There are nearly 50,000 monthly searches for hotels in Thurston County based on Wincher’s keyword data. When travelers search “hotels near me” or “best hotels in Olympia,” the properties that rank at the top—or land in the coveted Google Map Pack—get the first click and the earliest shot at the booking. If your hotel isn’t visible there, you’re missing direct revenue. Here’s how Local SEO and a strategic backlink from the Nosnas Marketing Business Directory can lift your visibility and bookings.
Why Local SEO Is the Fastest Path to More Direct Bookings in Thurston County
Local SEO optimizes your hotel to appear prominently in location-based searches across Google Search and Google Maps. That matters because:
- Map Pack prominence drives immediate visibility and mobile click-throughs.
- Travel intent is high, especially for terms like “hotels in Thurston County” and neighborhood or attraction-based searches.
- Strong Local SEO reduces reliance on OTAs by capturing direct bookings.
Google’s own documentation emphasizes relevance, distance, and prominence for local rankings—categories you can influence with accurate profiles, local content, consistent citations, strong reviews, and authoritative links.
See Google’s guidance on improving local ranking
How Hotels Win the Google Map Pack
1) Optimize your Google Business Profile (GBP)
- Claim and verify your listing, choose the correct categories (e.g., Hotel), and fill in every field.
- Add high-quality photos, amenities, and attributes travelers filter for.
- Post event or offer updates to signal activity and relevance.
Review Google’s representation guidelines
2) Strengthen NAP and citations
- Ensure your Name, Address, and Phone (NAP) are consistent across major directories and travel sites.
- Fix duplicates and outdated listings to avoid confusing search engines.
3) Build localized, booking-intent content
- Create pages for nearby attractions, events, and neighborhoods (e.g., “Hotels near Capitol Lake” or “Where to stay for Olympia Farmers Market”).
- Answer traveler FAQs: parking, pet policies, late check-in, EV charging, and accessible rooms.
- Use internal links to guide visitors from research content to booking pages.
4) Earn and manage reviews
- Request reviews post-stay with clear, compliant messaging.
- Respond to every review—acknowledge the positive and resolve issues professionally.
5) Technical SEO and page experience
- Optimize Core Web Vitals—mobile performance often decides who wins on the go.
- Implement LocalBusiness and Hotel schema to clarify your details to search engines.
- Track GBP clicks to your site with UTM tags for clean attribution.
6) Local link building and directory boost
- Earn links from community organizations, tourism partners, event venues, and local media.
- Let Nosnas Marketing assist by adding your hotel to our Business Directory—an authoritative, relevant local backlink that supports your Map Pack visibility and sends qualified referral traffic.
Pro tip: Align your content with local trip planning. The official destination marketing organization is a great source for event calendars and attractions to inspire relevant pages and posts. Explore Experience Olympia & Beyond
Our 7-Step Local SEO Program for Thurston County Hotels
- Local Visibility Audit — We benchmark your current rankings, Map Pack presence, GBP health, citations, reviews, and on-page SEO for top “hotel” queries and nearby attractions.
- Google Business Profile Refresh — We complete and optimize all fields, categories, photos, updates, and hotel-specific attributes travelers and Google care about.
- Citation Cleanup & NAP Sync — We fix inconsistencies and duplicates across major platforms to reinforce trust and prominence.
- On-Page & Content Build — We create or optimize location-intent pages (e.g., “near [landmark]” and “things to do” guides) to match how guests search and book.
- Reviews & Reputation Workflow — We help you generate steady, compliant reviews and craft response templates that build traveler confidence.
- Local Links & Directory Inclusion — We pursue relevant local partnerships and add your property to the Nosnas Marketing Business Directory for a high-quality local backlink and referral traffic.
- Analytics, Tracking & Reporting — We configure GBP insights, UTM tracking, call tracking, and conversion goals to measure what matters: calls, directions, and bookings.
Why This Matters Right Now
With almost 50k monthly searches for hotels in Thurston County, every improvement in visibility compounds. Map Pack presence boosts calls and direction requests, while stronger organic rankings reduce reliance on OTAs. Local backlinks and authoritative citations push your prominence higher, helping you appear for both short-head terms (“hotels in Thurston County”) and long-tail, high-intent queries (“pet-friendly hotel near Olympia waterfront”).
If you’re not listed in a relevant local directory, you’re leaving both authority and referral traffic on the table. Our directory inclusion is quick to implement and fits seamlessly into a broader SEO plan.
Read a foundational guide to local SEO
What Results to Expect (and When)
- 30–45 days: Better GBP completeness, fresh photos, and posts; early lifts in views, calls, and direction requests.
- 60–90 days: Map Pack entry on more queries as citations stabilize, reviews grow, and local links (including our directory) take hold.
- 90+ days: Broader keyword coverage, stronger non-branded traffic, and more direct bookings as content and authority compound.
Every property is unique, and results vary based on competition, seasonality, and baseline authority. Our approach is designed to build durable visibility and own more of your demand curve over time.
Simple Metrics That Matter
- GBP actions: calls, website clicks, and direction requests
- Map Pack visibility across priority keywords
- Organic sessions and booking engine conversions
- Review volume, average rating, and response rate
- Local keyword positions tracked with tools like Wincher
Get Listed: Secure Your Local Backlink Today
Want a practical, fast win? Let Nosnas Marketing add your hotel to our Business Directory to earn a relevant local backlink and new referral traffic. Then, stack that advantage with GBP optimization, citations, reviews, and local content to claim your spot in the Map Pack.
Ready to rank higher and capture more of those 50k monthly searches? Contact Nosnas Marketing to get your free local visibility audit and your directory listing started.