Why local SEO matters for tour operators

When travelers are planning their next adventure, they aren’t starting with flights or hotels — they’re searching for destinations with exciting experiences. And when they search, they expect results that are nearby, relevant, and well-reviewed. That’s where local SEO comes in.

Local SEO helps your tours show up right when travelers are looking — whether they’re planning in advance or already on the ground. According to BrightLocal, 98% of consumers use the internet to find information about local businesses. And SOCi reports that 80% of U.S. consumers search for local businesses weekly, with nearly a third doing so daily.

For tour operators, local SEO is more than just a marketing tactic — it’s a visibility engine. The better your presence in local search, the more likely you are to attract new customers, increase bookings, and grow your business.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the core principles of local SEO and how to optimize your presence so travelers can find — and choose — you.

What is local SEO?

Imagine that it’s your first morning in Lahaina, Maui, and you’re ready to pick up a surfboard rental and hit the waves. Your Google search might look a little something like “surfboard rentals in Lahaina” or “surfboard rentals near me.” 

In this scenario, you only need search results within a few miles of your location, and you want the search results to show you reviews, hours of operation, and other important information about the businesses you have to choose from.

This is where local SEO comes in. By optimizing your business for local searches, Google can serve up your business to potential customers who are in your area and ready to book a tour or activity today. 

According to Bright Local, 72% of consumers use Google to search for local businesses. 

Unlike many other types of searches, local search is specifically oriented towards those who are looking for something here and now. Having a local SEO strategy leads these types of travelers to your business quickly. 

Don’t just take our word for it — here are a few stats from Bright Local & Hubspot that show the importance of local search: 

• 94% of high performing brands have a dedicated local marketing strategy, compared to 60% of average performers
• One brand saw a 32% increase in clicks from local SEO and another saw a 130% increase in organic traffic.
• Search results will send 70% of consumers to a physical location.

What does a local search look like?

A local search typically includes terms such as “near me” or has the city name in the query. It might look something like this: 

• Snorkel tours in Maui 
• Swim with dolphins near me 
• Best horseback riding tours in Colorado Springs 

Local searches often happen on mobile devices, especially in the travel and tourism industry. Travelers use their smartphones or tablets to search for things to do in the city they’re visiting. 

These mobile searches lead to business for local companies — according to Nectafy, 88% of searches for local businesses on a mobile device result in a call or visit to the business within 24 hours.

Where do local search results appear?

You might be wondering where your company will appear in local search results when you optimize your website for local SEO. The short answer is everywhere. 

More specifically, you typically see local businesses in the Google Local Pack, Google Business Profile in the Knowledge Panel, and citations. Let’s dive into the anatomy of local search engine result pages (SERPs) and how they help your business. 

Local Map Pack

When you do a local search like “ziplines near me,” the SERP feature you see at the top of the search results is called the Local Map Pack. This feature displays a map of the city, with pins showing the locations of the nearby businesses, followed by the top three businesses that match your search (you also have the option to expand the list). 

This SERP feature displays contact information, hours of operation, and user reviews, which are crucial factors that your potential customer considers when selecting a local business. 

Travelers are likely to do local searches on their phone, and the Local Map Pack can put your business front and center and make it easy for them to book with you fast. 

Optimizing your site for local SEO improves your chances of appearing in the map pack, leading more customers to your business. 

Google Business Profile 

Google Business Profile (GBP) is a business listing that displays your company’s information — including location, contact information, and user reviews — across various Google features and platforms. 

Your GBP account ensures that customers are getting the most detailed, accurate information about your business when they encounter you in online searches, and it’s one of the most important factors in your local SEO strategy. Check out our guide on how to set up and optimize your GBP account. 

The information on your GBP is pulled into all kinds of SERP features on Google, including Google Maps results, the Knowledge Graph (the panel displayed on the upper, right-hand corner of the SERPs page when you search for a company by name), the Local Map Pack, and more. This is why it’s important to ensure the information on your GBP is accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive. 

Your potential customers are more likely to choose a business that has a robust GBP, including reviews and photos. 

Additionally, businesses appearing in the top three spots of the Local Map Pack have an average of 47 Google Reviews (BrightLocal). Optimizing these and other elements of your GBP will ultimately get you more organic traffic from local searches. 

Pro tip: You can link your Google Business Profile directly to your FareHarbor booking flow — making it easier for travelers to book right from search results.

Citations

Citations are made up of any online directory where your company’s listing appears with NAPW data (name, address, phone number, website URL). Popular directories such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, and Tripadvisor, as well as local directories, are vital for your SEO strategy, giving travelers plenty of places to find you on the web. They also generate links to your site, which signals to search engines that yours is an established, trustworthy business. 

Directory listings generate trust in travelers. According to BrightLocal, 80% of consumers lose trust in a business if they see inconsistent or incorrect information online. You certainly don’t want to lose customers who go to an incorrect address or call an old phone number for your business because your citations are out of date. 

Keeping your citations consistent and up-to-date is easy, can be done quickly, and is a huge factor in helping you rank in local searches. 

How do I optimize for local search?

Now that you understand the importance of local search and the difference it can make to your business, you’re ready to start optimizing your website and directory listings to ensure you appear in relevant local searches that will drive business to your company. Here are the elements you want to work on: 

• Google Business Profile: You absolutely can’t skip this one. Setting up a GBP account or claiming an existing profile should be the first step in your local SEO strategy. Check out our step-by-step guide to get started.
• Local Map Pack: Boost your rankings and help your chances of appearing in the Local Map Pack by optimizing your GBP account, optimizing your business listings, and getting reviews for your business.
• Citations: Make sure your business listing is up-to-date and accurate on all the online directories that are relevant to your business, including Yelp, Tripadvisor, Yellow Pages, Foursquare, and local directories. 
• Location keywords: Perform keyword research to understand the local keywords you need to be targeting for your SEO strategy. You’re much more likely to rank for a keyword like “Lahaina surfboard rentals” rather than just “surfboard rentals.” You can find more on this topic in our guide to keywords. 

Local SEO should be at the top of your mind when it comes to your SEO strategy. As search engines become smarter and understand that travelers want local results that are relevant and useful to them, local SEO will continue to become a more important factor in organic traffic.