13 Skills You Need to Check When Hiring an SEO for Hotels
Table of Contents
Why SEO for Hotel is important ?
In today’s competitive hotel industry, your online visibility can make or break your bookings. With platforms like Google Hotels, OTAs (Booking.com, MakeMyTrip), and map listings dominating results, you need strong SEO for Hotel to stand out organically.
But how do you hire the right SEO expert for your hotel?
Here are the 13 must-have skills to look for when hiring an SEO for your hospitality business:
1. Local SEO Expertise
Most hotel bookings come from local or map-based searches like “3-star hotels in Varanasi near Kashi Vishwanath temple”. Your SEO should know how to:
Optimize Google Business Profile
Get local citations
Rank in Google Maps
2. On-Page SEO Knowledge
They must be skilled in:
Optimizing title tags & meta descriptions
Using hotel-specific keywords (e.g. “luxury stay in [location]”)
Structuring URLs and internal links properly
3. Technical SEO Proficiency
Your website must be:
Fast
Mobile-friendly
Crawlable by search engines
Free of broken links or duplicate content
A good SEO knows how to audit and fix these issues.
4. Keyword Research for Hospitality
Generic keywords don’t work. They must know how to:
Identify geo-targeted keywords
Find seasonal/travel-specific terms
Understand user intent (e.g. “budget stay near Ghat”)
5. Content Strategy Skills
Your blog and landing pages should attract traffic and conversions. The SEO expert must be able to:
Plan content for travel guides, nearby attractions, tips
Optimize for long-tail keywords
Create FAQs, featured snippets, and schema-rich content
6. Competitor Analysis
They should analyze:
Competing hotel websites
OTAs dominating your space
Content and backlink strategies used by others
7. Link Building (Ethical)
Backlinks still matter! Your SEO must:
Build links from travel blogs, tourism sites, directories
Avoid spammy link farms
Focus on quality, not quantity
8. Google Analytics & Search Console Mastery
They must know how to:
Track conversions from SEO
Monitor page performance
Fix indexing and coverage issues
9. Schema Markup Implementation
Hotels need rich snippets like:
Price range
Ratings
Availability
Your SEO should implement proper Hotel schema for better visibility.
10. Mobile Optimization Skills
Most hotel bookings now happen on mobile. Your SEO must:
Test mobile usability
Optimize speed (Core Web Vitals)
Ensure fast-loading images & simple UI
11. Experience with Booking Engines & Integrations
Whether you use platforms like Cloudbeds, eZee, or custom engines, your SEO should know how to:
Optimize booking funnel pages
Improve user experience
Track bookings as conversions
12. Crisis & Reputation SEO
They should help with:
Managing negative reviews in search
Promoting positive guest experiences
Responding to PR or review-based issues quickly
13. Strong Communication & Reporting
A great SEO should:
Explain what they’re doing in simple terms
Provide monthly reports
Show actual ROI (traffic, calls, bookings)
Final Thoughts
Hiring the right SEO can significantly increase your hotel’s online bookings—especially if you choose someone with hospitality-specific skills.
Whether you’re running a boutique hotel, guesthouse, or luxury resort, make sure your SEO partner ticks all the boxes listed above.
Need Help with SEO for Your Hotel?
At Trinef Media, we specialize in SEO for Hotel travel and School. From map rankings to content that drives bookings — we help hotels shine online.