Search Marketing Blog
5 Link Building Strategies For Travel & Hospitality Sites
Posted by Kent Schnepp on 11.18.2009
Last week, our EngineWorks team traveled ‘across the pond’ to participate in World Travel Market 2009, the premier global event for the travel industry. A record-breaking 49,963 industry professionals congregated in London, England at this impressive conference to stay abreast of the latest trends and developments in the world-wide travel and tourism industry.
Having just returned from this latest adventure, my mind is filled with the latest search marketing strategies (especially advancements in Link Building) that are being implemented across the globe for travel and tourism companies of all size.
Given that the major search engines regularly updating their algorithms to provide the most relevant search results possible, effective Link Building continues to be significant challenge for today’s search marketing professionals. While the various ways in which the search engines evaluate inbound links have become much more sophisticated, several basic ethical Link Building tactics can be employed to jump-start the SEO efforts for your travel and hospitality Web site.
Here are six (6) basic Link Building tactics that have proven to be effective for companies within the online travel and hospitality vertical.
1. Content
Whether you refer to it as ‘link bait’, or just solid interactive marketing, the number one strategy for generating inbound links is the creation of quality content. Writing great content is a strategy that almost all members of the SEO community agree will achieve positive results within the major Natural search indexes. Just look here, here, and here.
With that being said, here is a short list of content ideas that, when promoted properly, can generate quality inbound links for resort and travel sites:
- Create an informative list of activities pertaining your location, such as Top Ten Thing to Do in Vail this Summer. (Concentrate on ideas not covered by your competitors.)
- Develop a simple site tool, such as a weather widget or travel planner.
- Write an article, or blog post, from an unusual perspective. A great example is Travel + Leisure’s article on the World’s Most Unusual Hotels.
- Run a simple online photo contest.
- Provide free data. For example, KAYAK Travel Trends delivers much-sought-after, useful, FREE data.
2. Testimonials
This tactic is very simple, but often overlooked. Most hotels and resorts have some type of partnership with local businesses, such as rental shops, restaurants, and transportation providers. Reach-out to your partners and vendors to let them know you value your relationship with them by offering a testimonial which they can post on their site. Within your testimonial, create a link back to your site. These types of inbound links are valuable because you can often customize the anchor text of the link so that a benefit is derived by both parties.
3. Directories
First off, do not submit your site to hundreds of irrelevant paid directories. This strategy is a waste of time and money. Online directories have become less relevant over the past few years. However, certain targeted directories can still provide Link Building value for travel and tourism sites. It’s best to focus on high quality, niche directories that have submissions reviewed by an human editor. Think relevancy and authority. Be sure to submit your site to the appropriate travel-related category within each specific directory. Here are a few of my favorite general directories that I have found to be effective for our resort and hospitality clients:
- DMOZ
- Best of the Web
- Yahoo! Directory
- Business.com
4. Charities
Does your travel and hospitality company contribute time and/or capital to non-profit or charity projects? If so, request a link back to your site from these organizations. Often, these types of entities have an online donor list, and regularly publish online press releases. Both of these areas are great places for a link back to your site. If you have any doubts about the benefits of philanthropy-based Link Building, just take a look at the results achieved by Marriott.
5. Organizations
Similar to strategy Number Four above, industry organizations and trade associations can be effective Link Building sources for your company. Inbound links from these entities can be valuable for two reasons. First, the links are generally coming from a relevant and authoritative organization, which are the most valuable. Second, these links typically benefit your local search optimization efforts. Examples of organizations and associations that can be targeted for Link Building include:
- Local Chamber of Commerce
- Better Business Bureau
- Retailers sites
- Partner sites
- Local event sites that you are participating in
- Industry associations like the Boutique Lifestyle & Lodging Association
- Energy and Water Conservation Associations
- Renewable Energy Organizations
Our trip to the World Travel Market was an awesome experience! One that expanded my knowledge of effective interactive strategies for dramatically improving the bottom line for travel and tourisms sites. I hope this blog post has imparted some of this knowledge. You can check-out some photos from this impressive conference at our EngineWorks Flickr account.
What travel and hospitality link building tactics have you found to be the most effective? Let us know by leaving a comment!
