When someone searches for “hotel near me” or “boutique hotel in Warwickshire”, they’re often ready to book. Local SEO is a powerful tool aimed at ensuring a website appears precisely when it matters the most. For hotels, it’s one of the most effective ways to increase visibility, secure high-intent traffic and drive direct bookings without the heavy OTA fees.
Below are ten tried and tested ways to make local SEO work better for your hotel…
1. Claim, complete and regularly update your Google Business Profile.
Think of your Google Business Profile as your digital shopfront, the window that potential guests peek through before stepping into your hotel. Make sure every section is complete with your address, phone number, amenities, photos and a short, but keyword savvy description. A detailed and complete listing sends a signal to Google that your Hotel is legitimate and helps you to rank within the Map Pack* results.
**Map Pack results, also known as local packs, are the top three business listings that appear in Google Maps-based results for local searches, featuring a map, business details, ratings, and contact information
An important factor that’s often overlooked is that once your Google Business Profile is complete, it shouldn’t be forgotten about. Treat it as a live platform, responding to reviews, both positive and negative, shows that your team genuinely values guest feedback. Google will reward that engagement, and travellers will too. When people see well-thought-out responses it builds confidence that they’ll be well looked after during their stay.
Your profile is also a great place to share updates about upcoming events, seasonal offers or experiences at your hotel. Add images, include direct booking links and make the most of the “Posts” feature, everything you share there is clickable and trackable in Google Analytics.
Keeping your profile looking smart and regularly updating it doesn’t just make it look good; it actually helps SEO. Google favours active listings and fresh posts and sends signals to Google that your business is very much open, trusted and engaged with. It can also help improve click-through rates and help your hotel appear high in local search results.
2. Review your insights regularly
Local SEO works best when you truly can understand how people are finding your hotel. Tools like your Google Business Profile, Google Analytics and Search Console can highlight valuable insights into what’s driving those all-important local searches.
Make sure you are paying close attention to the phrases people are using to discover you. Are they searching for “hotel near Hyde Park” or “family-friendly hotel in Essex”? Those keywords show specifically what led them to click on your website, which you can then use to fine-tune your onsite SEO and brand messaging.
These patterns can also tell you what’s missing in your local area and what can be improved. For example if you see consistent searches for more niche phrases such as “dog-friendly hotel” or “hotels with meeting spaces” that’s a cue to think about adding that to your business, where possible.
3. Focus on location-based keywords that reflect how people really search
Ranking for broad and highly competitive terms like “hotels in London” is tough and not how most travellers search anymore. People are using conversational queries like “best hotel near Euston Station with parking?” or asking their phones, “where can my family stay near Paddington Station?”. This is where optimising with location-based, natural language truly comes into play.
To capture this kind of intent, it’s important to make sure your website content reflects how people actually speak. Write in full phrases rather than just a combination of keywords, and use Headings that sound like how someone might say them aloud. Blog posts are a great way to do this, such as “Where to Stay Near Hyde Park for a Family Weekend this Spring”, it feels more natural to both readers and will help you appear within Google AI-driven results.
As you may know, Google’s search results are becoming increasingly powered by both AI and voice-activated technology, so the more conversational and context-rich your content is, the better it will perform. Google needs to understand your hotel’s relevance to any local searches.
4. Add schema markup and make use of FAQs
Schema markup is a small piece of behind-the-scenes magic that helps Google and other search engines understand your content more clearly. For hotels specifically, it can display useful extra information in the search results such as pricing, star rating, availability and reviews. This kind of structured data makes your listing stand out and helps potential guests find what they’re looking for even faster.
A great way to put this into practice is by creating an FAQ page. FAQ’s are the perfect place on your website for answering those questions you know people are already asking from the insights you have already collected from following step 2 and turning those questions into helpful, conversational answers.
For example, if you are noticing common searches like “hotel near Euston with Parking” or the receptionists are reporting that lots of people are calling to ask if the hotel caters for wheelchair users, you can turn those queries into helpful, conversational answers. Marking them up with the FAQ schema gives Google clear content and increases your chances of appearing in featured snippets of AI-driven answer boxes.
5. Actively manage your reviews
Reviews are one of the best factors for local SEO, and for hotels. A steady flow of genuine, recent feedback tells Google that your business is trusted and relevant, whilst also telling potential guests that they can book with confidence.
The best time to encourage reviews is while the experience is still fresh in a guest’s mind. You can use a simple follow-up email or a QR code displayed in their room to make it easy for guests to write a review. Another top tip to encourage guests to mention specific details, like if they were part of a wedding party or enjoyed the restaurant. This can help your website to show up for more niche searches like “hotel with afternoon tea in Colchester” or “wedding Venue in North Yorkshire”.
