At Simplotel we have built websites for over 2,000 hotels, and every single time we have been asked about how we drive traffic to a website. We have been asked by those who are usually suspicious of SEO because they paid for such services in past and may or may not have seen results. And we have been asked by our customers who see a 3x plus growth in their website traffic after coming to our platform – as to how we do it. While SEO can be a deep subject, today we will attempt to outline how one must think about SEO in this post.

At a high level SEO depends on three things –

  1. Technology and layout of the website 

  2. The content on the website

  3. Things happening outside your website
     

Technology and layout of the website

In order to determine the relevance of a website for a search term (also known as a keyword) search engines have a piece of software called a Bot (derived from the word Robot) that crawls (think of it as reads) content on your website. The Bot then stores the keywords that a website is most relevant for. This is known as indexing of a website.

Unlike users, bots see the code of the website and not what users see on a website (you can view the code of most websites by right clicking on a webpage and selecting view page source). The easier this code is for the search engines to understand, the better chance you have of conveying your content to the search engines and making sure that your content gets indexed correctly. Here again there are hundreds of things that matter. These include the load time of a website, the structure of website code, mobile friendliness, proper tags and sitemaps. Detailing these is a topic for a future blog.

The layout of your website also plays an important role in search engine optimization. Clean and simple navigation, easily readable content – they all add up towards SEO friendliness. 
To get these things right a website must be built for SEO from the ground up – retrofitting these things can often mean redoing the website. The good news is that Simplotel, out of the box, takes care of all this for your hotel website.
 

The content on your website

Now that we have gotten the technical aspects covered, the next most obvious thing about SEO is the content of the website. If your website’s content is about ice cream cones then your site will be indexed for ice cream cone searches and not for hotels. If your content is about a luxury hotel, then you won’t be indexed for budget hotels and consequently it is unlikely that you will show up for searches related to budget hotels.

Content also comes in many shapes. It includes the text on the website, the images that you put, the links you provide and the various tags (page titles page descriptions etc.). Each one of these have a significance and how and where you place them also matters. Content that is higher up on a page matters more than the content that is below. On things like page titles, the content that is to the left matters more than the content that is to the right. How you structure your content with various Headers (much like a word document) matters. How you name your images, how you name the links – they all matter.

All content on your website should be original content – copying of content from another website hurts your traffic – as the search engines and users skip past you believing you have nothing new to say. Adding fresh and relevant content has also shown to impact the SEO of a website.

There is also data about your hotel (meta data) that you can provide on your website, it is not visible to your customers but tells the bots the location, name, etc. of your hotel. Once again, Simplotel does this out of the box for your site.  Our experts write the content for your hotel website so that it is all set up well. This is another reason why our customers see a 3x plus growth in traffic.
 

Things happening outside your website

After the technology and the content on the website, there are things that happen outside your website that impact search engine optimization. These include your guest reviews, your listing on Google Maps and local listing sites, your mention in travel blogs, etc. – they all matter. Here are some suggestions,

  • Verify and own your Google My Business (GMB) page and make sure that the map marker is accurate.

  • Ensure that your hotel’s name, address and contact info is exactly the same on all online channels – your social media pages, local listings and classified listings. 

  • Get good reviews by taking care of customers and encouraging customers to write a glowing review. Also, respond to your reviews on various review channels time to time.

There are few silver bullets in SEO – so you must skin it with a thousand paper cuts. Please let us know your comments, questions and feedback at hello@simplotel.com.

Unlock More Direct Bookings: How Exclusive Special Offers Boost Hotel Website Engagement

The hospitality landscape is crowded, and travelers are savvier than ever. With countless booking platforms vying for their attention, hotels must differentiate their websites and one of the most powerful ways to do this is with exclusive special offers. By presenting direct booking deals and irresistible value-adds, hotels create urgency and perceived value, motivating guests to book directly and explore more of the property online. This piece builds upon our recent blogs on personalized experiences and interactive content. Special offers aren’t just another promotion; they complete the foundation for website engagement and set the stage for a holistic journey, which we’ll soon extend with advanced email marketing strategies.

