Getting Started with SEO: Basic Checklist for Hotel + Hospitality Websites
I’ve been working in SEO for over a decade and although the core principals apply across all industries and business types (easy to load and use website, unique valuable content, and user-friendly design), there are some specific things I always recommend for hotel and hospitality clients specifically. Unlike say, a software company, your website likely doesn’t need a blog, but it does need some key pages that help with awareness, conversion, and to help guests have a great experience once they’re there. Without further ado, here’s my basic SEO checklist for hotels and hospitality brands.
Tools and setup
✅ Create a search console account
Set up Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools to track performance and fix crawl/indexing errors.
Look at your reports to identify technical errors (Core web vitals) or learn more about what queries are bringing traffic to your site.
Submit a valid XML Sitemap (usually
domain.com/sitemap.xml)
✅ Set up analytics
Many hosting platforms, like Wordpress and Squarespace, have basic analytics. For many small businesses, that’s enough. But if you want to better track your marketing across channels, look into setting up a (free) Google Analytics account.
Images + site speed
avoid uploading really large images
Compress and properly size images (especially large hotel photo galleries). Try not to upload anything over 3,500 pixels or 2MB, for example. Large images typically = large file size which = slow your page load.
Navigation
Create a Clear, intuitive navigation
Use descriptive, user-friendly labels like “Rooms,” “Dining,” “Amenities,” “Gallery,” “Location,” and “Book Now.”
Keep navigation visible on both desktop and mobile.
add your ‘Book Now’ CTA in multiple places
Include a booking button in the header and footer and within key content blocks.
Ensure it’s visible and consistent across all pages.
use Logical URL structure
Keep URLs simple, readable, and keyword-rich (e.g.,
/rooms/star-cabinor/things-to-do/nearby-hikes).Existing sites: Do not change your URLs if they don’t follow a logical structure — while it’s great to set things up this way, it will cause more of a mess than it will fix if you change it after the fact.
Homepage best practices
customize the SEO title + meta description
Include property name, location, and type (e.g., “The Driftwood Inn | Boutique Hotel in Santa Barbara”).
Meta description should entice with unique features and location context.
Concise intro section
Include the hotel name, location, and a short elevator pitch. Make the location (i.e. city, state) very easy to find. This is something I often see hotel websites overlook.
Mention the number/type of rooms, standout amenities, and setting (mountains, wine country, beach, etc.).
Strong visuals
Hero image or video with immediate emotional impact.
Below, add a brief property overview and a “Book Now” button.
Highlight location + experience
Include a short section describing the surrounding area and things to do nearby. If you have a neighborhood/area guide, this is a good place to link to it from too.
Feature amenities visually
Use icons or bullets for quick scanning (WiFi, pool, pet friendly, breakfast, parking, etc.). This helps sell potential guests, but also saves you time from answering common FAQs.
Rooms and suite pages
Build a Dedicated page per room type
On each page be sure to include:
Professional photos, room description, max occupancy, amenities, and pricing info.
Include an SEO title/meta with room name + “hotel name + location.”
Book now link
Make information scannable by using short paragraphs, bullets, and tables for key info. Bonus points if you can add image alt text to photos, which describe rooms accurately and help with both accessibility and SEO.
For smaller and very bespoke properties (i.e. a cabin resort with 8 unique cabins), you can create one page per cabin/room. This is especially helpful if guests are allowed to book specific cabins and want to “tour” them virtually before choosing.
Gallery page
Create a gallery page with photos of rooms + properties
Make sure your gallery includes photos of:
Rooms + suites
Property + surrounding
Amenities
Be sure to balance file size with quality when uploading—you don’t want super large photos (i.e. 7000 pixels and 10MB) that slow down pages, but you also don’t want tiny photos (i.e. 800 pixels and 2KB) that are low resolution or quality. Find a good balance between not too big and good quality. I usually upload at 2000-3500 pixels and use ImageOptim to compress file sizes.
Local SEO
To improve your visibility in local searches:
Set up your Google Business Profile
Ensure your NAP (name, address, phone) is consistent everywhere.
Add high-quality photos, current hours, and a link to your website.
Encourage and respond to reviews.
Add Schema markup
Use Hotel Schema or LocalBusiness Schema to help search engines understand your property details. Some websites make this easy and straightforward, but if this is too technical, it’s OK to skip until you’re able to get support from an SEO or engineer.
manage your reviews across platforms
Actively monitor and respond to reviews on third-party OTAs as well. Many of these reviews appear in Google’s “Reviews from around the web” section, influencing both visibility and user trust. A consistent pattern of positive reviews across multiple sources can strengthen local authority and conversion.
Additional pages to add
Some additional pages you’ll want to add as a hotel:
Field Guide / Things to Do page
Create an optimized local guide featuring nearby restaurants, activities, and attractions.
Group into logical sections (“Eat & Drink,” “Outdoors,” “Arts & Culture”).
Link internally to relevant property pages.
Restaurant + dining
Have a dedicated page for your restaurant(s), bars, or dining options available on property. Two approaches (which are both fine) are one page for all your dining options or one page per restaurant/bar, with a landing page that groups all of them together and links out.
Spa + pool
Spas, pools, saunas, and hot tubs are hot amenities. Create a dedicated page to call this out and consider adding to your top navigation.
About page
About pages are incredibly helpful for both guests and members of the press. It can help journalists write about your place more accurately (and without lots of back and forth) but also provide a conversion moment for potential guests with whom your story man resonate.
Your about page should:
Share your story and values to connect emotionally with guests.
List basic facts (when were you founded? by who? how many rooms do you have?)
Include media mentions, team photos, or sustainability commitments.
Bonus: Include a link to photos press/media can use for coverage.
FAQ / Plan Your Stay page
Address key booking questions (check-in/out, cancellation, pets, accessibility, etc.).
Include internal links to booking and rooms.
On-Page SEO Fundamentals
For every page on your site, you should:
Write a custom SEO title + meta description to every page.
Use headers (H1, H2, H3) logically.
Include target keywords naturally (hotel name + location + key features).
Link internally between related pages (Rooms → Gallery, FAQ → Booking).
Add image alt text for accessibility and SEO.
Mobile + UX
If you’re using Squarespace or Wordpress, many of these items are taken care of already. But if working with a developer or building a custom site, be sure to review and make sure it is:
Fully responsive design
Most guests will view on mobile — ensure menus, booking buttons, and galleries work smoothly.
Easy-to-use booking flow
Fewer steps = higher conversion.
Minimize redirects to third-party booking engines if possible.
Readable, scannable design
Use clear typography, spacing, and short paragraphs.
Trust + Conversion Elements
Some additional elements that can support your SEO include:
Add Social proof
Embed reviews or testimonials (from Google, TripAdvisor, or Booking.com). Your homepage is a good place for this.
Press or Awards section
Showcase media mentions or accolades for credibility. Again, your homepage and about us pages are good places for this.
Contact info
Make your contact info (email + phot) visible and clickable, especially on mobile.
Location
Display your location and full address in the footer. Make it really easy for folks to navigate to you.
Clear policies
Add transparent info on cancellations, pets, accessibility, etc. to assist with conversions. A policy or FAQ page is a good place for this. You don’t have to link to this from the top nav, but footer is OK.
