How to Rank Highly in Local Search

Is your resort visible in Local Search? If not, you better stake your claim fast. Every month, approximately 3 billion search queries are made using local terms according to data from comScore. Luckily, there’s plenty you can do to improve your chances of ranking in the top search positions, from social media activity to mobile optimisation.

 

Content Creation

Each new blog post added to your resort’s website creates a new indexed page for your site, a new opportunity to target a local keyword and a new chance to get noticed on the search results page by your guests.
 

Showcase Local Services

Writing about other local businesses is not only a great public relations boost, it’s a useful way to add more content about your geographic area onto your website in a relevant way. You might want to write about local restaurants or services that may be of interest to your guests, for example. 

Share Local News

Local community news and upcoming events make excellent blog topics. This type of content is of real interest and value to your guests, and it also helps you win points on the search results page thanks to the way Google prioritises timely content.  

Get Mobile-Friendly

Local search and mobile search are intrinsically linked. More and more of your guests are using their mobile devices to look up hotel reviews, search for travel directions and find contact information on the move. Help them along by ensuring that your resort’s website is optimised for mobile.
 

Register your Resort with Google+ Local

Mixing photos, reviews, contact information and maps with data from a user’s Google+ social circles, Google+ Local provides a fantastic opportunity to get your website displayed in local search for a given search term.
 

Use Social Media to Publish Content 

Google has responded to the social media explosion by giving more weight to content from sites like Twitter and Facebook on the search results page than ever before. With the introduction of Google+ business pages, social content and search results have become even more closely linked. If your resort hasn’t signed up for a Google+ business page yet, now’s the time. 

 

Get Reviews

Your guests are using online reviews to make their booking decisions. Since you can’t stop them looking to see what other people are saying about you, take control of your listings as much as you can. As we discussed in a recent blog post - How To Handle Bad Reviews Online, spending too much time replying to negative reviews can be counterproductive. However, proactively asking your guests to write about their great stay with you is still an important way to build a positive online reputation, especially now Google is favouring consumer reviews in the SERPs. 

 

How are you working to improve your resort’s presence in Local Search?

Related blog posts:
- How To Handle Bad Reviews Online
- 5 Marketing Trends You Resort Needs to Know About 
- SEO Update: Social Media and Search Rankings