for local search. We track daily ranking movements across 14,000+ keywords to measure volatility and identify suspected algorithm updates. Get daily, weekly or urgent-only alerts so that you’re not left in the lurch the next time a Google algorithm update impacts local rankings.

USPS

If you’re looking for a simple way to find a ZIP code, USPS allows you to search by street address, city, or state. You can also search using a ZIP code to find out which cities it covers. This tool comes in handy when analyzing how well businesses are ranking in particular neighborhoods, as these ZIP codes can be used in tools like BrightLocal’s Local Search Results Checker to view localized search results.

Siteliner

Identify key issues that affect your business’ website and rankings with Siteliner. The free service allows up to 250 page searches per month, identifying duplicate content, broken links, and page power. You simply add the URL for the page you want to check and Siteliner does all the hard work for you.

Microdata Generator

Help Google understand the purpose of your web pages by adding structured data coding. Generate Schema code with ease using Google’s preferred Schema markup; JSON-LD. Simply fill in the table and Microdata Generator will build the code for you to copy and paste on your website.

Zipsprout

Search for local sponsorship opportunities at scale with Zipsprout. You can automate city or topic-specific searches, save time by favoriting certain locations, and let Zipsprout’s matchmakers take care of the outreach. Perfect for local businesses that haven’t got the team or time to send hundreds of emails.

Da Vinci Tools Extension for Chrome

Da Vinci Tools for Chrome brings together a whole host of incredibly useful tools that make Google Analytics easier  to understand at a glance and more powerful to use. Bring a layer of colour to GA reports to gets insights quicker with a heat map on tables, highlight high and low points in overview graphs, and more.

Answer the Public

If you’re finding yourself stuck for content and research ideas, Answer the Public is where you want to be. Add your keyword and the tool will list all the questions customers have asked search engines such as Google and Bing, so that you can tailor your content around what your customers want to know. And there you have it, all the content ideas you need, grouped by query type, ready for you to increase traffic to your website.

SERPTrends for Chrome

SEO Extension SERPTrends for Google Chrome is a lightweight SEO tool that shows dynamics for the search results within the search page: whether the website moved up, down in the SERP, just appeared (is “new”) or hasn’t changed its position. It also shows how many positions the website lost or raised compared to search you performed the previous day.

Google ID & Link Generator

BrightLocal’s Google ID & Link Generator allows you to easily find Google IDs and links for any local business that has a physical address. Get all the Google search, Google Maps, and Google My Business review links you need, instantly.

Objection Co

Objection Co was created to enable users to check the legitimacy of online reviews. Simply copy and paste the review in question into the free tool and you’ll receive a score generated by Objection Co’s algorithm, telling you how likely it is that the review will qualify for removal. According to Founder Curtis Boyd, the tool uses NLP data and AI/ML frameworks such as NLTK and BERT to identify illegitimate content.

Are there any we’ve missed?

If you have any additional suggestions to share with the community, feel free to add them in the comments below!

The post The Top 10 Free Local SEO Tools [Updated 2020] appeared first on BrightLocal.

source https://thebtrade.com/2020/02/27/the-top-10-free-local-seo-tools-updated-2020/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-top-10-free-local-seo-tools-updated-2020

Video Lead Scoring Model | 3 Simple Steps to Implement It

Marketing and sales teams rely on lead scoring to identify high-quality prospects they want to pursue. This improves the efficiency of the sales process, drives conversion rates and improves the buyer’s journey by providing relevant information when leads are most engaged.

As video becomes the content of choice for many buyers, marketers have had to develop a way to incorporate video into their lead scoring models.

What is Lead Scoring? (And Why Should It Include Video?)

Lead scoring is a fundamental component of marketing automation, allowing you to effectively track and assign points for your prospect’s online actions in order to determine when they are deemed “sales-ready.”

With the ability to track viewer engagement, video is a valuable tool when it comes to scoring your prospects accurately and efficiently. With 72% of people choosing to watch a video over text-based content, it makes sense that your marketing strategy will include more and more videos over time. As it takes a more prominent role throughout your strategy, you’ll naturally need to include video in your lead scoring model too.

