With a staggering 68% of online travel experiences beginning with a search engine, SEO for airlines is a vital focus for brands that want to stand out. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) remains one of the top ways to attract high-intent potential customers to your airline. Marketers report that inbound leads (generated through SEO and content marketing) have the highest quality. The top Google result enjoys a dazzling 27.6% click-through rate (CTR). By optimising successfully, you can unlock a steady stream of qualified leads, eager to book their next adventure.
53.3% of all website traffic comes from organic search, making it an incredibly lucrative way to generate new users for your website. However, a mere 0.63% of Google searchers click on results from the second page. SEO positions your brand at the top for relevant keywords, placing you in the prime position to capture the lion’s share of customer attention. SEO is a key element of successful digital marketing in the aviation industry.
Google captures a dominant 92.96% of global search traffic across Search, Images, and Maps. Consider ranking for Google flights and aiming for snippets that help your potential customers.
The good news doesn’t stop there. SEO leads have a significant 14.6% close rate, meaning they’re more likely to become paying customers. With SEO driving over 1000% more traffic than organic social media, its power is not to be understated.
Conduct thorough keyword research and strategically integrate these into your website content. For airlines, it’s important to identify keywords and phrases that customers are using to search for flights, travel deals, and other related services. This can include keywords such as “airline tickets”, “flight booking”, “air travel deals”, and “cheap flights”. By understanding what keywords and phrases your target audience is using, you can optimise your website and content to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Remember not to overlook more niche keywords that suggest high intent, rather than broad terms with lots of competition.
Creating valuable, informative content that caters to travellers’ needs is crucial for strong SEO for airlines. Think destination guides, travel tips, baggage allowance explanations – content that educates and engages. By creating content that resonates with your audience, you can increase the chances of your website being shared, linked to, and bookmarked, which can all positively impact your search engine rankings.
Using FAQs is the easiest way to do this, and are also likely to be picked up as featured snippets, which further help you to rank in the search results. Additionally, over 40% of voice search answers come from featured snippets. Our pro tip to rank for voice search is to use natural language and long-tail keywords.
Never overlook user experience. Ensure your website is responsive, loads quickly, and provides an easy-to-use booking process. A poor user experience can lead to high bounce rates, low conversion rates, and a negative impact on your search engine rankings. By prioritising user experience, you can improve customer satisfaction, increase bookings, and drive more revenue.
58.99% of website traffic comes from mobile phones, so ensure your website is user-friendly. Create clear navigation and a mobile-responsive design to cater to the ever-growing mobile audience to improve your SEO for airlines.
One often overlooked but critical component of a successful digital strategy is technical SEO. Technical SEO refers to the behind-the-scenes optimisation of a website’s technical aspects to improve its search engine rankings, user experience, and overall online visibility. By ensuring that a website is technically sound, airlines can increase their chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), driving more traffic and bookings, and ultimately, boosting their bottom line. For the best chance of ranking, key things to consider include:
Utilising tools like Google Analytics, SEMrush, and Ahrefs can help airlines track their website’s performance, identify areas for improvement, and measure the success of their SEO strategy. By using tools, you can gain insights into your website’s traffic, engagement, and conversion rates, and make data-driven decisions to improve your overall SEO for your airline.
Conducting regular website audits can help airlines detect technical issues, identify areas for improvement, and optimise their website for search engines. By conducting regular audits, you can ensure your website is technically sound, improve your search engine rankings, and drive more traffic to your website.
SEO for airlines is a critical component of successful airline marketing strategies, offering unparalleled opportunities to drive high-intent leads, boost online visibility, and increase bookings. By implementing a winning SEO strategy, airlines can stay ahead of the competition, attract more customers, and ultimately, drive more revenue. If you’re still looking for more information about SEO, read our blog SEO Travel Tips in 2024.
Ready to take action and be found by customers eager to book with you? Talk to leading Sitecore Agency, Sagittarius, about how we can help you to optimise your airline’s website today. Contact us to find out more about our services.
Discover how the world’s top airlines navigate digital effectiveness in our report
