Updated: May 2024
As Marriott updates their systems and new website, it’s important to stay up to date on understanding the process, creating an SEO strategy, and implementing best practices for the hotel.
First off, Marriott has changed their URL structure in 2022. It is important to know this change. You should audit all your listing URLs and backlinks to ensure all online platforms and listings have the new URLs. The differences between the old and new structure are subtle and are highlighted below:
The old URL structure was: www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/yhzmc-halifax-marriott-harbourfront-hotel/
The new URL structure is: https://www.marriott.com/ja/ Japanesehotel/yhzmc-halifax-marriott-harbourfront-hotel/overview/
Even if done correctly, changing your URL structure will require Google to re-index your website, which can be time consuming. Make sure your hotel website indexes all valuable pages that are important for organic search rankings. Using tools like Moz or SEMRush or running a tool called Screaming Frog can help you distinguish between indexed and non-indexed pages.
If a page is not indexed, it means that Google can't find it. With the new URL structure, if your internal pages on m.com are not getting any traffic at all, you need to determine why Google can't find your pages. There are multiple reasons why this can happen, for example it could be due to crawl errors, broken redirects, content quality, etc.
A new URL also means that you need to implement a backlink outreach strategy with the updated URL to update all your backlinks and ensure they capture value. Requesting a backlink is literally as simple as sending an email to a website contact and politely asking, “Can you put our name on page X of your site and link to this page on our site?”
Backlink Outreach Help Guide
If you haven’t updated the quality links that link to your hotel’s website (CVB listings, local sites where your hotel is featured, etc.) to the new URL structure, future guests will end up with 404 errors or non-existent webpages. If you don’t have a backlink outreach strategy built, audit the backlinks for the old URLs and reach out to relevant link contacts for the updated URLs or find a service provider to take care of it.
Another very important change that has happened recently is that Marriott has phased out their EPIC system, which was undergoing some SEO updates, and introduced a product catalog.
Making the most of Marriott’s SEO opportunities is just one differentiation technique in understanding where brand marketing ends and individual hotel marketing begins.
Whether you do it yourself, hire Marriott Digital Services or an outside agency, consider these factors when doing search engine optimization (SEO) for your Marriott-branded hotel.
Marriott SEO Elements
To make it easier to understand, let’s break down your SEO strategy into three sections.
- Onsite – what you do on your website to optimize it for search
- Off-site – what you do on other websites to optimize your search
- Technical – the less easily visible back-end aspects of optimizing for search
Acquire data for analysis:
Before you do any of the above, determine what your current site is ranking for and pay close attention to what’s already on page 1, what’s on page 2 and can be moved up, and everything else.
If you use Marriott Digital Services (MDS) then they have tools that can provide you with these data points, if not, using services like Moz, SEMRush or Ahrefs can help.
If budget is an issue, you could also open an incognito window and search manually – be prepared for this to take a while.
For Marriott hotels, MRDWD It's about finding out what's working and what's not working. ECM1 Report It will show you your total organic traffic but not give you any further details. You can track the number of visits per page but not the source of that traffic.
You should also look at what terms you're including in your title tags and meta descriptions and see how that affects your keyword rankings. You can do this by using a website crawling tool like: Screaming frog.
Next, identify your hotel's unique selling point (USP) and what makes you different from your competitors. Next, list the key demand generators that drive revenue for your hotel. These are usually things that drive transient business and are rarely corporate or office.
Onsite Marriott SEO
Conduct keyword research using tools like Moz, SEMRush (paid), and Google Ads (free) to identify missed opportunities. Look for keywords that may not have high competition. “Hotels close to demand generators” Select the keyword with the best matching term for each page. Include your keyword and hotel name in a unique title tag for each page, up to 60 characters.
In your meta description, write why they should click on your website. This is where your USP comes in. For example, when writing the meta for your room page, include the unique room features of your hotel. Google uses your meta title and meta description in the actual search results. It's like an opportunity to write free advertising. Writing your USP will highlight this.
