Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 31 – Build Links Like A Boss: The Hotelier’s Simple Guide To Link Building

Links from other websites to your own hotel website are the foundation of good search ranking, but they also play an important role in exposing new people to your property. A hotel’s goal should be to have a wide and varied link profile from all manner of sources. In this episode, we discuss ways that a hotel can earn links the right way as well as some pitfalls to avoid.

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Show Notes:

What is “link building”?

Process of earning other (external) web pages to link back to a page on your website.

(Resource: http://www.wordstream.com/link-building)

Why is link building important?

• Links are used by search engines and are one of the primary ranking factors
• Links = popularity & quality
• On-topic links matter more than off-topic links ~ Authority on a subject
• Anchor text relevance is also important ~ established relevance

(Resource: https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo/growing-popularity-and-links)

What does a hotel need in order to build links?

• Up to date, mobile friendly website
  • Establishes trust & authority
  • Positive user experience
• High quality, useful / unique content
  • Resources (travel planning tools)
  • Research / case studies, etc.
  • Unique deals or packages (ex: discount for teachers, military, etc.)
  • People need something of value to link to…
• Patience, Time & Energy
  • This isn’t a quick process, kids

What is the link building process?

• • Research → Define goals & targets
    • What page(s) are you trying to build links to?
    • Who would naturally link to this?
    • Be realistic
  • Compile a list & gather contact information
    • Keep it simple → Organize google doc or excel sheet
  • Start Building relationships
    • Research sources & authors, connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
    • Share other content from sources
  • Work on direct outreach
    • Communicate value
    • Don’t be annoying
    • Track / Monitor results

What are the types of Links A Hotel Can Build?

• Content Creation & Promotion – Create compelling content that people will want to reference and link to, and tell people about it.
• Submissions – Submit your news to press release aggregators, submit your site to directories, etc.
• Reviews & Mentions – Put your product, service, or site in front of influential bloggers.
• Links from Friends & Partners – Get people you know and people you work with to link to your site.

What Are Some Link Building Tactics, Tips, & Tools?

We have a blog about this, check it out here → https://www.travelboommarketing.com/blog/10-ways-to-identify-link-building-opportunities-for-hotels/

1. Set up Google alerts for your hotel (www.google.com/alerts)
   1. Monitor brand mentions (Ex: news coverage)
   2. Monitor relevant non-brand mentions (“hotel discounts for teachers”)
2. Partner with local businesses → Two fold benefit – can build links but also build additional business
   1. Attractions
   2. Restaurants
   3. Events / Event Venues
   4. Schools / Colleges
3. Scope out competitive links
   1. Majestic SEO & ahrefs.com
   2. See what links your competitors have and if you can get a link from that source also
4. Find brand or URL misspellings
   1. Tools.seobook.com & Tlcseo.com
   2. Easy links
5. Online directories
   1. Dmoz
   2. Local listings
   3. CVB / local portal sites
6. Monitor social media for brand or relevant non-brand mentions
   1. Mentions / @YourPage
   2. Hashtags
7. Have a blog → Create awesome content / resources
   1. https://www.travelboommarketing.com/blog/fuel-hotel-marketing-podcast-episode-10-hotel-blog

**Not every tactic will work for every property → Find what works best for you!

How can I build legitimate links without being shady?

Google Penguin Update → April 2012

• Targets spammy / spady link tactics
• Now part of the core Google algo

(Resource: http://searchengineland.com/library/google/google-penguin-update)

Final Thoughts

• NEVER pay for links. Ever. Just don’t do it.
  • Link farms
  • Fake / spam websites
  • Paid listings
  • Links acquired through hosting guest bloggers, etc.
• Slowly build links over time
  • Do not magically acquire tons of links overnight
• Be genuine → If you build it they will link
  • Smart promotion and outreach
  • Have an amazing website experience / 10x content

Fuel is speaking at the SC HSMAI meeting in December in Myrtle Beach – More details to come!

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In the News

American Hotel & Lodging Study Results
https://www.tnooz.com/article/hotel-tech-in-room-functionality-and-guest-services-a-digital-overview/ or https://www.ahla.com/press-release/new-survey-reveals-latest-hotel-trends-across-country

What A Trump Presidency Could Mean for Business Travel
http://www.businesstravelnews.com/Management/What-Trumps-Presidency-Could-Mean-for-Corporate-Travel

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Download the Fuel Leisure Travel Study at www.fueltravel.com/study

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@_travelboom
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Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to @_travelboom. Download our leisure travel study at www.fueltravel.com/study/.