SECTOR · TRAVEL AND TOURISM
The trip is decided months before booking, and that's where you need to show up.
In travel, search starts long before purchase intent: when someone is still dreaming up the destination, not once they've already chosen the hotel. We work to accompany that whole journey, from inspiration to booking.
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Brands that have trusted Laika
The people who call us compete for a traveller who hasn't decided anything yet.
The purchase journey starts weeks or months before booking
Between the first destination search and the final booking there are many visits and comparisons. If you're not present in the inspiration phase, you're unlikely to show up in the decision phase.
You compete with OTAs that dominate almost every travel search
Booking, Expedia and similar sites take the top spots on most generic searches. You have to find where your own brand can actually gain ground.
Demand has a sharply marked high season and low season
Content and bookings concentrate in a few months, and the rest of the year the brand can vanish from the conversation if visibility isn't worked outside the peak.
The same destination is searched very differently depending on the traveller
Someone looking for a weekend getaway searches differently than someone planning a two-week family trip. Content has to answer different intents without diluting itself.
Online reputation weighs as much as the content itself
Reviews, traveller forums and comparison sites influence the decision as much as the website itself. Ignoring that layer leaves you out of a large part of the real search.
The scope
SEO in travel means accompanying a long decision journey, not capturing a one-off search. We work visibility from inspiration through to booking, and keep it alive outside peak season.
We work on the architecture by destination, experience and traveller type, and on the coordination between your own site, comparison sites and the platforms where the trip gets researched.
Which capabilities matter here
In this sector not every capability carries the same weight. These are the ones that move the outcome over a long decision journey.
High weight
Search enginesThe base: architecture by destination and experience, and content that accompanies every phase of the decision journey.
High weight
AI visibilityMore travellers are asking AI to plan their trip for them. Showing up in that recommendation matters as much as showing up on Google.
Medium weight
Social SearchDestinations get discovered on video before they get searched in text. Inspiration content on social feeds the search that comes after.
Pure consulting matters less here than the content itself, so we don't force it: if a one-off course correction is needed, we'll tell you with data.
The areas of work
Four areas of work built for a long decision journey: first the destination, then the experience, then the reputation and finally the booking.
Architecture by destination and experience
Make sure every destination and experience type has its own space without cannibalising each other.
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- Category structure by destination, trip type and traveller profile
- Destination inspiration content kept separate from booking content
- Internal linking between destination guides and bookable product pages
- Prioritisation of destinations and experiences based on real search demand
Content across the decision journey
Accompany the traveller from dreaming up the destination to comparing concrete options.
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- Inspiration, planning and comparison content differentiated by phase
- Destination guides built to answer real questions, not generic ones
- Content calendar cross-checked with each destination's high and low season
- Evergreen content versus seasonal campaign content
Reputation and social proof
Make reviews and outside conversation work in favour of the booking decision.
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- Review management and their presence on the listing versus external comparators
- Content that answers the doubts that show up in traveller forums
- Trust signals (certifications, policies, cancellation) visible where the decision happens
- Coordination with profiles on review platforms and sector comparators
Conversion and direct booking
Make the final booking happen on your site and not on the OTA sitting right next to it.
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- Bookable product page built to compete on clarity with OTAs
- Direct-booking arguments (price, flexibility, service) visible at the key moment
- Travel product structured data to show up with price and availability
- Tracking of which destinations convert off your site and why
Who does it?
The project is run by a senior profile with experience in businesses with a long decision cycle and marked seasonality. MJ leads the strategy and the specialist team works destination, content and reputation.
Why Laika?
We know the pressure of competing against huge OTAs for a traveller who hasn't decided anything yet, because we've worked in it.
Measuring only the last search before booking is no use here. You have to be present from the first one, months before.
You always talk to whoever decides
There's no management layer between you and the judgement. MJ leads the strategy and the specialist team executes.
If we're not the right fit, we say so
Even if that means there's no project for us, we'd rather say so before signing.
We work the whole decision journey, not just the booking
We measure inspiration and comparison, not just the last visit before paying.
We know which searches you aren't going to win against OTAs
Against a huge comparison site there are battles not worth fighting. We'd rather say so and spend the effort where there is margin.
Frequently asked questions
How do you compete with Booking or Expedia on generic searches?
Not equally on all of them. We look for searches where your own brand wins on experience, direct service and more specific content, and we don't spend effort where the OTA is practically unmovable.
Do you work on inspiration content as well as booking content?
Yes, because much of the decision is already made before anyone compares prices. Without presence in that phase, the brand arrives late to the conversation.
What role do reviews play in the strategy?
A central one. External reputation influences the decision as much as your own content, so we work it as another layer of the strategy, not as something separate.
How do you manage seasonality when working several destinations at once?
Each destination has its own seasonal calendar, so we plan content and effort destination by destination instead of applying a single general calendar.
Tell us which destinations you work with
With your destination catalogue and your seasonal calendar we can tell you where to start.
The trip is decided months in advance. Let's start there.
Tell us where you are and we'll tell you what needs to be ready, and by when.
We look at your project before proposing anything. Reply within two working days at most.
Let's talk about your project