Unlocking Local Tourism by Maximizing Traffic and Patronage with Local SEO
Are you looking to attract tourists and travelers to your business? At Now Media Group, we know businesses thrive on local patronage. With the rise of mobile search, implementing a robust local SEO strategy is a must for capturing tourist traffic and attracting nearby customers. Our digital marketing experts are here to guide you on how to grab the attention of visitors in your area through local SEO methods. Learn more by dialing (858) 333-8950.
Benefits of Local SEO For Tourist Traffic
- Strong local SEO helps you attract nearby customers searching for businesses like yours on their mobile devices. With over 50 percent of all searches now conducted on smartphones, having an SEO strategy tailored for local mobile users is critical.
- Local search engine optimization improves your visibility on Google Maps, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and other key local search engines and directories. Ranking higher on these sites gets your business in front of people who are ready to book or buy right now. This is especially important for travelers planning last-minute trips or making impulsive decisions.
- Solid local SEO helps build credibility and trust through earning online reviews. The more positive online reviews you have on sites like Google, Yelp, Facebook, etc., the more likely potential customers will choose you over competing options. This social proof gives travelers confidence in choosing their hotel, restaurant, attraction, or other business.
Optimize Your Website for Local Keywords and Location Names
When optimizing your website for SEO, be sure to target relevant local keywords and location names. For example, if you’re a hotel in San Diego, you’ll want to optimize for searcher intent keywords like “San Diego hotels,” “hotels downtown San Diego,” “pet-friendly hotels San Diego,” etc. Creating pages and content around these local keywords helps you rank for searches by tourists and local patrons alike.
- Pro Tip: When optimizing for local SEO, also be sure to include surrounding areas and landmarks. For example, a hotel in downtown San Diego would also want to target searches for “Hotels near Gaslamp Quarter” or “Hotels near San Diego Convention Center.”
Get Listed and Optimized on Google My Business, Yelp, TripAdvisor and Other Key Sites
After optimizing your actual website, the next critical step is getting your business listed and optimized on key local directories like Google My Business, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Facebook, and others. Complete and optimize all pertinent information on your listings, such as address, photos, description, services, amenities, and so on.
Google My Business listings, in particular, have become important for local SEO. Be sure to regularly maintain your GMB listing with current information, photos, and responses to reviews. This helps boost visibility on Google local packs and maps.
- Pro Tip: Encourage customers to post reviews directly on your GMB listing. Google favors businesses with more reviews, so this can improve local ranking and visibility.
Encourage Customer Reviews on Third-Party Sites
As mentioned above, earning reviews on third-party sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, Facebook, etc. is tremendously helpful for credibility and local SEO. The more positive reviews you can accumulate, the better.
After customers have a positive experience, follow up and politely ask them to leave an honest review. Many sites allow you to post review links or widgets on your website to facilitate this. Just take care to follow each site’s guidelines for review solicitation.
- Pro Tip: Respond professionally to negative reviews when warranted. This shows customers you value feedback and helps mitigate damage from less flattering reviews.
Create Location-Specific Landing Pages Targeting Different Locales
If your business serves multiple locations or regions, create dedicated landing pages on your website for each. For example, a hotel chain can have unique pages targeting “Hotels in San Diego”, “Hotels in Los Angeles”, “Hotels in San Francisco,” etc.
Optimizing individual pages around each location improves relevancy for local searches and helps you geo-target visitors. You can tailor each page with local keywords, landmarks, attractions, travel tips, and other location-specific content.
- Pro Tip: Use local anchor text links within your website to point back to key landing pages. For example, “Visit our San Diego Hotels page” linking from your homepage helps search engines index location pages.
Publish Local Blog Content Spotlighting Events, Attractions, and Things to Do
Publishing locally-focused blog content is a great way to boost engagement and rankings for geo-targeted keywords. Create posts spotlighting local attractions, upcoming events, things to do, travel tips, and advice centered around your locations.
For example, a hotel’s blog can feature posts like “The Top 10 Romantic Restaurants in San Diego” or “A First-Timer’s Guide to LA.” This helps establish your brand as a trusted local authority.
- Pro Tip: Update blog content regularly with new local keywords to capitalize on trending events and seasonal travel spikes.
Promote Special Offers and Packages for Local Events
Is there a major local concert, festival, or sporting event coming up? Promote special packages and offers cross-promoting your brand and the event.
For example, a “Coachella Hotel and Ticket Package” helps entice music lovers searching for hotels near the festival. You can promote these offers via email, social media, search ads, and website pages optimized around the events.
- Pro Tip: Time-limited or exclusive offers help create an extra sense of urgency to book. Just avoid false scarcity marketing, which can damage customer trust.
Partner with Local Attractions for Cross-Promotions
Seek out opportunities to cross-promote and partner with local attractions, restaurants, venues, tour companies, and other complementary businesses. This expands your reach to new audiences and helps promote your brand as an active participant in the local community.
Joint packages and partnership promotions can include things like:
- Hotel + Museum ticket bundles
- Restaurant guest chef events
- Co-branded giveaways with local influencers
- Sponsored venue after parties
- Pro Tip: Co-marketing campaigns can include reciprocal link building with partners to help SEO, like attractions linking to your hotel and vice versa.
Focus on Community Support and Involvement
Actively supporting local community events, charities, and organizations is valuable for brand awareness and goodwill. It also provides more content opportunities to spotlight local flavors and establish your business as a proud community member.
Examples of showing community support include:
- Sponsoring local sports teams and events
- Volunteering or fundraising for local charities
- Participating in city festivals and street fairs
- Featuring art or products from local creators
- Hosting free community events
- Pro Tip: Promote community participation and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts on your website, social media, and PR. Consumers increasingly favor brands that give back.
Monitor and Optimize Local Search Rankings
Keep close tabs on your local search rankings using tools like Moz Local, Google Search Console, and Google Analytics to see how your efforts are paying off. Identify top-ranking pages and keywords, as well as areas needing improvement.
Continuously refine and optimize your local SEO strategy based on the search terms and locations driving the most traffic and conversions. Pivot away from lagging areas towards hot opportunities.
- Pro Tip: Watch for Google algorithm updates, which can significantly shake up local results. Stay nimble and be ready to adapt your optimization tactics accordingly.
Call Now Media Group For The Local SEO Blueprint for Travel & Hospitality
Ready to boost your bookings and attract more local patrons? With strategies like optimizing for local intent keywords, earning rave reviews, and creating tailored landing pages, you can elevate your presence in the hospitality market. Showcase your community and stay on top of search rankings to drive more traffic. For guidance on supercharging your local SEO and hospitality marketing, reach out to Now Media Group today at (949) 788-0088. Let’s start maximizing your potential!