Want to better understand why it’s important for video to be part of your lead scoring model and qualification process? Get the overview with this short explainer video.

 

Scoring Leads Based on Video Consumption

Video marketing platforms integrate with your marketing automation platform (MAP) or customer relationship management (CRM) system to show you which leads have watched which videos and for how long. Vidyard’s integration with Marketo makes it easy to start small and then build up your video lead scoring model as your video strategy expands.

In this post, I’ll discuss three steps you can take in Marketo using Vidyard video viewing data to evaluate a lead’s interest based on their viewing consumption:

1. Topic-based video lead scoring: Which videos on what topics has a lead watched?
2. Percentage-based video lead scoring: How much of a single video has a lead viewed?
3. Volume-based video lead scoring: How many minutes of video has a lead viewed in total?

These steps will build off each other, so you can start simple with step one and then return for steps two and three when you’re ready.

1. How to Set Up Topic-Based Video Lead Scoring

If you don’t have many videos or are just starting to lead score your videos, then start with topic-based video lead scoring. This strategy relies on looking at what kind of video a lead viewed and mapping it to a stage of your buying cycle.

For instance, a prospect who watched a top-of-funnel video, like one you’d find in a blog post, would receive fewer points than one who watched a bottom-of-funnel video, such as a product demo. Those are obvious examples but there are plenty of grey areas, so read our blog post about types of video to ensure you’re mapping your videos to the correct funnel stage—then and score them accordingly.

This is how topic-based scoring would look in Marketo if you use a trigger to identify and score leads who consume webinar content:

I’m using the constraint “Video Name” here, but you could also use “Player Name,” “Group Name,” or even “Custom Attribute.”

Keep in mind this strategy will only work if you’ve organized your videos in such a way that the type of video appears in the video, player, or group name.

Piece of cake? Alright, it sounds like you might be ready to take things to the next level.

2. How to Set Up Percentage-Based Video Lead Scoring

Now that you’ve identified different types of videos, it’s time to take into account not only what video a prospect watched, but also how much of it they watched.

The rationale here is that a prospect who watches an entire video (especially a longer one) is more valuable to you than one who only watched the first 30 seconds. The trigger in the section above will qualify anyone who watches any portion of the video, so let’s iterate on it slightly to include percent viewed:

With the additional constraint of “Percent Viewed,” the trigger now takes into account that a lead not only watched a webinar but that they also watched at least 50% of that webinar.

This is a single trigger showing they’ll only qualify to receive points after watching the specified amount, but you could also create multiple smart campaigns to give different values of points to prospects who watched different amounts of the same webinar.

This should suffice for the lead scoring requirements of most companies. The fact that video lead scoring takes percentage consumed into account is relatively sophisticated, considering most other content cannot be quantified or tracked as easily (for instance, there’s no way to know how many pages of a PDF a prospect has read).

If you want to push the limits a little more, there is one final variable we can take into account that’ll kick your video lead scoring up a notch.

3. How to Set Up Volume-Based Video Lead Scoring

This final step allows you to look beyond individual videos to understand a lead’s level of interest in your company or solutions. With this, you can surface leads who have spent a lot of time consuming your content over a certain time period, with the rationale that they are likely closer to purchase.

In this final example, I’ve added two additional constraints for “Minimum Number of Times” and “Date of Activity” so I can identify leads that have watched at least 50% of a minimum of three webinars in the past 30 days:

Note that, as a custom activity, Vidyard video data is saved for 25 months in Marketo. This means you’ll need to make sure not to extend “Date of Activity” beyond that point. If you’re using another marketing automation platform, then be sure to check their data retention policy before setting this timeline.

Again, this is a relatively simple example, but you have the flexibility to build additional smart programs to customize your video lead scoring model in the way that best fits your business needs.

With that final step, you’re finished!

Congratulations on implementing a video lead scoring model and improving the efficacy of both your video marketing and marketing automation strategy. Keep in mind that, like any lead scoring model, it will require close monitoring and anecdotal feedback from your sales team. This will allow you to continue to iterate on these campaigns as your company and video strategy evolves.

