Keyword research for hotels: find where guests search
84 percent of travelers start their search on Google. Most small accommodations try to compete on terms they'll never win, while the terms they could rank on sit empty.
Why broad words are the wrong bet
Say you have a B&B in Drenthe. The logical thought: I want to rank on 'B&B Netherlands'. That keyword has volume, but who's already on page 1? Booking.com, Trivago, the ANWB campground guide. Those are sites with thousands of pages, enormous link profiles and editorial teams. You won't beat them with a website of ten pages.
Keyword research (in English: keyword research) isn't about finding the biggest terms. It's about finding terms that are feasible, have sufficient intent and match what you offer. Before you start this, the technique under your site needs to work, because without fast loading and neat structure even the right words won't rank. What's involved in that is in SEO basics for your hotel site.
Location is your strongest trump card. 'B&B Drenthe' is already more specific and achievable. 'B&B Drenthe with breakfast' even more. 'Rustic B&B on the Hondsrug' even more. The more specific, the less competition and the higher the booking intent of the searcher.
Search intent: the foundation of good keyword research
Every keyword has intent. Search intent is the question behind the search: what exactly does the user want to achieve? There are three categories that are relevant for you.
Informational intent: the searcher wants to know something. Think 'glamping tips Zeeland' or 'what is a treehouse hotel'. This person is not booking yet, but orienting themselves. Informational keywords belong on your blog pages, not on your booking page.
Commercial intent: the searcher is comparing options. Think 'best B&B North Holland' or 'cheap hostel Utrecht'. This person is further along in their decision but not ready yet. An inspiration page or overview page fits here.
Transactional intent: the searcher is ready to book. Think 'B&B Maastricht book' or 'romantic hotel Giethoorn availability'. These are your most valuable terms. They belong on your room pages and homepage.
Most sites focus only on transactional terms. That's understandable, but you miss the orienting guest who comes back two weeks later to book at the site he already knew.
How to build local keywords
The basic pattern for local accommodations is simple: accommodation type plus location plus optional theme.
- Accommodation type: hotel, hostel, B&B, glamping, vacation home, guesthouse, boutique hotel
- Location: city, region, area, nearby attraction
- Theme: romantic, family-friendly, pets welcome, near station, with pool, adults only
That gives combinations like:
- 'romantic hotel Zeeland beach'
- 'B&B Amsterdam family-friendly'
- 'glamping Veluwe pets welcome'
- 'hostel Rotterdam near center'
- 'guesthouse Texel with breakfast'
Each of these terms has less volume than the broad version, but the person who types this knows what they want. The chance that they book if you offer exactly that is much higher.
Free sources that deliver enough
You don't need expensive tools to build a solid keyword list. Three free sources deliver sufficient input for most small accommodations.
Google suggestions. Type your accommodation type and location in Google, but don't hit enter yet. Google auto-fills based on what people actually search. Scroll to the bottom too: at the bottom of each page are 'related searches'. Write down everything that sounds relevant.
Google Search Console. If your site is already live, you probably already have data. Go to Search Console, open the Performance report and filter on Search queries. You see what terms your site already gets impressions on. Terms with lots of impressions but low clicks are low-hanging fruit: Google already finds you relevant, but your ranking is still not good enough. How to set up and use Search Console is explained in Google Search Console for hoteliers.
People Also Ask. Search in Google for one of your core terms. In the search results, a dropdown menu appears with questions people ask. Those questions are keywords in question form and ideal for your blog articles. 'What are the best B&Bs in Friesland' or 'How do I book a glamping with hot tub' are examples of terms with high informational intent and relatively easy to score on. Those questions immediately form the basis for your blog calendar. How to build a steady stream of articles from that is in content marketing and blogging for your hotel.
Linking keywords to the right page
A keyword is only useful if you know which page it should rank on. The rule of thumb: one primary keyword per page. Multiple pages targeting the same word is called keyword cannibalization: your pages compete with each other and Google doesn't know which one to show.
