For travel websites competing with OTAs and big-name travel brands, a strong backlink strategy can be the difference between landing on page two or topping the rankings. In fact, according to Backlinko, the #1 result on Google has on average, 3.8 times more backlinks than the results in positions 2 to 10.
But here’s the catch: link-building for travel websites isn’t always easy. Without a solid plan, your website could struggle to stand out in search results.
Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way.
In this blog, we’ll show you how backlinks work and provide practical tips on how to build them effectively. You’ll also learn how to track your progress to see the impact on your traffic and website authority over time.
What is Link Building for Travel Websites?
Link building for travel websites consists in building links from one website to another. In simple terms, they’re like recommendations—when one site links to yours, it’s saying your content is valuable.
In travel SEO, backlinks play a significant role in helping your website rank higher in search engine results. How does it work? Search engines view backlinks from reputable websites as a signal that your site is trustworthy and informative.
Why Link Building Matters for Travel Websites?
Link building for travel websites matters because these backlinks can help your site get noticed in an industry as competitive as travel. It’s a simple way to improve your site’s visibility, authority, and connect with more potential customers.
Now, let’s see more in-depth why travel link building is paramount for your website and how it can help you:
Building authority
When reputable websites link to your content, it signals to Google and other search engines that your website is trustworthy and valuable. This process is often referred to as “link authority”—the more high-quality, relevant backlinks your site has, the higher your perceived authority in the eyes of search engines.
Driving targeted traffic
Link building helps you attract the right visitors to your site. When reputable travel blogs, guides, or forums link to your web pages, you reach people already interested in your niche. These visitors are more likely to click through and explore your offerings, leading to higher-quality traffic.
Boosting search rankings
Trusted sources linking to your travel website show Google that your content is credible. This boosts your site’s position in search results. The results? It makes it easier for travelers to find you when they search for relevant terms.
Enhancing your brand’s reputation
Getting links from well-known and respected sites, like travel blogs or tourism boards, can have a positive impact on your brand’s reputation because when they link to you, it helps build confidence in your brand, making potential customers more likely to click through to your website and consider your offerings.
Competing with big travel brands
Think of backlinks from respected websites as “votes of confidence” for your travel business. The more of these “votes” you earn, the easier it becomes for people to find your business online—helping you stand out and compete effectively with larger, well-established travel companies.
Types of Backlinks That Deliver the Best Results
Not all backlinks are created equal. While any link pointing to your website can help with SEO, some types are much more powerful than others.
For that reason, understanding the different types of backlinks can make a significant difference in your link-building strategy.
Explore the kinds of backlinks you should consider:
High-authority travel blogs and websites
Google places more value on links coming from high-authority blogs and websites. So, when a well-established travel blog or a respected industry site links to your website, it can have a significant impact on your search engine rankings.
In addition to enhancing your travel site’s credibility, backlinks from relevant websites help attract a more targeted audience. For example, a backlink from a popular travel blog or a tourism board can connect your site with people who are actively searching for travel-related content.
Educational or government websites
Backlinks from educational (.edu) and government (.gov) websites are some of the most valuable types of links you can get.
Search engines consider these quality websites highly authoritative because they’re often trustworthy, reliable, and well-respected sources of information. So, when your travel website receives a backlink from an edu or gov domain, it tells search engines that your content is credible and authoritative.
Travel resource pages
Travel resource pages are websites or directories that compile trusted travel-related resources, such as services, guides, and tools. These pages often feature links to reputable travel companies, blogs, and organizations, acting as a valuable reference for travelers seeking reliable information.
When your website is listed on a travel resource page, you benefit from being included alongside other trusted sources in the travel industry.
How to Build Links for Travel Websites Step-by-Step
Now that you know the backlinks that deliver the best results, you might wonder how to build them. And even though link building for travel websites can seem overwhelming at first, with the right approach, it can be easier.
See how you can start building valuable links on your travel site:
1. Craft effective outreach emails
Outreach emails are messages you send to other websites, bloggers, or influencers with the goal of getting them to link to your website. But simply sending emails isn’t enough—you need a strategy to make your message stand out.
Over the years, our experts at Nativo have noticed that one of the key factors in making your outreach email stand out is a good pitch. When your pitch feels tailored to the recipient, it shows you’ve done your homework and genuinely value their content.
Best practices for personalizing your pitches
See how you can do it:
- Address by name: Use the recipient’s name in the greeting to make the email personal and engaging. It helps establish rapport right from the start.
- Reference their content or website: Mention something specific from their website, blog, or social media that shows you’ve engaged with their content. It helps demonstrate your genuine interest and shows that you’re not just sending a generic message.
- State your purpose: Clearly explain why you’re reaching out and how your content or offer is relevant to their audience. By making the connection between their site and yours, you make it easier for them to see the value in linking to your content.
- Tailor your offer: Instead of offering the same content to everyone, customize your pitch by highlighting what you believe would be most valuable to them.
- Highlight benefits: Emphasize how linking to your content benefits their site or audience, like improving SEO or offering fresh resources.
- Keep it brief: Write a concise, focused message that’s clear and respectful of their time.