Find Out More About Vidyard + Marketo

Using the Vidyard Marketo integration, you can access powerful video viewing data and use it to refine your lead scoring even more.

But that’s not all! You can also embed videos in Marketo landing pages and emails, add Marketo forms and other interactive CTAs directly into your videos, use video to trigger Interesting Moments, and more. See it in action in the video.

 

 

The post Video Lead Scoring Model | 3 Simple Steps to Implement It appeared first on Marketo Marketing Blog – Best Practices and Thought Leadership.

source https://thebtrade.com/2020/02/26/video-lead-scoring-model-3-simple-steps-to-implement-it/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=video-lead-scoring-model-3-simple-steps-to-implement-it

7 Ways to Boost Your Hotel’s Local Rankings and Reap the Rewards

The hospitality industry is one of the most competitive out there, with the average hotel receiving more than 10,000 searches per month. 

With the rise of shared-space platforms such as Airbnb, this sector generates 10.4% of the world’s GDP (a figure that’s expected to rise in the next 10 years). 

Individual hotels must compete with mammoth online price comparison sites that have a huge presence and can often afford to slash prices. As a result, many hotels are forced into the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” scenario and pay a premium in fees for any bookings made through one of these sites.

Direct bookings are much more lucrative, thought to be around 9% more profitable (as of 2016) than bookings made through hotel partner sites. 

With these growing numbers in mind, hotel owners in 2020 are under pressure to develop a winning local SEO strategy that will get them found in search and attract more visitors to their websites.

Google is continually evolving the way hotel listings feature in search results, and hoteliers must keep up with changes in the local SEO landscape that are pertinent to them. 

In the past few years Google has introduced a whole host of new features for hotels, including in-SERP “Book Now” buttons, new layouts, and location tabs in knowledge panels. In 2019, Google even launched its own hotel offering to compete with the likes of Booking.com and Expedia.

At this rate, who knows what 2020 holds for hotels?

Whatever future changes Google may have in store, it’s important to keep on top of best practices for search — local and otherwise.

In this article, I’ll explore some easily actionable tactics you can implement to enhance your hotel’s visibility online, boost website traffic, and, in the process, increase direct sales. 

1. Research and implement relevant keywords

The most successful hotel websites will have developed a list of relevant keywords that is regularly reviewed and amended. 

Screenshot of Ahrefs’ keyword explorer

Developing a list of target keywords is not a one-time task. Business needs, consumer buying and searching habits, and search engine algorithms are all subject to change, so it’s important to think of your keywords list as something that will evolve with your business and customers. 

Researching your keywords

Consider what a prospective guest would search for if they were looking for accommodation in the local area. Ranking for specific phrases such as “boutique hotel in Washington” will drive traffic with a high buying intent to the hotel website, for example.

Google’s free Keyword Planner tool in Google Ads is great for identifying the terms people are searching for. You can also use in-SERP features such as Google’s autosuggest (pictured above) and ‘people also ask’s (pictured below). Alternatively, tools like Ahrefs and BuzzSumo can provide useful keyword suggestions.

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Using keywords

Once you’ve got your researched keywords in order, you can begin including them in your content. 

If your keyword research shows that a lot of people in your area are looking for child-friendly hotels, consider writing content about your hotel’s offerings for families, or city guides for families with young children.

Beware of being too heavy-handed with keywords in website content and metadata. Google can dish out penalties if it identifies “keyword stuffing” in meta titles and descriptions, on-page content, alt tags, content that has earned a backlink to the hotel’s site, or the page permalink structure. When it comes to writing your content, the keywords should act as a prompt and foundation, but at the forefront of your mind should be your potential guest’s needs and wants.

Tracking keyword success

You should regularly monitor keyword performance and adapt your target phrases accordingly.

You could even undertake this process manually — though you’d be giving yourself quite the task — by setting up a spreadsheet with keywords, ranking content, and SERP position. 

If you find your keywords aren’t working as they should, continue your research and refine them further. Finding the right keywords for your business can be an ongoing process, so don’t worry if you don’t hit the jackpot first time around.

