Hotel SEO
Independent hotels can't outspend the booking agencies on search. They can out-answer them: on their own rooms, their own area, and the reasons to book direct.
Hotel SEO from
£99 /mo
→The short answer
Hotel SEO is helping travellers find and book your hotel directly rather than through an agency: a complete Google profile with free booking links to your own site, room pages that answer every question, and pages about your area that match what visitors search for. We do it from £99 a month, alongside a website that takes direct bookings.
(01)Direct or agency
The agencies aren't the enemy. Paying them for guests who already know you is.
Direct bookings and agency bookings
| Through an online travel agency | Direct, through your own website | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay | A commission on each booking, set in your agreement | Your booking engine's fee and card fees |
| Who has the guest's details | Mostly the agency | You, for confirmation and, with consent, future offers |
| Who sets the terms | Largely the agency's booking flow | You: your cancellation terms, your extras, your welcome |
| Best for | Guests who've never heard of you | Returning guests and anyone who's already found you |
The aim isn't to leave the agencies, but to stop paying commission on guests who would have found you anyway, such as the ones who search your hotel's name, or who stayed last year.
(02)Google's hotel listings
Free, and often overlooked by small hotels.
Google's hotel listings and free booking links
Free booking links
Hotels can show a free link to book on their own website in Google Search and Maps, next to the paid listings1.
Your own site, not an agency
The link has to take guests to your own website to book directly with you, not to a third party2.
Rates without a channel manager
Smaller properties that meet Google's requirements can add their rates through their Google Business Profile3; larger ones usually connect their booking system.
Everything else in the profile
Amenities, photos of every room type, check-in times, parking and accessibility, kept accurate, and a reply to every review.
(03)The hotel website
The hotel website, briefly
- A page for every room type, with real photos, the bed size, the view, and what's included.
- The booking engine on every page, with prices shown before anyone has to enter a date.
- Your reasons to book direct, stated plainly: breakfast, late check-out, a better cancellation policy, an upgrade when one's free.
- Food and drink, if you serve it, with menus as web pages.
- Getting here: parking, nearest station, and directions that work at night.
(04)Local content
What travellers search before they search for a hotel.
Content about your area that brings bookings
Examples of what visitors type (unmeasured)
hotels near [venue or attraction]
things to do in [town] this weekend
dog friendly hotels [area]
[town] wedding accommodation
walks from [village] with a pub
Guides only a local can write
Your walks, your favourite restaurants, the best time to visit the castle. Specific, current, and better than a generic list.
Pages for the reasons people come
Weddings at nearby venues, races, festivals, graduations, business near the industrial estate. Each a page, linked to the rooms that suit it.
Events, early
A page for next year's festival weekend, up months ahead, is how you get found when people start planning.
(05)The first 90 days
In order. No promised positions: you see what we did and what changed.
A 90-day SEO plan for hotels
Days 1–30
Direct first
- Google profile complete, with free booking links set up
- Room pages with real photos and the booking engine
- Search Console set up in your name
Days 31–60
Local pages
- Three guides to your area, written with you
- A page for each main reason people visit
- Replies to every review
Days 61–90
Plan the year
- Pages for next year's events and seasons
- Direct-booking reasons on every room page
- First report: direct bookings, searches and what's next
SEO Website
£99
a month
For getting a proper, findable website live.
- Website design and build
- Hosting and maintenance
- Mobile-first design
- Keyword research and on-page SEO
- Sitemap and indexing set-up
- Local SEO and Google Business Profile support
Traffic GrowthFits this best
£199
a month
For turning the site into a steady source of enquiries.
- Everything in SEO Website
- New SEO content and service pages each month
- Location pages where they're justified
- Better calls to action and enquiry forms
- Monthly report with recommendations
Growth Partner
£499
a month
For businesses ready to push hard on growth.
- Everything in Traffic Growth
- Competitor and market analysis
- Strategic landing pages and customer journeys
- Monthly performance review call
- A prioritised growth plan
Questions
(06)Questions
Not on broad searches like "hotels in London", but often on your own name, your area's attractions and the specific reasons people visit. Those searches, plus Google's free booking links, are where direct bookings come from.
No. Google doesn't charge for the free booking links themselves. You need a website that takes bookings and accurate rates, through your booking system or your Google profile.
Yes. The same principles apply, scaled down: a few great room pages, clear booking, honest photos and a page about your area.
Sources
(07)Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these. Checked on the date shown.
- 1Free booking links, Google Hotel Center Help. Checked 26 October 2026.
- 2Booking page URL, Google Hotel Center Help. Checked 26 October 2026.
- 3How to add and manage rates and availability on your Google Business Profile, Google Hotel Center Help. Checked 26 October 2026.
(08)Start a project
Let's build your
free preview.
Tell us about your business. We'll come back with a plan and start on your preview. You pay nothing until you give it the nod.