The competition among travel websites is very high. Businesses, from small agencies to large hotel chains, are all vying for the attention of potential customers searching the web for their next trip. A robust Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy is vital to ensure your website achieves high rankings in search engine results and attracts a steady stream of traffic throughout the year.
What exactly does this entail, and how can you develop SEO strategies that deliver results, not just during peak season, but across all twelve months?
Understanding the seasonal SEO challenge
The tourism industry is often characterised by significant seasonal fluctuations. Destinations experience surges in visitors during specific periods, driven by factors such as weather, school holidays, or special events. This means that many travel businesses see a boom in bookings during peak season, followed by a sharp drop in demand during the low season.
This seasonality presents a unique SEO challenge. While it's tempting to focus your marketing efforts on attracting visitors during the busiest times, a truly successful SEO strategy should aim to generate traffic and bookings throughout the year.
Why is year-round SEO important?
There are many benefits to implementing SEO strategies that work all year round:
- Consistent revenue: By attracting customers during the low season, you can maintain a more stable revenue stream, reducing reliance on peak season bookings.
- Brand awareness: Staying visible in search results throughout the year helps to maintain brand awareness and keep your agency or hotel top-of-mind for potential travellers.
- Reduced competition: Competition for search engine rankings is often less intense during the low season, making it easier to achieve high rankings for relevant searches.
- Customer engagement: Providing valuable information and resources on your website throughout the year can help build relationships with potential customers and increase engagement with your brand.
Key components of a year-round travel SEO strategy
To develop an effective SEO strategy for travel agencies or other businesses in the tourism sector, you need to consider several key components:
Keyword research
Keyword research is the process of identifying the words and phrases that potential travellers use when searching for information related to their trip. This research is vital because it helps you to understand what your target audience is looking for, allowing you to tailor your content and website to meet their needs.
When conducting keyword research for year-round SEO, it's important to go beyond the obvious high-volume terms that are most popular during peak season. You should also explore long-tail keywords (longer, more specific phrases) and keywords related to off-peak travel, such as "city break in London in January" or "budget holidays to Spain in November."
There are various tools available to help you with keyword research, including Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs. These tools can provide valuable data on search volume, keyword difficulty, and other important metrics.
High-quality, evergreen content
Content is king in the world of SEO, and this is especially true for travel. Travelers are constantly searching for information to help them plan their trips, and your website should be a go-to source of valuable and engaging content.
To achieve year-round SEO success, it's crucial to create evergreen content. What is evergreen content? It's content that remains relevant and useful over an extended period of time, rather than being tied to a specific season or trend.
Examples of evergreen content for travel websites include:
- Destination guides: Detailed information about specific locations, including things to do, where to stay, and how to get around.
- Travel tips: Practical advice on topics such as packing, budgeting, and travel safety.
- Accommodation guides: Information about different types of accommodation, from hotels and resorts to guesthouses and apartments.
- Transportation guides: Advice on getting to and from destinations, including information on flights, trains, and car rentals.
By creating high-quality evergreen content, you can attract a steady stream of visitors to your site throughout the year, regardless of seasonal fluctuations.
On-page SEO optimisation
On-page SEO refers to the process of optimising the elements on your web pages to improve their rankings in search results. This includes optimising your content, HTML code, and website structure.
Key on-page SEO factors for travel websites include:
- Title tags: Compelling and accurate titles that include relevant keywords.
- Meta descriptions: Concise summaries of your page content that encourage users to click on your listing in search results.
- Headings: Using header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to structure your content and make it easier to read.
- URL structure: Creating clear and descriptive URLs that include relevant keywords.
- Image optimisation: Using descriptive alt tags for images and compressing image files to improve page loading speed.
- Internal linking: Linking to other relevant pages on your website to improve navigation and help search engines understand the structure of your site.
Local SEO for travel businesses
Local SEO is crucial for many travel businesses, particularly travel agencies and tour operators. This involves optimising your online presence to attract customers who are searching for travel services in a specific location.
Key local SEO strategies for travel include:
- Google Business Profile: Creating and optimising your Google Business Profile to ensure that your business information is accurate and up-to-date.
- Local listings: Ensuring that your business is listed in relevant online directories and listings sites.
- Local content: Creating content that is specific to your local area, such as guides to local attractions or information on local events.
- Online reviews: Encouraging customers to leave positive reviews on platforms such as Google and Yelp.
High-quality backlinks
Backlinks are links from other websites to your site. They are an important ranking factor for search engines, as they are seen as a vote of confidence in your website's authority and relevance.
To build high-quality backlinks, you should focus on:
- Creating valuable and shareable content that other websites will want to link to.
- Guest blogging on relevant websites in the travel niche.
- Reaching out to travel influencers and bloggers to see if they will link to your content.
- Participating in online communities and forums related to travel.
Social media
Social media platforms can be a powerful tool for driving traffic to your website and increasing brand awareness. When used strategically, social media can also help to boost your SEO efforts.
Here are some tips for using social media for travel SEO:
- Share your blog posts, guides, and other valuable content on your social media channels.
- Engage with your followers by responding to comments and questions.
- Run contests and giveaways to increase engagement and reach.
- Use relevant hashtags to increase the visibility of your posts.
- Collaborate with travel influencers to promote your brand and services.
Website Speed and Mobile Friendliness
Website speed and mobile friendliness are crucial for SEO success. Users expect websites to load quickly, and they are more likely to leave a site that is slow or difficult to navigate on a mobile device.
Search engines also take website speed and mobile friendliness into account when determining rankings. Therefore, it's essential to ensure that your website is optimised for speed and that it is fully responsive and easy to use on all devices, including smartphones and tablets.