Consider proximity

As a hotel, likely welcoming guests from around the world, it’s also important to ensure you’re checking your rankings from different locations. Using a tool like Local Search Results Checker means you can generate search results from any given location. 

When it comes to choosing your keywords, choose a healthy mix of primary, secondary, and long-tail keywords to capture people at all stages of the buyer’s journey. 

2. Create high-quality content with a local focus

Including high-quality, localized content is a great place to start when looking to improve a hotel’s local search ranking. Relevant local content also helps to provide a better user experience and increase conversions by giving visitors the information they need before making a booking. 

In terms of customer experience, this is one of the best tactics hotels can apply when hoping to beat the huge price-comparison sites, which tend to offer basic, generic destination information. By injecting a little personality or offering insight into a destination from a local’s perspective, the hotel website can become a valuable travel resource. 

Local content might include a calendar of events, detailed destination guides, or information about authentic local experiences. Some hotels go beyond even that, offering localized content by partnering up with other local businesses to provide experiences and activities that will appeal to their target audience.

Remember to use your keyword research to help inform the content creation process.

Not all content has to result in blog-form either. A great example of going above and beyond is Fifth Avenue’s five-star Peninsula Hotel. The luxury venue created the Peninsula Academy (pictured above) to offer “unique and unprecedented access to historical, cultural, and local lifestyle experiences in New York City.” These local experiences for adults and children include cooking sessions and pre-opening tours of art exhibitions. Experiences like these serve as a fantastic USP (Unique Selling Proposition) for the hotel.

You may not be able to create your own academy to base content around, but could you consider collaborating with a local business for smaller events? Or reach out to influencers to help you create relevant content?

Remember, anything you do can (and should) be shared with potential guests online.

3. Get found on Google Maps

Set up your Google My Business (GMB) profile

Like most local businesses, gaining visibility online is vital for hotels to attract new customers.

Google Maps is a great tool for businesses and consumers, and any hotel that does not have a listing is missing out. Quite literally, without a GMB listing you will not be found on Google Maps!

If you haven’t done so already, claim your listing through Google My Business to ensure searchers can find you on Google Maps. Though less commonly used, it’s also worth registering with Apple Maps and Waze.

Optimize your listing

In this competitive industry, it’s not enough to merely have a presence on Google Maps — the listing must be well optimized to drive traffic to the website and guests to the hotel. 

Google will show the nearest, most relevant results for the user’s search term. But it also takes into consideration how complete and accurate a GMB listing is when determining which businesses to give the top spot to. The more information you provide Google with, the more it can be sure that your business is authentic and relevant to the user’s query.

Any information you include in your GMB listing should be up-to-date, relevant to users, and accurate to your business. 

Ensure any information listed on your GMB reflects the information shared on your hotel’s website and any offline materials such as business cards or flyers. Not only is NAP consistency important to Google, but it’s vital to avoid customer confusion.

How to list a sub-business

In some cases hotels will have other businesses within them, for example a spa, salon, or restaurant. If this is the case you’ll want to ensure it’s listed as a sub-business on GMB.

Say your hotel is open 24/7, but the salon inside operates from 9-5, they’ll need separate listings.

To list a sub-business on GMB, simply create two distinct listings (URLs, phone numbers, and addresses should all be unique and point to the relevant business). Then, on your sub-listing (e.g. the spa) scroll to the “Located in” section in settings. Here you can select your main business’s listing (e.g. the hotel). Once approved, your spa or sub-business will be independently discoverable on GMB and reflect the accurate information. 

Stand out among competitors

With so much competition, it’s important to make your GMB listing as engaging as possible. Videos, photographs, and posts all come into this. Why not share a video tour of the hotel? Photos of the rooms or restaurants? Posts with special offers? The more visually engaging you can make your listing, the better your chances of being found and converting those searchers who do find you.

It’s also worth making use of Google’s Q&A feature. Many businesses don’t realize that you can add your own questions, and even answer them too. Think of Google Q&A like an on-SERP FAQ for customers to find out more about your hotel. For example: What time is breakfast served until? When can I check in? What facilities are available on site? Think about what a potential guest would want to know and base your Q&A around that. 