Why Direct Booking Incentives Are Essential

Best Place to Book

Elevate Every Stay

Optimizing Offers

SEO Power of Special Offers

Conclusion

Why Direct Booking Incentives Are Essential

Direct booking incentives help hotels win the loyalty tug-of-war against OTAs. By making deals exclusive to your website, you differentiate your brand, improve profit margins, and deepen the guest relationship. Booking direct isn’t just about saving money, it’s about the unique value only you can provide.

No hidden fees, instant confirmations, and transparent cancellation policies build trust. Guests often feel more secure and in control when booking directly, making your site the preferred choice.

Exclusive Offers: Making Your Website the Best Place to Book

Special offers tailored for direct bookings are proven to drive conversions. Consider the following tactics

  • Best rate guarantees: Assure guests they’ll always get the lowest price on your website matching or beating any OTA listing.

  • Free upgrades: Surprise direct bookers with complimentary room category upgrades as an unexpected delight

  • Welcome packages: Include perks like free breakfast, spa access, or event tickets that feel too good to pass up.

  • Flexible check-in/out: Grant direct bookers convenience with early check-in or late checkout options.

Hotels that clearly communicate these offers on their homepages, landing pages, and booking engines create a sense of urgency and exclusivity.

Value-Adds: Elevate Every Stay

Value-adds transform basic bookings into memorable experiences, increasing the perceived worth of every reservation.

  • Personalized welcome amenities: Offer a bottle of wine, local gifts, or room enhancements for guests who book direct.

  • Activity packages: Bundle stays with exclusive tours, classes, or experiences that deepen guest engagement and encourage longer stays.

  • Loyalty bonuses: Reward repeat direct bookings with points, free nights, or cumulative discounts.

Not only do these extras make guests feel valued, but they also distinguish your brand in a competitive market. When offers align with personalized guest profiles discussed in the first blog of our series the impact multiplies.

Optimizing Offers for Website Engagement

For special offers to drive engagement and reduce bounce rate, presentation and targeting are key:

  • Prominent placement: Display exclusive deals above the fold, in banners, pop-ups, and sidebars so visitors see immediate value.

  • Dynamic targeting: Use website personalization tools to show different offers to first-time visitors, returning guests, or those browsing specific amenities.

  • Countdown timers: Add real-time countdowns to limited offers, boosting urgency and action.

  • Interactive bundles: Let guests customize packages (e.g., choose add-ons for birthdays or honeymoons) to increase time on site and booking value.

Integrate calls to action like “Unlock Direct Perks” or “Book Direct for Exclusive Privileges” throughout your website’s journey, reducing friction and encouraging exploration.

The SEO Power of Special Offers

Exclusive deals are not just conversion drivers, they're SEO gold. Google values fresh, relevant content: rotating seasonal packages, last-minute deals, and thematic offers help your website stay current, which drives organic rankings.

  • Optimize offer pages for target keywords like “hotel special offers”, “direct booking perks” and your property’s location.

  • Interlink offer pages with other engagement content (personalization, interactive features) to strengthen your site’s authority through a topic cluster approach.

  • Use structured data markup to help search engines understand your deals and showcase them in rich results.

Conclusion: Make Your Hotel Website Irresistible

In a world of endless booking options, hotels must do more than compete they must stand out. Exclusive offers and tailored value-adds, presented boldly and marketed smartly, convert traffic into bookings and casual interest into lasting loyalty. As you build your hotel’s engagement strategy, remember:

  • Personalization gets attention.

  • Interactive content keeps it.

  • Special offers close the deal.

Linking these engagement pillars through a well-crafted blog cluster creates a powerful SEO effect and a guest experience that keeps travelers coming back. In our next post, we’ll explore email marketing the secret to lasting guest relationships and post-stay engagement. Stay tuned, and watch your website become the go-to destination it deserves to be.