When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), each industry has its unique characteristics, but the restaurant and hospitality sector stands out as unique. Potential customers can gather almost all the information they need to make purchasing decisions from platforms like Google Maps, Google Reviews, Yelp, and TripAdvisor. This means that managing citations and reviews is particularly crucial for restaurants, hotels, B&Bs, pubs, cafés, and bars. In this discussion, we will explore recent research that emphasizes the importance placed on citations and reviews by businesses in this sector and provide guidance on how to outperform competitors in this area.
A Numbers Game
A recent SEO citations study by BrightLocal examined citations and local rankings data for over 120,000 local businesses across 26 industries. We specifically analyzed data for what we call ‘hospitality’ businesses, which include hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, cafés, pubs—amounting to 11,655 businesses. We focused on the number of citations held by top-ranking businesses in the local pack.
On average, a local business in the top position has 86 citations. Notably, the average hospitality business in the same position boasts 127 citations—48% more than the typical local business. While it’s difficult to draw direct causation from these figures due to various factors affecting local rankings, there’s a clear correlation between the number of citations and local pack ranking.
In the hospitality industry, the number of citations is often an indicator of the seriousness with which a business approaches local SEO. Those investing in extensive citation building across food and accommodation directories are likely also focusing on reputation management, local link building, public relations, and on-site optimization, contributing to their higher local pack rankings.
Approach
Given the abundance of listing sites for hotels and restaurants, it’s understandable that business owners strive to be visible on as many platforms as possible. While numerous and consistent citations are a minor ranking factor, these listings are highly popular with the public, impacting your online visibility.
However, quality should generally be prioritized over quantity. Hospitality citations should be consistent and provide accurate information for potential customers and search engines. Ensure that your business’s name, address, phone number, and website URL are consistent across all citations. Inconsistencies can severely impact consumer trust, particularly for brick-and-mortar establishments.
Additionally, don’t register your business on irrelevant citation sites. Relevance is a key local ranking factor, so it’s critical to focus on industry-specific or geographically relevant sites.
Rich Business Listings
Today, hospitality business listings are not limited to basic contact details. They can include photography, consumer reviews, video content, menu examples, attributes, and more, making it beneficial to enrich these listings with as much detail as possible.
For Google My Business (GMB) listings, a significant number of consumers may decide solely based on what’s presented there, bypassing your website. Therefore, your GMB listing must make an excellent first impression. While you can control some elements—such as uploaded images, descriptions, and selected categories—others are user-generated, like customer photos and reviews. With consumer trust increasingly relying on peer feedback, ensuring a stellar customer experience becomes crucial to receiving positive reviews and photos.
How to Generate and Manage Reviews
Recognizing that good reviews are vital for the success of a hospitality business, here are some strategies to help you cultivate a strong reputation:
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Provide Excellent Service: Authentic reviews reflect the quality of customer experience. Focus on delivering great service before pursuing customer feedback.
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Request Reviews Wisely: Encouraging reviews is acceptable, but understand the guidelines of each review platform to avoid violations. For instance, Yelp prohibits solicited reviews, and Google requires impartial solicitation.
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Incorporate Keywords: Encourage customers to include specific keywords in their reviews, as this can enhance your business’s relevance and local pack ranking.
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Respond to All Reviews: Engage with both positive and negative reviews. Even a simple response shows you care about customer feedback and enhances your brand’s image.
- Leverage Instagram: For restaurants, Instagram is becoming as influential as TripAdvisor for reviews. Make your Instagram handle visible to encourage photo-sharing by satisfied customers, which can function as tacit endorsements.
It’s advisable to make your Instagram handle easily accessible on your business listing. Searches on Instagram often lead to authentic photos and comments, bolstering your business’s credibility. If someone shares their experience on Instagram, it’s a strong endorsement.
