GEO vs SEO for Hotels: 10 Comparisons
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Key Takeaway: Your GEO should build on top of your SEO strategy.
Let’s break down what changes and what stays the same.
This blog was written as of Jul 16, 2025, and we will try to keep it updated as we learn more.
1. Unique Selling Points and Differentiators
This still matters. Clearly define your unique selling points and differentiators. If you were doing this right for SEO before, this is still important to GEO.
2. Content
Content is still king. Focus on content accuracy across all channels and lean into amenities.
Be specific! Instead of vague content like “convenient to” say “xx blocks/miles from y”. You want to give the LLM the best response to questions people may ask, so it serves up your content and your site as a source, just like with Google PAA (People Also Ask) and rich snippets.
To ensure AI can easily read your content, consider an LLM Site Map for vanity sites and independent hotels. You can also update robots.txt to explicitly allow common AI Crawlers, like this one : https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Razib-Marketing/AI-Search-Resources/refs/heads/main/robots.txt
3. Citations vs Backlinks
Where SEO was all about the backlinks, GEO is all about the citations over backlinks.
Since the anchor text and URL don’t matter as much for GEO, there is even more reason to lean into PR and Influencers.
4. Who is the Source of Truth?
Remember, LLMs have to learn from somewhere!
Top ranked organic pages yield top sources in AI. While Google has been focusing on zero click searches for a while, organic traffic will continue to decrease.
While AI is gradually influencing search, we also see search influencing AI.
So, ask various LLMs questions about your hotel. If you don’t like the answer, ask it why it thinks that or where it learned that and its sources, then try to fix the core source, or try to educate the LLM.
5. UCG (User Generated Content)
While reviews themselves didn’t matter in direct ranking for SEO, they certainly mattered when it comes to hotel conversions. But, customer feedback platforms and user generated content definitely influence GEO.
Lots of sources are used like TripAdvisor, Reddit, and social channels to provide answers. Continue to ask guests to leave reviews, without violating any guidelines. Keep up the posts, videos and shorts on social media.
While Reddit is sourced exponentially in AI, there are several lawsuits where Reddit has claimed that Anthropic continues to access its platform after allegedly saying it had blocked its bots from doing so.
6. Do Keywords Still Matter?
Even for SEO, keywords in your meta have had diminished value over time. Now, we see a focus on what we would call “conversational intent”.
For example, when writing content, instead of focusing on “hotel near Disney”, make it read like a real person, while still being clear for Google and targeted to a specific audience. The revised copy might be ““If you’re in the mood for something fun while you’re here, check out the concert hall down the street — they’re putting on a Disney music night that’s perfect for families and Disney fans of all ages.”
Also, hotels can’t keep being all things to all people. Know your target audience and personas better.
7. Data Blindspot
Where SEO can get impressions data via Google Search Console, the same can’t be said with GEO. Not to mention, it would be hard to do without sharing entire conversations in AI.
Currently, we are seeing referral traffic, primarily from ChatGPT and Perplexity, but the volume of exposure from a hotel via AI is impossible to measure at this time. And, since AI is always learning, the response it gives today may be different tomorrow.
8. Advertising
Google SEM (Search Engine Marketing) campaigns still perform well. Google isn’t dead.
We have started to see ads in Perplexity, and their travel planning feature is superior to ChatGPT.
More to come!
9. What about Google My Business?
It is still important for both SEO and GEO. Local SEO and Google my Business offer great potential when it comes to AI Mode in Google, since they currently only link out to the Google my Business.
10. How are Hotel Bookings Made?
The race to bookings remains unclear. While Google has leaned into MetaSearch to capitalize on revenue via hotel bookings, AI cannot complete hotels bookings YET; this remains a barrier for AI in full trip booking.
About Cogwheel Marketing
Cogwheel Marketing™️ is a full service digital marketing agency specializing in branded hotels, first leveraging brand systems then coupling that with supplemental strategies to maximize total online presence. Their reporting and business intelligence tool, Cogwheel Analytics, aggregates data from multiple sources to allow companies to identify trends and opportunities in their online presence. Our defined processes ensure the best positioning for your hotel against the competitive set and against other hotels of the same brand. Let us work with your sales and revenue management teams to identify and close the gaps and target your ideal guests.