Common mistakes to avoid in outreach
During the process of crafting your email, you might want to avoid these mistakes:
- Sending generic emails: Don’t send the same email to multiple recipients.
- Not researching the recipient: Take time to research the person or organization you’re reaching out to before contacting them.
- Being too pushy: Don’t demand a link or expect immediate results. Be patient and respectful, understanding that the recipient may need time to consider your request.
- Failing to offer value: If your outreach doesn’t explain how linking to your content benefits the recipient, you’re missing a crucial part of the pitch.
- Overloading the email with information: Too much information can overwhelm the reader, making them less likely to respond.
- Not following up: A polite follow-up can remind the recipient of your request and keep the conversation going.
- Ignoring their response: Ignoring their reply can damage your chances of building a relationship or securing a link in the future.
2. Find guest posting opportunities
Guest posting is a popular and effective method for building backlinks and increasing your website’s exposure. It involves reaching out to other websites or blogs in the travel niche and offering to write a post for them. In return, you include a backlink to your own website within the post.
These are our best practices to find the best guest posting opportunities and make the most out of them:
- Identify relevant websites: Look for businesses in your industry that complement your offerings. For example, if you’re a tour operator offering walking city tours, look for partnerships with airlines, hotels, or local restaurants that serve the same target audience.
- Target websites above or below you in the supply chain: Focus on businesses that serve your customers before or after your service. For instance, if your travel company offers tours, target businesses that provide travel booking, accommodation, or transport.
- Look for horizontal partnerships: Seek out businesses similar to yours but serving different market segments. Let’s say you run an adventure travel company; then you might look for businesses in corporate travel or wellness tourism.
- Check for free or paid opportunities: Some websites, especially larger travel blogs, may charge for guest posts. While this can be an investment, it’s not always necessary. You can look for free guest posting opportunities on smaller or mid-tier authority sites using the term “accepting guest posts” on Google or your preferred search engine to help identify these opportunities.
- Start small and build up: Guest posting can be a slow process, as you may need to pitch multiple websites before you get a positive response. Don’t get discouraged—building relationships with other sites and consistently producing quality content will pay off over time.
3. Write content that adds value
Readers love content that helps them solve problems. For that reason, practical tips, such as “Ways to Travel Japan on a Budget” or “Essential Packing Tips for a Summer Road Trip,” are more likely to be shared and linked to by other travel websites. Also, use high-quality pictures, videos, and infographics to make your content stand out.
Learn content marketing tips that work for the travel industry!
4. Conduct link analysis
One powerful link-building strategy that often goes under the radar is broken link-building. This method involves finding broken links on other websites, particularly in the travel niche, and suggesting that they replace those broken links with your content.
Here’s how you can do it:
- Identify travel blogs and websites with broken links. These could be links to outdated posts, 404 errors, or pages that no longer exist. You can use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to do this.
- Reach out to the website owner or editor and let them know about the broken link. Then, you can offer your content as a relevant replacement.
- Present your outreach as a helpful solution, showing how replacing the broken link improves their user experience.
5. Partnering with influencers and travel bloggers
Many tourism brands have found success with this strategy, particularly when they collaborate with influencers who have an engaged and active audience.
How do I approach travel bloggers for backlinks?
Once you’ve identified the right influencer, visit their website or social media to see if they have a contact form or partnership information.
Reach out to them with a clear and friendly offer, such as providing a free product or service in exchange for an honest review and a backlink to your site. Make sure to explain how this partnership benefits both of you, positioning the collaboration as a mutually advantageous opportunity.
Keep in mind that influencer partnerships are often a numbers game. Not every influencer will respond, and not every partnership will be a perfect fit. However, the more outreach emails you send, the higher your chances of landing a valuable collaboration.
6. Creating link-worthy content
Did you know that only 2.2% of online content gets linked to by more than one website? Most content fails to gain attention or recognition from other sites. To avoid being part of that statistic, create content people want to share, reference, and link to.
How can I create content that naturally attracts backlinks?
To create content that naturally attracts backlinks, focus on offering value and originality. Also, provide unique insights or original research, as content with new data is more likely to be linked to. In-depth guides, such as comprehensive travel itineraries or destination tips, are also excellent resources.
Visual content like infographics and high-quality images is highly shareable and often gets picked up by other sites. Finally, make your content shareable by including social sharing buttons and optimizing for SEO.
Pro Tip: Evergreen content will continue to attract backlinks long after it’s published.
7. Using directories and local listings
Focus on quality directories, particularly those specializing in travel or your niche like eco-tourism or luxury travel. Craft a compelling listing with relevant keywords and a unique description to drive traffic to key pages on your site.
Additionally, target niche directories to reach the right audience and monitor the impact of your listings to prioritize those that deliver the best results.
Find out how to make your agency the top choice for travelers searching online with our SEO solutions!
How to Keep Your Link-Building Strategy Sustainable
Link building is often seen as one of the difficult parts of SEO. In fact, this SEO survey by Conductor shows that almost 41% of SEO specialists say it’s the most challenging aspect of search optimization. But even though it can be challenging, it’s crucial to make your link-building strategy sustainable.
