Apr 02 2009
Searching for Accommodation Online (SEO & SEM)
As part of First Rate’s reports on New Zealand’s Leading Websites we compared the search engine demand for “accommodation” related phrases, and examined the foremost hotel and accommodation booking websites to discover who has the largest search market share online.
Natural Search – Online Market Share
We discovered that the websites of AATravel.co.nz and RatesToGo.co.nz had the highest market share in the natural and paid search engine results respectively.
We have included a snapshot of our “Searching for Accommodation Online” report here. If you would like to receive a copy of the full report, including detailed analysis of NZ’s leading websites, please use our contact form to request it.
The results of First Rate’s research also indicated:
- AAtravel.co.nz obtained the highest natural search market share in our study, although Tourism.net.nz and HeritageHotels.co.nz had similar scores
- The majority of the websites have very low RBRs, leaving a considerable amount of search engine traffic available to their competitors
- With an RBR of 73%, RatesToGo.co.nz has the highest paid search market share by far, and are able to buy considerable amounts of relevant traffic against very little competition
Demand for Accommodation Online
Online search demand fluctuates throughout the day, over the months and right through the year for numerous reasons. Many industries are subject to significant seasonal fluctuations, whilst others experience changes in demand due to new innovations or economic developments.
The chart below illustrates the shifting search demand for the term “accommodation” in New Zealand over the last five years:
Source: Google Trends, February 2009
The data is displayed on a scale of 0 to 100, after normalization; each point on the graph has been divided by the highest point, or 100
Understanding online demand is critical to a website’s success in the search engines, and is a crucial step in gaining market share from competitors.
We have included a snapshot of our “Searching for Accommodation Online” report here. If you would like to receive a copy of the full report please use our contact form to request it.