Linking:
- Homepage: your name, accommodation type plus location, direct booking searches
- Room page per type: specific room term plus location, including features of that room
- About us or story: your name, unique story or concept
- Blog articles: informational and commercial intent, long-tail questions
Look at your competitors too
Search in Google for your own best keyword and see who's on page 1. Open their pages and scan what they do: how long is the text, which headers do they use, which terms come back. That tells you what Google thinks is good enough to rank.
Example table: keywords, intent and page type
Below a concrete table with example terms representative for most Dutch accommodations. Use this as a starting point for your own list.
| Keyword | Intent | Volume indication | Page type |
|---|---|---|---|
| hotel [city] | Transactional | High, high competition | Homepage |
| B&B [city] | Transactional | Medium | Homepage or room page |
| romantic hotel [region] | Transactional | Low to medium | Room page or theme page |
| glamping [region] pets welcome | Transactional | Low | Room page or filter page |
| hostel [city] near station | Transactional | Low | Room page or location page |
| what is glamping | Informational | Medium, low competition | Blog article |
| weekend tips [region] | Informational | Medium | Blog article |
| best B&B [region] | Commercial | Medium | Blog article or comparison page |
| cheap overnight [city] | Commercial | High, high competition | Blog article or landing page |
| [accommodation name] book | Transactional | Low | Homepage |
Volume indication is a relative estimate. Always check with Search Console or Google suggestions whether the word is actually used in your specific location.
Seasonal terms and local events
Most accommodation owners build their keyword list once and leave it at that. That costs you bookings, because a large part of the search demand in the tourist sector moves with the season and with what happens in your region. 'Hiking vacation Veluwe' peaks in fall, 'B&B near Zwarte Cross' only during festival weeks, 'last minute hotel Maastricht carnival' in February.
Grab a calendar of events within 25 kilometers of your accommodation and link a search term to each event. For bigger events create a separate landing page you publish three to four weeks in advance, so Google can index the page before search demand peaks. A marathon, festival or trade show in your region brings in bookings every year if you're the only accommodation targeting it specifically. Put recurring events directly in your quarterly check.
Common mistakes in keyword research
Only paying attention to volume. A keyword with 10,000 monthly searches is worthless if you'll never rank on it. Look first at feasibility, then at volume.
Repeating the same term on every page. If your homepage, room page and blog articles all target the same primary term, Google doesn't know which one to rank. That costs you position on all three.
Ignoring search intent. A booking page that ranks on an informational term gets visitors who aren't ready to book. They leave your site without action. The page might rank, but doesn't convert. Always link the right page to the right intent.
Setting keywords and forgetting them. Search demand changes with seasons, with local events, and with changing supply. Check your Search Console every quarter and update your pages when you see new terms emerging.
Leaving out local modifiers. Adding the town name, region or a nearby attraction makes a generic keyword specific and achievable. 'B&B with garden' doesn't score. 'B&B with garden Leiden center' knows exactly who's looking and who's offering.
Keyword research is not one-time
Google's algorithm changes, guests ask different questions as supply in your region grows, and seasons bring different searches. Plan ten minutes each quarter to check your Search Console and update your keyword list.
What you can do now
Start with Search Console. If your site isn't in it yet, put it in today. After four to six weeks you'll have the first data on what people search to find you and where you already get impressions without high ranking.
Then build your own keyword list using the pattern accommodation type plus location plus theme. Ten focused terms is a better starting point than a hundred vague ones.
Next link each keyword to a page and check whether your title tags and meta descriptions actually contain that term too. How to set those up correctly is in title tags and meta descriptions for hotels. The broader context of how Google determines which accommodation ranks highest in local search results is in ranking factors for local SEO. Want to see how keyword research fits into the bigger picture of being found online, the findability hub gives you the complete overview of all components.
Want to know what more direct bookings via organic traffic will deliver you, calculate it with the savings calculator. Want to have the keyword research done and directly translated into pages that rank, check out marketing for hotels.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to use paid tools like Semrush or Ahrefs for keyword research?
What is a long-tail keyword?
How many keywords can I target on one page?
How do I know if a keyword is worth targeting?
What's the difference between informational and transactional search intent?
Why does Search Console work better than a keyword tool?
How often should I update my keyword list?
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