{"id":6396,"date":"2019-10-27T14:23:23","date_gmt":"2019-10-27T14:23:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/get.bookassist.com\/?p=6396"},"modified":"2019-12-04T11:16:12","modified_gmt":"2019-12-04T11:16:12","slug":"winning-with-local-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookassist.org\/pl\/blog\/winning-with-local-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"Winning With Local SEO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Your hotel\u2019s online traffic and online bookings come from a variety of sources but none is more important than search. Google continues to outrank all other search engines in market share, handling over 90% of all searches today1<\/sup>. It\u2019s virtually impossible for your business to succeed online without prioritising Google in your digital strategy Presence on the first page of Google\u2019s SERP (search engine results page) is the holy grail for brand owners and marketeers. Branded searches also have higher click-through rates on the first half of the first page of Google2<\/sup>. This is truly hallowed real estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Google reserving as many as the top four search results for their paid ads, the challenge for brands is how to maintain consistent visibility given that anyone, including competitors, can bid on their brand name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For bricks-and-mortar businesses, there is fortunately a simple and direct way of maximising a property\u2019s visibility outside of paid search. It\u2019s something that only your business can do and that something is to optimise for local search results. ONLY the actual physical property can play this game, and it costs you nothing. It is the perfect opportunity for hotels to steal the advantage over third party OTAs (online travel agents) and industry competitors who can often win at the paid game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local Search is not Organic Search<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Optimising for local search results (Local SEO) is a specialized form of the more familiar organic SEO. Both aim to improve unpaid ranking or placement on search engine results pages to drive targeted traffic to a website. Most businesses would already have some form of organic SEO in place, whether it\u2019s through highlighting key unique selling points or ensuring that the brand name is mentioned on all pages. But there is definitely room for improvement when it comes to hotels grasping the specific opportunity that Local SEO offers over general organic SEO.
Local Search Engine Optimisation (Local SEO) is a specific digital strategy focused on increasing search visibility for businesses that serve their communities face-to-face3<\/sup>. It\u2019s most beneficial to businesses that have a physical location because it\u2019s meant to show the most relevant content to searches with local intent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can gauge whether queries have local intent by seeing if they include a geographical component. For hoteliers, search queries may include your location, nearby landmarks or attractions, or include proximity e.g. \u201chotels nearby\u201d or \u201chotels near me\u201d, but local intent qualifies the search further – it\u2019s the difference between searching for \u201cspa hotel deals\u201d and \u201cspa hotel deals in Cork\u201d. We can recognise that the second search has a higher potential to become a booking because the user has gone from the planning stage and knowing what they want (\u201cspa hotel deals\u201d) and added a location that they can potentially travel to (\u201cCork\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local Search carries strong user intent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because local search carries strong user intent (46% of all searches on Google are seeking local information4<\/sup>) It should come as no surprise that Google has put such a strong focus on Google My Business and the development of the Google knowledge graph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The inclusion of a geographical element in queries shows that users are at a stage of the customer journey where they are ready to act. Statistics show that 88% of searches for local businesses on a mobile device either call or visit the business within 24 hours of the search5<\/sup>. Local searches are therefore valuable revenue-generating searches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In reviewing Bookassist\u2019s own extensive data on organic traffic, we have found that 40-60% of such users come to websites through the knowledge graph6<\/sup>. This means that over half of your organic visitors\u2019 buying decisions will be influenced by local search results before they can even view your organic search results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local SEO is strongly focused on serving mobile users<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Local SEO is strongly focused on mobile users. Local SEO statistics from 2018 show that nearly 70% use their smartphones to help them shop. Of those users, 82% conduct \u201cnear me\u201d searches7<\/sup>. This is also why it\u2019s valuable to practice local SEO, because the platforms on which we are publishing our information are moving to prioritise mobile users. Google\u2019s Mobile-first indexing8<\/sup> is a prime example of this. Mobile-first indexing means Google predominantly uses the mobile version of the content for indexing and ranking. This is also why Google updated to the so-called local 3-pack9<\/sup> in search results (see Figure 1), to provide users with condensed relevant local information that better matches their searches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A search for hotels in Midtown Manhattan showing paid results in the first four placements followed by the local map results. Organic search results appear toward the bottom of the page.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This shouldn\u2019t come as a surprise. The way that we are using the internet is changing rapidly and dynamically. According to April 2019 data, the global mobile population amounted to 4 billion unique users. As of February 2019, mobile devices accounted for 48 percent of web page views worldwide10<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local SEO is meant to benefit mobile users and provide us with more timely information on mobile because it\u2019s what we have grown accustomed to. 60% of Google searches in the USA alone are done via mobile devices. Only 5 years ago, the figure was nearly half that, just 34%11<\/sup>. Integrating local SEO into your digital strategy can therefore help your business better connect with your mobile audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Steps to optimise your Local SEO<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Have a complete and accurate profile for your business on all relevant search and maps services<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Such services include Google My Business (GMB), Apple Maps, Bing Places for Business. Local search results primarily take their information from map listings. Ensuring that your local map listings are up-to-date with the most relevant information and consistent with your business details as it appears on your website allows search engines to properly recognise, categorise and give directions to your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Generate high quality links that refer users to your website.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Just as with organic SEO, creating high quality links that refer back to your website can impact your visibility. To maximise your efforts, focus on generating links from recognised sources such as local news and PR websites that help build your website\u2019s authority in the eyes of both website visitors and search engines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Maintain consistent and accurate business listings and citations.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Particularly important on relevant platforms such as Yelp and Facebook. Similarly to your local map listings, ensuring that your listings are up-to-date on relevant third-party platforms such as OTAs or business listing sites like Yelp are part of local SEO. Search engines also aggregate data from these websites and show it as part of local organic search results. Check to see that your Name, Address, Phone Number (NAP) are consistent across third-parties along with information on your key selling points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Manage reviews on public platforms.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Stay on top of platforms such as Tripadvisor and Google Reviews and provide customer feedback. Search engines factor in reviews and ratings as part of local search criteria, giving weight to the quantity, frequency, and diversity of the reviews from other users. Encourage the review process by responding regularly to reviews and voting on the most relevant reviews for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Build engagement and followers on social media channels.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While social signals only count for a small percentage of local search criteria, algorithms still include social media engagement as part of local search rankings. Ensure that your information is also consistent on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and encourage users to engage with your content by publishing regularly and responding to reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harnessing the power of Google My Business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest factors that the local pack considers is your Google My Business listing. Between 2017 and 2018, Google My Business signals had a significant increase in ranking importance \u2014 rising from 19% to 25%12<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google My Business content is published on the knowledge graph, where users can view and interact with your website, property directions, phone number, common questions and answers, customer reviews, photos, and virtual tours. Making use of Google My Business also ensures that your business appears correctly on other Google media such as Google Maps (see Figure 2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ace
Ace Hotel New York as it appears in the Google Knowledge Graph (left) mirrors their property information as it appears on Google Maps (right).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is important to prioritise Google My Business for local SEO primarily due to the amount of engagement it receives as part of Google search results. According to an insight study conducted by BrightLocal, the average business is found in 157 direct searches each month, and 852 discovery searches. This totals an average of 1,009 searches per month. The number of searches goes up significantly for hotels, with an average of 2,011 direct searches and 8,480 discovery searches13<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However it\u2019s not just search users that are benefiting from the amount of local data that Google My Business provides. Hotels and restaurants who have access to Google My Business also gain relevant user behaviour insights into their business with Google My Business Insights. When you make use of Google My Business, you gain access to actionable user information that you can use to refine your local SEO strategy. Insights that you can find include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n