4. Develop a review strategy

Get reviews

Another key component to optimizing your GMB and appearing in Maps searches is obtaining reviews. Review generation can sometimes be a daunting task, but it shouldn’t be. 

If you don’t already have one in place, working on creating a streamlined review generation and management strategy should be a priority.

Whether you choose to reach out to guests via email, send them a post-stay SMS, link your GMB profile on a business card, or something else — you’ll want a high volume of quality reviews from genuine guests.

When it comes to how many consumers read online reviews, hotels rank in the top five. And of consumers who read online reviews, 47% of consumers will only visit a business with a star-rating of four or more.
So if you haven’t already, start requesting reviews now.

Respond to reviews

Once you’ve started receiving those all-important reviews, be sure to start responding in a timely manner.

Of all consumers that read online reviews, 97% read businesses’ responses to them. So communicating with customers who have taken the time to provide feedback is key, not only to maintain existing customers, but also to showcase your great customer service to potential new ones.

And yes, responding to reviews means responding to the negative ones, too.

5. Improve page load speed

The rise of mobile search has been dramatic in recent years and it doesn’t show any sign of stopping. CNBC predicts that 72.6% of internet users will access the web solely through their mobile phones by 2025. Mobile search is especially relevant to the hotel industry as many users will conduct searches such as “hotels near me,” while they are on-the-go and need immediate results. Potential guests will not wait minutes for a page to load when they can easily skip to a competitor’s site and access the information they need within seconds.  

Numerous free online tools can check page speed, such as Google’s Page Speed Test. It’s important to check several key pages as load speed can vary across a website. 

Load speed can be a tricky thing to get right for hotels as images are a vital element of good website design, yet can slow down a page’s load time. But there are some simple solutions to minimize slow loading times, such as installing a WordPress plugin like Imagify.

Page load speed is taken into consideration by Google’s ranking algorithm, so it’s worth putting in the effort to get it right. And above all, slow page load times make for a bad user experience. 

A hotel with a good page load speed will likely enjoy better rankings and attract more guests via searches, so it’s worth putting in the effort to get this right.

6. Build local links

A practice as old as time, to this day backlinks are still SEO gold for any business’s website, and the hotel industry is no different. However, some companies fall into the trap of chasing quantity rather than quality. You should carefully vet any site you plan to gain a backlink from to ensure that it is authoritative and relevant. If in doubt, ask yourself “Does the link make sense for my hotel?”

Local links from tourism centers, festivals, excursion companies, and providers of leisure activities would be highly relevant and beneficial. Linking to these businesses in on-site local content, such as in-depth neighborhood guides, is a great way to build relationships and secure backlinks. 

7. Help users find you online

It’s also important to seek out relevant online directories where the hotel can be listed. These might include local business directories or hospitality industry-specific directories. Building citations online is still a local ranking factor, but arguably more importantly, it ensures guests can find your hotel easily. Again, NAP consistency is important to get right here, so it’s worth checking your existing online presence for duplicate listings and inaccuracies.

Conclusion

Hospitality is an increasingly competitive market to operate in, but there are plenty of tactics and strategies that can boost traffic and make you more visible in local SERPs. 

Hotel owners must keep up to speed with changes in consumer booking preferences and Google updates to keep ahead of the competition.

If you take just one thing away from this article, it should be that a hotel website is never “finished”. It is a continually evolving marketing tool that, when used effectively, can generate leads and enhance brand awareness. 

Review your site regularly or look into a professional website SEO review to ensure your site is optimized for search. 

2020 could be a great year for hotels — especially if you implement these simple steps towards a winning local SEO strategy. 

The post 7 Ways to Boost Your Hotel’s Local Rankings and Reap the Rewards appeared first on BrightLocal.

source https://thebtrade.com/2020/02/25/7-ways-to-boost-your-hotels-local-rankings-and-reap-the-rewards/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=7-ways-to-boost-your-hotels-local-rankings-and-reap-the-rewards