Take a look at how you can approach link building for travel websites in a way that works and keeps delivering long-term results:
Regularly auditing your backlink profile
Over time, harmful or unnatural links can accumulate, potentially affecting your site’s rankings or leading to penalties from search engines. To ensure your backlink profile remains strong and beneficial, you should conduct regular audits and disavow any harmful links.
The tool CognitiveSEO offers a comprehensive link audit tool that helps you spot harmful links that could lead to penalties. It grades your link profile on a scale of 0 to 2,000, allowing you to see how strong or weak your backlink profile is.
Furthermore, in order to audit your backlinks, you’ll need to use a reliable backlink checker. Tools like Ahrefs Backlink Checker let you analyze up to 100 backlinks for free. This tool shows the latest backlinks pointing to your site, giving you a clear picture of your backlink profile.
Once you’ve identified any harmful or unnatural links, the next step is to disavow them. Google’s Disavow Tool allows you to tell Google to ignore certain links, preventing them from negatively impacting your website. To do this, you’ll need to create a disavow file, listing all the harmful links you want Google to ignore, and then upload it to Google Search Console.
Staying up-to-date with Google algorithm updates
As search engines refine their algorithms to improve user experience, link-building techniques that worked in the past might not be as effective today.
To stay ahead, follow these tips:
- Keep up with SEO news and algorithm updates to adjust your tactics.
- Reassess your link-building approach after major Google updates to stay current.
- Prioritize relevant, authoritative links rather than sheer quantity.
- Ensure your content is valuable and aligned with audience needs.
- Continuously test and adjust your strategies for optimal results.
- Focus on natural, ethical link-building practices to avoid penalties.
Building long-term relationships with partners
One valuable group with which to nurture relationships is online travel communities. These communities can help you connect with like-minded businesses and influencers in the travel space, which means more opportunities for guest posts, collaborations, and backlinks.
The value of these collaborations is immense because by consistently engaging with bloggers, influencers, and reputable directories, you secure high-quality backlinks and build your brand’s credibility and reach.
Want to generate backlinks for your travel business? Reach out to Nativo for expert help!
How to Measure the Success of Your Link-Building for Travel Websites Efforts?
When it’s time to evaluate whether your efforts are paying off, measuring the success of your link-building campaigns is a must. This will help you understand their impact on your website’s performance and ensure you’re using your resources effectively.
Here are the best ways to do it:
Measure referral traffic in Google Analytics
Referral traffic shows you how many visitors are coming to your website from other sites that link to you. To measure this in Google Analytics, first ensure it’s properly set up on your website. Then, go to Acquisition > All Traffic > Referrals to see which websites are sending traffic to your site.
Assess engagement metrics for referral traffic
When analyzing referral traffic in Google Analytics, go beyond the number of visitors. Consider also engagement metrics such as bounce rate, time on site, and pages per session to get insights into how well the traffic from your backlinks is performing.
- A high bounce rate suggests the content isn’t relevant or engaging, while a low bounce rate indicates visitors find the content aligned with their interests.
- More time spent on your site means visitors find your content valuable and are likely engaging with multiple pages.
- High pages per session show that visitors are exploring your site, indicating that the linked content is connecting with the audience.
Compare conversion rates for referral traffic
Tracking conversion rates from referral traffic helps measure the effectiveness of your backlinks in driving business results, like bookings, newsletter sign-ups, or downloads. By setting up goals in Google Analytics, you can track how many visitors from backlinks complete key actions.
Analyze Domain Authority over time
Domain Authority (DA) is a score ranging from 0 to 100 that predicts how well a website will rank on search engines. Tools like SEO Review Tools and Ahrefs offer metrics to measure this authority.
When you track your DA over time, you can monitor changes and trends, which will give you a clear picture of how your link-building strategies are impacting your site’s authority.
Monitor organic traffic growth
Focus on pages that have recently received new backlinks. If you notice an increase in traffic to these pages, it’s often a sign that the backlinks are improving your visibility in search engine results.
Ready to Build Better Links for Your Travel Website?
Link building for travel websites is one of the best strategies for improving SEO, increasing visibility, and driving more targeted traffic to your site.
If you’re looking for expert guidance on implementing a successful backlink strategy, don’t hesitate to reach out. Our team can help you build quality links that help your travel website thrive in the competitive travel industry.
Contact Nativo today to increase your domain rating with us!
FAQs
Are paid backlinks worth it for travel websites?
Paid backlinks are generally not recommended for travel websites or any site looking to build a sustainable, long-term SEO strategy. While they might provide quick results, they often come from low-quality sources and can lead to penalties from search engines like Google.
What are the best tools for finding link-building opportunities?
The best tools for finding link-building opportunities include Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz. These tools help you identify backlinks from competitors, discover new opportunities, and analyze your backlink profile.
What’s the difference between white-hat and black-hat link building?
The difference between white-hat and black-hat link-building lies in the approach. White-hat link-building refers to ethical, search-engine-approved strategies, such as earning backlinks through quality content, outreach to relevant influencers, and guest blogging. In contrast, black-hat link building uses manipulative tactics, like purchasing backlinks, using link farms, or engaging in spammy link exchanges, which violate search engine guidelines.