Seasonal strategy adjustments that maintain momentum
Rather than completely overhauling your SEO approach with each season, develop a framework that allows for strategic adjustments while maintaining core optimisation elements.
Planning a year-round content calendar
Develop an editorial calendar that anticipates seasonal trends but includes evergreen content that performs consistently throughout the year. This balanced approach ensures you capture seasonal traffic spikes without experiencing dramatic drops during shoulder periods.
Consider planning content around:
- Major holidays and school breaks
- Seasonal activities and experiences
- Off-peak opportunities in popular destinations
- Year-round attractions and experiences
By publishing content well in advance of seasonal peaks (often 3-6 months), you give search engines time to index and rank your pages before potential customers begin their research.
Monitoring and adapting to travel search trends
The travel industry experiences rapid changes in consumer behaviour and search patterns. Regular monitoring of analytics data helps identify emerging opportunities and adjust strategies accordingly.
Key metrics to track include:
- Organic traffic patterns by season
- Conversion rates for different content types
- Keyword ranking fluctuations
- User engagement metrics like time on page
Tools like Google Analytics and Search Console provide valuable insights into how travellers discover and interact with your content. Use this data to refine your approach continually rather than making wholesale changes.
Specific SEO strategies for seasonal travel
To effectively combat seasonality, you need to implement specific SEO strategies that target travellers looking for off-peak travel experiences.
Highlight unique off-peak experiences
Many destinations offer unique and appealing experiences during the low season. This could include cultural events, festivals, or simply the opportunity to enjoy popular attractions with fewer crowds. Your content should highlight these unique offerings to attract travellers who are looking for these unique offerings to attract travellers who are looking for something different or who prefer travelling during quieter times.
Targeted content for shoulder seasons
The shoulder seasons (the periods between the high and low seasons) often present a sweet spot for travellers seeking good weather and fewer crowds without the peak season price tags. Your content strategy should specifically address the benefits of travelling during these periods, highlighting the pleasant weather, lower rates, and unique events that might occur.
Promote value and budget-friendly options
Off-peak travel is often associated with better deals and more affordable accommodation and flights. Your SEO efforts during these times should emphasise value and budget-friendly options to attract price-sensitive travellers. Use keywords such as "cheap holidays," "budget travel deals," and "affordable getaways."
Highlight indoor and weather-independent activities
During colder or rainier low seasons, promote indoor attractions, museums, art galleries, historical landmarks, and other activities that are not weather-dependent. Create content around these options, using relevant keywords like "indoor activities in [destination]" or "rainy day guide [city]."
Run off-season-specific campaigns
Consider running online marketing campaigns, including paid search and social media ads, that specifically target travellers during the low and shoulder seasons. Tailor your messaging and offers to the specific interests and needs of travellers during these times.
Collaborate with local businesses for off-season packages
Partnering with local hotels, restaurants, and tour operators to create attractive off-season package deals can be a highly effective strategy. Promote these packages through your website and other marketing channels, using keywords that highlight the bundled offers and the unique experiences available during the off-season.
For more marketing ideas for your off-season, read How to adapt your marketing strategy for seasonal tourism.
Common challenges and solutions in travel SEO
Competing against major booking platforms
Smaller travel businesses often find it challenging to compete with industry giants that dominate search results. Instead of trying to outrank these platforms directly, focus on:
- Targeting specific niche topics and unique destinations
- Developing content that highlights your unique expertise
- Building authority in particular destination areas
- Creating resources that major sites do not offer
Maintaining content freshness and accuracy
Travel information changes frequently—hotels may close, attractions update their offerings, and prices can fluctuate. Outdated information can harm user trust and negatively impact search rankings.
To address this, implement a regular content audit process to:
- Verify factual details across destination guides
- Update pricing information as needed
- Refresh seasonal content ahead of key travel periods
- Remove or redirect obsolete pages
Adapting to algorithm changes
Search engine algorithms are constantly evolving, making it difficult for travel websites to maintain their rankings. Businesses must stay informed about these changes and adapt their strategies accordingly.
To navigate algorithm updates effectively:
- Follow SEO news and updates from reliable sources
- Analyse the impact of algorithm changes on your traffic and rankings
- Adjust your SEO strategies based on best practices and current trends
Working with a travel SEO agency
For travel businesses that lack the in-house expertise or time to implement and manage a comprehensive SEO strategy, partnering with a specialised travel SEO agency can be a valuable investment. These agencies have a deep understanding of the tourism industry and the specific SEO challenges and opportunities that travel businesses face.
A qualified travel SEO agency can help you with:
- In-depth keyword research tailored to the travel niche.
- Content creation and optimisation that attracts travellers at all stages of their journey.
- Technical SEO audits and implementation to ensure your website is search engine friendly.
- Local SEO strategies to boost your visibility in relevant local searches.
- Link-building campaigns to increase your website's authority.
- Ongoing monitoring and reporting on your SEO performance.
Investing in professional SEO services can free up your time to focus on other aspects of your business while ensuring that your online presence is in expert hands.
Final thoughts
Building SEO strategies that work year-round in travel is a long-term investment that requires consistent effort, a deep understanding of your target audience, and a willingness to adapt. By focusing on creating high-quality evergreen content, optimising your website for search engines, and implementing targeted strategies for off-peak travel, you can achieve sustainable growth and attract a steady stream of travellers to your website throughout the entire year. Remember that SEO is an ongoing journey, so stay informed about the latest trends and best practices to ensure your website continues to thrive in the competitive world of online travel.
Ready to attract travellers year-round, not just during the busy season? If your travel website’s traffic drops when peak season ends, it’s time to rethink your strategy. Work with Boost Brands. We understand the travel industry and can help you stay visible all year long.
