The moment the travel industry waited for has arrived. The world is emerging from quarantine and ready for adventure. So how can you help your travel clients get back onboard? Effective and timely travel SEO converts and opens the door to incredible journeys – and your client’s success.
The travel industry pros at Galileo put their heads together to review the process of creating engaging travel content. After brainstorming, we came up with trippy insider tips – both tactical and strategic – that make a measurable difference. Discover how to craft travel content that resonates with readers and gets them to take action now – and in the future.
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Do the Research
Many travel writers effectively write about places they’ve never seen. While it is challenging, there are ways to travel globally without leaving your desk. Intelligent research is crucial to recreating travel experiences in an authentic way that excites readers.
The first step is to determine your target audience and what they want. Who are you trying to reach, and what are the subjects of their travel searches? For example, if you’re promoting adult vacations for singles, you want to find out where, when, how, and why to answer their questions and incite a desire to travel.
Next, perform a targeted Google search for specific terms such as “places to visit with kids in (location)” and “unique attractions in (location).” Then, take a few minutes to visit sites such as TripAdvisor to find out the travelers’ buzz and get ideas to include in your travel SEO content. Reading reviews can take you down new and exciting paths to explore.
Keep in mind what the country is known for, such as sports events and vineyards in the United States or religious and historic venues in Asia and Europe. Peruse other travel blogs to avoid repeating what is “standard” for the area to create more exciting, enticing, and original content.
Finally, be careful of overselling, so travelers never feel disappointed. Spotlight attractions off the beaten track and the local food and culture to give travelers something new. Remember to optimize your content, titles, metadata, and images based on targeted keyword research with SEO in mind.
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Memorable Experiences
Once you have targeted topics to cover, it’s time to build anticipation and promise travelers an emotional payoff for booking a trip. Travelers want memory-making experiences. Use persuasive words to tap into these emotions, such as fun, thrilling, unique, and relaxing.
Then, take it to the next level by focusing on the Memorable Tourism Experience (MTE) Scale. The MTE Scale categorizes memorable travel moments into several different categories. Hitting at least three of these positive categories helps you hook more readers into booking travel. The seven categories of the MTE Scale include:
- Knowledge is gained knowledge about the destination they didn’t know before reading the content.
- Meaningfulness is learning something new about themselves or taking part in something meaningful.
- Hedonic activities inspire excitement and enjoyment of an anticipated or recent activity.
- Refreshment is escaping the daily routine to get refreshed by a new experience or destination.
- Involvement is feeling completely immersed in local experiences, culture, and activities.
- Novelty is a newfound appreciation for new customs and cultures.
- Local culture is positive engagement with local culture and people, such as regional cuisine and activities.
Use sensory words to draw readers into these emotions, helping them feel immersed in the destination before they arrive. Consider action words such as enjoy, celebrate, discover, and explore to engage readers. Remember, your mission is to make travel sound enjoyable, so add colorful language and a touch of wit to keep readers interested.
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Focus on Micro-Moments
Micro-moments are the phases travelers typically go through before booking a vacation. Capturing their attention at every step of the journey builds excitement and gets travelers to want to book an experience. Important micro-moments include I-Want-To-Get-Away moments, Time-To-Make-A-Plan moments, Let’s-Book-It moments, and Can’t-Wait-To-Explore moments.
Posting travel stories and videos, optimizing content, offering hyperlocal content, and remaining a helpful resource throughout the journey encourages trust. Well-planned and customer-focused SEO strategies for micro-moments drive positive word of mouth and result in loyal customers. Plus, guiding travelers through micro-moments helps brand your business as a trustworthy authority.
For example, during I-Want-To-Get-Away moments, action-packed video, images, and descriptions incite the traveler’s interest. During Time-To-Make-A-Plan moments, many travelers are researching on mobile phones, so ensure the content is locally optimized and mobile-friendly.
At the Let’s-Book-It moments, travelers typically book from a desktop or laptop, so keep best SEO practices at the forefront. Make the most of Can’t-Wait-To-Explore moments by offering hyper-local content on your website and social media to help travelers find more irresistible travel experiences, including restaurants and local festivals.
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Call to Action
The most compelling travel SEO content won’t convert without recognizable calls to action. What is the goal of your campaign? If you’re looking to gather contact information for the future, offer a free travel guide in exchange for a visitor’s email or mobile phone number.
Other strategies include pop-ups, book prompts, landing pages, forms, and live chats. Offer helpful suggestions based on the target audience’s searches and questions. Look at Google features such as People Also Ask to determine what searchers want and craft content that answers their questions.
Limited time offers are another way to get readers to take action now. Travelers are more likely to book immediately when offered a discount or incentive. Cover seasonal events and topics in your blog to keep readers coming back to learn more. Include dates and encourage readers to book right away based on fear of missing out (FOMA). If they don’t book today, they might not get tickets to a specific event or activity.
Include data, statistics, and useful links in your content for SEO and provide value to your readers. Encourage visitors to share the content by offering a discount or incentive. Remember to post links to your social media accounts and encourage readers to follow you and share updates. Take a few minutes to monitor your social media accounts and reply to commenters.
Are you still looking for more ways to create brand-building travel content that converts?
We work with travel industry leaders, such as the Marriott and Wyndham resorts, with measurable results. Our international team of travel writers understands global travel and what works – as well as what doesn’t.
Contact the experts at Galileo to learn how to create original content that lures travelers into booking unforgettable trips – and coming back for more.
