Summary
Headline: Use of SEO and Content Pillar Pages for an Improved Organic ROI for Oberoi Hotels & Resorts Summary: Through the strategic deployment of SEO and bespoke content on destination-specific pages, we amplified Oberoi Hotels' online presence, fostering an impressive surge in organic traffic and revenue. Our innovative approach transformed user engagement, enhancing brand recall and significantly elevating conversion rates, affirming the success of our SEO-centric strategy.
Challenge
Oberoi Hotels caters to two premium audience segments, predominantly in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. The first comprises mature, affluent individuals who are 44-55 years old. These are community-contributing, image-conscious, C-suite executives who can be classified as 'self-conscious opulent'. The second audience segment is 35–44-year-olds working in the senior management teams of MNCs. They can be classified as 'focused leaders.' The brand's secondary audience is 25–34-year-old confident explorers who are socially responsible, reliable, and purpose-driven individuals. We were tasked with enhancing organic visibility, increasing quality traffic, and improving the time spent by users on the brand's website. Our larger goal was to boost brand awareness, deliver a seamless user experience, and ultimately increase online traffic and bookings for their premium properties.
Objective
To leverage the travel boom in the post-pandemic era, hospitality players ramped up their marketing campaigns in a big way. The stakes were high, and competition was fierce. To become the preferred stay destination for travellers, Oberoi Hotels chose Organic Search as a starting point. Their core objective was to achieve higher rankings for generic keywords on Google, with a focus on city-specific searches like "5-star hotel in Bengaluru", "luxury hotels in Mumbai", 5-star hotels in Agra near Taj Mahal", etc. To achieve this, the brand wanted to implement effective SEO strategies for their website and create compelling, innovative content that would improve the time spent on their website.
Strategy
We created our first destination page for Bengaluru on the Oberoi Hotels website. We knew we had hit the bullseye when we saw a significant shift in the numbers. We also started to create the pages for other locations, which were selected based on their demand/searches in the market. The next in line were Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi & Agra. And the magnitude of traffic received on all the pages resulted in conversions & bookings. The intent of the users visiting our website through destination pages was very high, as we noticed approximately a 3796% better conversion rate by adding this section to the overall website. Our SEO and content strategy drove tremendous growth for Oberoi Hotels. There were 7.4M+ brand searches in 2022-23, leading to a 41% improvement in website traffic. Organic sessions from destination pages improved by 1376%. There was a 78% improvement in brand recall and a 4124% increase in organic revenue.
Data
Post pandemic, the world witnessed a remarkable 45% spike in travel industry and an impeccable 53% increase in hospitality sector. The data was enough to make us dive deeper into the travelling sector to influence and inform travelers about the luxurious Oberoi hotels. Our strategy centered to the development of Content Pillar pages for top Destinations which will act as an ultimate guide for the travelers and also help in creating brand awareness. Through comprehensive keyword research, we identified and targeted high-value, city-specific keywords, noticing a substantial surge in travel related searches. With our first Destination page going live for Oberoi Bengaluru, we observed an astronomical 3990% increase in searches for "Oberoi Bengaluru" compared to pre-pandemic i.e., 2019-20, amassing over 36,000 searches in 2021-23. Further data analysis revealed a marked improvement in organic traffic driven by these city-specific searches. We observed a surge in user interaction metrics by integrating innovative, city-tailored webpages featuring curated content on local attractions, landmarks, and travel information. Notably, these pages significantly bolstered the time spent on the website, affirming increased user engagement and an enhanced content quality score by 30%, as validated by SEMrush. This data-driven approach allowed us to refine our content strategy continuously, optimizing for user intent and driving tangible business outcomes, solidifying Oberoi Hotels position as a frontrunner in luxury travel experiences.
Solution
Our innovative solution revolved around developing tailored destination pages for Oberoi Hotels, focusing on key cities. These meticulously curated pages presented a comprehensive guide for travelers, encompassing local attractions, activities, and cultural experiences. Leveraging SEO-rich content and strategically placing high-volume keywords, these pages augmented the brand's online visibility and enticed users with engaging informative content.
Results
We wanted to capture our audience's attention at the first level of online searches – the inspiration and planning stage. Property-specific searches increased manifolds in 2021- 2023 ("Oberoi Bengaluru" was searched 36,000+ times - a 3990% increase from pre-pandemic i.e., 2019-20), so we created innovative city-specific webpages. Each page showcased what potential travellers sought – 'Things to Do', 'Famous Monuments, 'Religious Places', 'Places for Kids', 'Restaurants', 'Museums', and more. We created interesting content around these popular keywords and specific destination pages for Bengaluru, Agra, Kolkata, and Mumbai. These helped influence users' travel decisions and upsell properties. Our destination pages significantly enhanced the brand's credibility and positioned them as an authority on luxury travel. Moreover, showcasing city-specific travel trends, local culture, landmarks, activities, and cuisines helped attract potential guests interested in luxury travel. These pages not only consistently increased organic traffic but also improved the content quality score of the website by 30%. (Source: SEMrush). Moreover, our impactful, aesthetically presented content helped build trust among potential guests, leading them to spend 113% (GA) more time on the website and resulting in a 1300% increase in organic bookings.
