HOTELS

Scott van Hartesvelt

Demystifying Search
April 24, 2008

"If we change our meta data structure, launch an aggressive inbound link strategy, reprogram the site in AJAX and focus on keyword density, we should see a nice improvement in page rank."

Come again?

In my experience, search firms excel at confusing their clients with technical terms and phony metrics. As a hotelier, you don’t care if your page rank improves. You care if your revenue and market share grow. So how do you manage these technical firms to success?  First, it helps to understand the basic nature of an SEO (search engine optimization) firm’s relationship with its clients.

Do you ever get the feeling that all of the tech-speak is just smoke and mirrors to cover poor performance from your SEO firm? Chances are you are right. Optimization firms are in a precarious position. Most of their clients do not understand the complexities of what they do. As a result, clients often have unrealistic expectations.

“You have one week to get me on the first page of Google for the search term, “boutique hotel,” they’ll say. When the firm fails to meet those expectations, it is generally replaced. Hence the trend toward big startup fees and lower monthly fees.

Many search firms cover the cost for all of their work and then some with an initial setup fee.  If they are fortunate enough to be working with a client 60 days later, many of these firms are probably making a significant profit. As the relationship moves forward, they cut costs by reducing labor put against the account and hope the initial work they did to the site carries the day. Unfortunately, they haven’t a clue about how the hotel client measures success; revenue never enters the equation.

It’s important to note that not every search marketing firm fits this description. There are some great SEO firms out there that do move mountains while focusing on their clients’ goals. In fact, I would love for you, the readers, to post in the comments section below the names of some of those high-quality firms for everyone’s benefit.

A wise man once told me agencies succeed and fail based on the quality of the client’s management. So, how do you manage your SEO firm to success?

• Focus their objectives, and yours, on revenue. Tell them you don’t care if traffic to the site improves; all that matters is revenue.

• Focus their keywords on market segments and profit centers that apply to your hotel. Segmentation is a tried and true marketing tactic that doesn’t seem to have penetrated the search mindset. Ask your firm to segment their keywords into leisure, business transient, group and social. Then report against them. This simple change will ensure you are attracting a more comprehensive mix of business.

• Introduce your search team to your booking engine provider. In many cases, the booking engines have tools that allow you to track which actual search terms are converting to revenue. Every month, hold a meeting with your search team to review the numbers and make adjustments.

• Pay-per-click marketing works when managed to complement your optimization strategy. Many firms use automated bid programs, which we have found do not produce optimum results. Ask your provider about their methodology and, if you are comfortable, don’t be afraid to spend several thousand dollars a month. If done properly, the return on investment should be substantial, and it will help your overall coverage of the major search engines.

• Focus your firm on terms that directly apply to your property. If you are a limited-service hotel, don’t let them focus on “luxury hotel” iterations just because they are easier to get.  

• If you are concerned that you aren’t getting the service you deserve, hire a third-party firm to conduct an audit. Tell them they will not be candidates for replacing your existing firm to ensure their recommendations are unbiased.  

• If your prospective search firm has a setup fee greater than one month’s service fee, show them the door. Ask them to commit to the long run, and you do the same. Search strategies can take 3-5 months to take effect based on the market.  Make sure you give them time to succeed.

In the end, search engine optimization is a marketing tactic. Traditional marketing rules and management tactics do apply. This knowledge alone should scare off many of the impostors and allow the real search marketers to rise to the top of your list.

Posted by Scott van Hartesvelt on April 24, 2008 | Comments (4)