We regularly audit hotel websites, and time after time, we see the same technical issues cropping up — small things that, on their own, might not seem like a big deal… but together, they quietly anchor your visibility.
Here’s the good news: most of them are dead simple to fix.
Below are 9 common culprits that often stop hotel websites from ranking on page one of Google. If your organic traffic’s flatlining — this is where to start.
1. Internal Links Are Broken
When links between your own pages don’t work, it damages the guest journey and tells Google your site isn’t well maintained. Fewer working links = less trust = lower rankings.
2. Duplicate Meta Descriptions
These are the short blurbs that appear in Google under your page title. If multiple pages share the same one, Google gets confused, skips them, or writes its own (badly). You lose a key opportunity to attract clicks.
3. Pages Returning 4XX Errors
These are the digital equivalent of a guest reaching a locked door. Too many broken pages and Google starts to lose confidence in your site. Not good for rankings — or guest experience.
4. Duplicate Title Tags
Your title tag is one of the strongest SEO signals you’ve got. If multiple pages use the same one, they start competing with each other — and all of them lose. Each page needs its own clear, relevant title.
5. Missing or Poor Structured Data
Structured data helps Google understand your site better — like room types, reviews, prices, and availability. Without it, you miss out on enhanced listings in search (like star ratings or price snippets).
6. Broken External Images
If your site relies on images hosted elsewhere (say, Instagram or a third-party system) and those links break, you’re left with missing visuals. Not only does it look unprofessional, but it also affects page load and SEO.
7. No H1 Headings
The H1 is the main heading on a page. Google uses it to understand what the page is about. Miss it out, and you’re making it harder for your content to be indexed properly.
8. Images With No Alt Text
Alt text is a basic image description — important for accessibility and also useful for SEO. If you’re not using it, you’re throwing away opportunities to rank in image search.
9. Pages With No Meta Descriptions
It takes five minutes to write a solid meta description. Without one, Google guesses (often badly). This is your shop window in the search results — don’t leave it to chance.
Final Thought
SEO doesn’t have to be complicated. These are all basic housekeeping items — but neglect them and your visibility will suffer. A quick technical audit is often the difference between “nice site” and “high-performing digital asset”.
If you’d like us to run one for you, just shout. We’re here to help hotels grow smarter, not just prettier.