The SEO of the module can also be updated post-publish. Pages are published with default meta and changes can be submitted after publishing. These pages are search indexable and create more content opportunities, so take advantage of these pages for meeting spaces, weddings, restaurants, etc.
Once you have a plan, create new title tags and meta descriptions. mPortalThe form you will use is the Core Hotel Website Maintenance Request Form, where you select your hotel. Then the request itself is HWS Content Request, where you select HWS Metadata Request.
Next, you will need to update your website content and header tags. This is in keeping with Marriott's new Product catalog This is the new alternative to EPIC. Keyword density is not as important as it used to be, and you should avoid stuffing your keywords into your site at all costs. “New York Hotel” It appears six times on the page. However, if you include your keywords in your title tags and headers, you should also subtly work them into your content.
For example, if you target keywords using demand generation features on your local area page, make sure that demand generation is listed as one of the local area highlights in the product catalog that appears on your brand website.
next, Header Tags Edit in the product catalog.
- Currently, these headers are H2 on the About, Accommodation, Restaurants & Bars, and Experiences pages.
- The property message title is also displayed as an H3.
- On the dining page, the onsite dining option is named H3s.
- On a fitness page, the pool title is H3, usually “indoor” and “hot”Such
- Does not apply to Meeting and Wedding Pages.
Marriott's website is quite small in terms of the number of pages, mutual link If available, you can link to another page in your highlights, preferably an internal link. You can also hyperlink in your property messages. There are other sections where you can incorporate links to other sites, but links to other sites have no SEO value and will be linked off your site. Examples are partner information, spa, restaurant, experience highlights, etc. Or, if you have local businesses or restaurants listed on your site, you can use that as leverage to get them to add their links to your site and get more backlinks. All of these links can be Product catalog From now on, you will no longer need to fill out forms on mPortal.
Offsite Marriott SEO
Backlinks are other relevant sites that have links to your website that drive more traffic to your website. The more trustworthy and relevant backlinks you have to your website, the higher your website will rank.
How many of these backlinks do you need?
Our suggestion for backlink goals: Rather than direct competitorsDirect competition in SEO is different from the general competitive set. Search for terms that typically show up in Google and select nearby hotels that show up frequently in these searches. The amount of backlinks varies greatly depending on the market and type of hotel. Full-service hotels will have more backlinks than select-service because more dining options, meeting spaces, etc. provide more backlinking opportunities. Independent boutique hotels will have more backlinks than branded hotels because they have to work harder to get traffic to their site compared to if they are affiliated with a brand. Having tools like Moz Link Explorer and SEMRush Backlink Analytics can be useful in this research. Marriott hotels have the advantage of being linked to the Marriott.com domain, which has a score of 92 out of 100, which also helps hotel websites rank.
Asking for backlinks is Sales TeamIf you don’t have sales resources, reach out to your agency or PR partner for assistance. This is effectively an extension of your personal relationships into the online space. Be sure to take advantage of opportunities on CVB and state tourism websites by listing your property’s evergreen packages.
Build relationships with local demand generators and get listed on their websites. If the demand generators have keyword search volume, create packages. Build packages around tickets or discounts to local attractions, gift cards to local shopping malls, etc. Packages can be optimized with MBOP.
you ECM3 report from MRDW Then see if these new online partnerships increase your traffic. Here's how to get the report:
Channels > Ecommerce > Add New Property Report > ECM3 (Campaign Details) > Traffic Source = Unpaid Referrer.
Operations Team Focusing on Google reviews can also help your hotel rank higher in Google searches. Additionally, make sure you are responding to Google reviews regularly. This is Rio SEOYes, getting Marriott Medallia reviews is important, but Google reviews are just as important.
Technical Marriott SEO
Unfortunately, Marriott Hotels does not allow you to modify the code, so this is out of your realm. You can test and check for yourself using a free tool like gtmetrix.com.
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Combining all of these components is essential when considering optimizing your Marriott branded website through search engine optimization: Once you’ve done all this, consider optimizing your OTA listings, which won’t cost you a penny.
Stephanie Smith
Founder and Digital Matriarch
+1 540 239 1052
Cogwheel Marketing
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