It’s also equally important to think carefully about how you manage and respond to your reviews. Always thank guests for positive feedback, but make sure you are taking the time to address negative comments calmly and professionally. Potential travellers are looking closely at how you are responding. Sometimes this response is more important than the negative review itself.
Review management isn’t just about protecting your reputation; it can help form your local SEO strategy. Consistent, well thought out responses to reviews, both good and bad, help strengthen your brand, boost rankings and encourage new guests to choose your hotel over more digitally quiet ones.
6. Keep your NAP consistent everywhere
Your name, address and phone number must appear identically across your website, Google Business profiles, socials and any other listings. Small differences like “Rd” or “Road” can confuse search engines, and consistency will help Google confidently connect those listings to your business.
It really is worth checking your listings to make sure everything matches, and if you have lots of listings to manage, there are plenty of tools out there to help. Platforms like Moz Local and SEMrush listing management automatically scan your listing, flags and issues and can even push updates across those listings to make sure all of your important information is perfectly aligned.
Getting this right might not feel like an exciting task, but it’s one of the simplest ways to make sure your Local SEO efforts aren’t going unnoticed.
7. Build genuine local links
This part of SEO can sound a bit old school, but backlinks, although it has evolved, remains one of the most important ranking factors. For local SEO, it’s not about collecting as many random links as possible, but working hard to earn the right one. Links from locally relevant sources help search engines understand that your hotel is part of the local community and trusted by people nearby.
Start by building relationships within your area. Perhaps your hotel is near a local attraction, could you partner with them to offer a weekend package or get in touch with local businesses to offer an incentive for them to use your hotel for their monthly meetings? You could even sponsor the local football team or charity events and ask for a link on the event page.
It’s worth doing some research into collaborations with local tourism boards or university accommodation pages too. These small but mighty mentions, like appearing on a “Top 10 weekend getaways in Yorkshire”, can work to build visibility and boost referral traffic.
8. Optimise your website for speed and mobile
A slow and clunky website will undo even your best SEO work. Most travellers browse on mobile so it’s non-negotiable that your website needs to load quickly and be easy to navigate. Travellers could well be searching “hotel near me” looking for a hotel that night, and those users will quickly move onto a different option if they can’t navigate quickly on your website and locate the key bits of information they need.
Make sure your site loads quickly and test the UX across multiple devices and browsers. Think about compressing large images and simplifying booking and contact forms. It should be fast and require minimal effort to complete. Another great tool is trialling a heatmap tool, such as Microsoft Clarity or Hotjar to see how users are actually interacting with your pages. With these tools, you are able to watch real visitors’ behaviour across the website and spot any issues and frustrations they are having.
Google’s Core Web Vitals is not only important for the users, but it also plays a direct role in rankings too.
9. Create localised pages and content
Your website shouldn’t just sell rooms; it should sell the location too. If your hotel is close to popular attractions, key transport links or event venues why not consider creating dedicated landing pages for each? These pages not only help guests plan their stay but also strengthen your local search visibility.
For example, if you know many of your guests travel from the US, create a page tailored specifically for them. Include practical tips on how to reach the hotel from the nearest airport, travel options, and insider tips on exploring the local area. Content like this adds real value for travellers while showing Google that your site is relevant for international guests that are researching stays within your location.
Your blog is the perfect place to do this too. Write short, useful guides about things like upcoming events and hidden gems, including local tips and not just keywords. It will help to put your hotel on the map and embed you as a pillar in the community. Remember to update them regularly so the information stays relevant.
It all boils down to one simple thing; think about what people are actually searching for. When you create content that answers real, specific questions, especially the niche ones, you capture intent-driven traffic from guests who are ready to book. By matching your content to their needs and language, you’re going to give your hotel a much stronger chance of appearing in the right search results at the perfect time.
10. And finally… keep testing and adapting
SEO isn’t a one-time thing. It’s so important to keep on top of all of the points above. The hotels that best perform locally are the ones that are constantly evolving and adapting over time.
Remember to keep an eye on your analytics and insights to see what’s working. If certain pages or blog posts aren’t driving the results you were expecting, experiment with new keywords, adjust your on-site SEO and refresh your content. When seasons change, if new attractions open or when you’re noticing traveller behaviour is shifting, your strategy should shift too.
Think of local SEO as an ongoing project. Every update, review or new piece of content is a chance to show up, stay visible and connect with your audience.
