IHS Guide to Digital Marketing in 2025: Part Three – Optimizing for AI-Driven Search
In this final part of our guide, we dive into optimizing for the new era of AI-driven search, focusing on how Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) can elevate your hospitality brand.
1 Embrace Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT Search prioritize user intent, conversational queries, and context-rich results, shifting focus from traditional SEO to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) emphasizes conversational keywords, user intent, and both linked and unlinked mentions to establish credibility and relevance.
High-quality content that demonstrates expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T), along with structured data and schema markup, is essential for AI search optimization.
Technical optimization, including fast-loading, mobile-friendly websites and resolving indexing issues, is critical for improving visibility on AI search platforms.
Building authority through user engagement, digital PR, backlinks, and monitoring trends ensures long-term success in the evolving AI-driven search landscape.
Hospitality Focus:
Craft content that anticipates guest needs and answers common travel-related questions conversationally. For example, instead of “hotel rooms,” use phrases like “best family rooms near the beach.”
2 Content Optimization Strategies
High-quality content remains a cornerstone of success on ChatGPT Search and AI search engines. These platforms prioritize material that demonstrates expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).
- Create unique, insightful content that addresses user needs and provides actionable value.
- Use structured data and schema markup to help AI systems effectively interpret and categorize your content.
- Avoid generic or redundant topics; focus on delivering fresh perspectives and in-depth analysis.
Hospitality Focus:
Target long-tail keywords such as “dog-friendly hotels with mountain views” or “hotels with vegan breakfast options near the airport.”
Identify Key Phrases: Research and use conversational keywords that guests use when planning their trips or seeking information about your hotel.
Understand Guest Needs: Create content that addresses specific user intents, such as booking a room, finding local attractions, or learning about hotel amenities.
Develop content that caters to different traveler personas, such as business travelers, families, or solo adventurers, addressing their unique needs and preferences.
Monitor mentions on review sites, travel blogs, and social media platforms. Respond to reviews promptly and engage with guest-generated content to showcase your commitment to customer satisfaction.
Feature expert insights from your staff (e.g., chef recommendations, concierge tips) to demonstrate expertise. Highlight awards, certifications, and guest testimonials to build trust.
3 Technical Optimisation for AI Search
- Optimize your website for speed by compressing images, minimizing code, and using caching techniques.
- Ensure mobile responsiveness to provide a seamless user experience across all devices.
- Implement schema markup to enhance AI comprehension of your content and improve its visibility in search results.
- Resolve technical issues such as indexing errors, broken links, and slow server response times.
Hospitality Focus:
Compress images, streamline code, and ensure your website loads quickly on all devices. Make sure your booking engine is seamless and mobile-friendly.
Ensure Speed and Responsiveness by optimizing your website for speed, mobile-friendliness, and technical performance to improve visibility on AI search platforms.
Use schema markup to provide rich snippets for hotel amenities, room types, pricing, and user reviews, enhancing visibility in search results.
4 Building Authority and User Engagement
- Encourage user-generated content, such as reviews, testimonials, and community discussions, to build trust and authenticity.
- Participate in external platforms like Reddit, Quora, or LinkedIn to showcase your expertise and engage with relevant audiences.
- Create shareable, data-driven content that attracts natural backlinks and boosts your authority.
Hospitality Focus:
Incentivize guests to leave reviews on platforms like TripAdvisor and Google. Showcase guest photos and videos on your website and social media channels to create a sense of community.
5 Using Digital PR and Backlinks
- Publish press releases and collaborate on industry events to gain exposure and attract authoritative links.
- Produce original research or reports that other websites will reference and link to.
- Run digital PR campaigns to build relationships with influential sources and secure high-quality backlinks.
Hospitality Focus:
Partner with travel bloggers, influencers, and journalists to promote your hotel and attract authoritative links. Host local events and offer exclusive experiences to generate press coverage.
Build Relationships by publishing press releases, collaborating on industry events, and running digital PR campaigns to build relationships with influential sources and secure high-quality backlinks.
To stay informed about emerging technologies and best practices, follow industry publications, attend conferences, and engage with online communities.
6 How To Move From Page 2 To Top Positions
Review your current pages in the top 10 positions and create a list by page of:
- What they have in common.
- Talking points and topics they cover.
- How many internal links point to these pages?
- The number of quality and spammy backlinks each page has.
- On-page factors like Structure, schema, and the quality of the content.
- Content formatting and if they’re presenting the content in the most easy-to-understand and use formats.
- Do I have the same content or not?
- Is my content or page sharing something unique or more valuable than these?
- They all have X content, but is it topically relevant to the query I want my page to show up for?
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- If not, delete it so my page is more on-topic.
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- If yes, add it.
- What could be better explained, or could more explicit examples missing from theirs be used?
- Can I readily absorb the text, or would bullets, tables, videos, sound clips, images, etc, improve the message?
- Where on my website do I reference this topic, product, or service, and will linking to my page help the website visitor?
- If these pages have traffic and backlinks and get social shares, add the internal link. Make sure it benefits the end user and is not just there for SEO.
- Now, look to see if you have conflicting internal links (links to different pages of the same keywords and the same intent).
Hospitality Focus:
Analyze competitor page ranking for similar keywords to identify content gaps and opportunities to create more comprehensive and engaging content.
Review your current top-performing pages and identify common elements, such as talking points, internal links, backlinks, and on-page factors.
Create destination guides, local attraction reviews, and event calendars to provide valuable information for travelers and improve your website’s relevance for travel-related queries.
Use high-quality photos and videos to showcase your hotel amenities, room types, and local attractions. Create interactive maps and virtual tours to engage potential guests.
Add internal links to relevant pages throughout your website to improve navigation and distribute link equity.
Link to your booking engine, special offers, and destination guides from relevant pages across your website to drive conversions and improve user engagement.
Ensure your website has a clear and consistent link structure, avoiding multiple pages targeting the exact keywords. Use canonical tags to specify the preferred version of similar pages.
Identify and resolve conflicting internal links that cannibalise your search rankings.
By implementing these strategies, hospitality businesses can optimize their digital marketing efforts for the AI-driven search landscape and drive more direct bookings.
Do you have any industry knowledge, experience, or news you’d like to share? Why not send us your press releases, survey results, news, and articles? We will review them and may publish them on the IHS website. Just complete the contact form and get in touch.
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Author: John Heffernan