SEO Guides.

You open Google Analytics and the line is heading the wrong way. Organic traffic is down on last month, down on last year, and the dashboard makes it look like something is broken. Then you check the inbox and the phone log. The enquiries are still coming in and bookings are holding.

Most travel websites have FAQ sections. Questions about visa requirements, what to pack, the best time to visit, how deposits work. They sit at the bottom of destination pages and service pages.

Most travel brands pour their energy into ranking for the right queries. That is important, but it is only half the picture. Position zero, the space above every organic result, is where search decisions increasingly begin, and it is underused by most independent travel operators.

Ask most travel marketing teams whether their photography is doing its job and they'll say yes. The images are high resolution, professionally shot, and on brand. What they won't know is that AI search can't tell their lodge apart from a stock library used by four thousand other websites.

You spent time creating a destination guide. Researched the headings, covered the main attractions, made sure the best-time-to-visit section was thorough. It picked up some traffic. Then, it stopped ranking.

Someone is planning a trip. They open ChatGPT and type: "What's the best boutique hotel in the Serengeti for a couple's trip with a spa, under £300 a night?" A second later, they have a curated shortlist. Three hotels, each with specific reasons why they've been recommended: verified amenities, recent guest sentiment and clear pricing information.

Your website was designed for human eyes. Beautiful hero images, crafted brand storytelling, smooth scrolling animations, and an intuitive navigation menu. But increasingly, your first visitor isn't human at all. It's an AI agent, crawling your site to answer someone's question about your travel services.

There’s a strange trend emerging in travel marketing – or actually all marketing – right now. AI can write content in seconds, but AI systems are getting better at detecting and devaluing AI-generated content.

Search has changed. People aren't just typing keywords into Google anymore. They're asking Siri questions while driving, snapping photos to find similar destinations, and getting answers from ChatGPT instead of clicking through ten websites.

If you’re feeling like digital marketing has become a bit of an alphabet soup, you’re not alone. First, we mastered SEO, then we learned all about AEO, and now we need to understand GEO. Where does GEO fit in? Is it just a new name for the same thing, or is it a different beast entirely?

As more travel brands invest in answer engine optimisation (AEO), we're seeing patterns emerge – not just in what works, but in what doesn't. After working with travel companies implementing AEO strategies, we've identified recurring mistakes that undermine visibility, waste resources, and delay results.

As answer engine optimisation (AEO) gains momentum, we're hearing a recurring question from travel brands: "Should we shift our budget from SEO to AEO?" The short answer is no. The slightly longer answer? Both disciplines are essential – they serve different purposes, and the smartest travel brands are learning to balance them strategically.