Travel Website Link Building: 9 Things That Top Tourism Brands Do
Jul 14, 2025
Travel Website Link Building: 9 Things That Top Tourism Brands Do
It's common to struggle with travel website link building. The travel industry is one of the most competitive spaces online, and many tourism businesses find it challenging to build the quality backlinks they need to rank well. However, websites ranking at the top of Google's first page have more than triple the number of backlinks than those below them.
When other websites link to yours, it shows Google that your content contains valuable information worth ranking. With 80% of travellers preferring to plan their vacations online, the competition for visibility is fierce. This blog covers 9 tips on what successful travel brands do differently to significantly boost your travel website link building success and ultimately drive more bookings to your business.
What Makes a Good Backlink for Travel Sites
With travel spending projected to reach 9% of the global economy, effective link building strategies can make a huge difference in your site's visibility. Below are the key factors that separate valuable travel backlinks from worthless ones:
Category | Key Points |
Relevance and Authority |
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Contextual Placement |
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Diversity and Natural Profile |
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9 Tips For Travel Website Link Building
Below are the most powerful strategies that top tourism brands use to attract quality backlinks.
1. Create link-worthy travel content
For successful travel website link building, focus on developing content that naturally attracts links because it's so valuable that others want to reference it. According to research, 40.7% of marketers consider content marketing the best strategy for passively building organic links. The most link-worthy travel content includes:
Practical guides: Detailed itineraries, visa information, and packing checklists for specific destinations are shared frequently
Visual content: High-quality images, infographics, and videos (which 66% of SEO specialists find highly effective for link building)
Problem-solving articles: Posts addressing common traveler challenges like budget constraints or accessibility needs
2. Use travel statistics and data posts
Data-driven content consistently outperforms other formats for attracting backlinks. Specifically, 70% of SEO specialists identify data/research as the most effective content format for earning links. Travel statistics pages covering industry trends, destination popularity, or consumer spending habits become reference points that journalists and bloggers naturally cite.
3. Build a travel resource hub
Rather than scattering travel guides across a generic blog, a dedicated resource hub allows for focused organization around specific destinations or travel types. Top tourism brands like TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet function primarily as content hubs, organizing their extensive information into logical categories.
For smaller travel sites, developing specialized resource sections such as comprehensive city guides, seasonal travel collections, or niche travel topics creates linkable assets that other sites frequently reference.
4. Guest post on travel blogs
Guest blogging creates mutually beneficial relationships where you provide valuable content in exchange for quality backlinks for travel website link building. Look for travel blogs with a Domain Authority (DA) at least 15-20 points higher than your site.
Before pitching, thoroughly review the blog's guidelines and explore their content to identify how you can provide unique value to their audience. Craft personalized outreach that highlights your expertise on the subject and clearly explains how your content will benefit their readers.
5. Collaborate with travel influencers
Influencer partnerships drive both backlinks and referral traffic. Start by identifying influencers whose audience aligns with your target demographic. This alignment ensures backlinks appear naturally in their content, making them valuable for both SEO and reader credibility. Here's how to approach influencer collaborations:
Offer value first: Provide complimentary stays or tours in exchange for honest reviews that include backlinks from their websites
Give creative freedom: User-generated content is 35% more memorable than traditional content, and campaigns using it typically see 29% higher conversion rates
Set clear expectations: Give influencers creative freedom within brand guidelines to foster authentic content that resonates with potential travelers
7. Broken link building on travel blogs
Broken link building is effective when used as a supportive strategy rather than your main approach. Find broken links on travel websites and offer your content as a replacement. Here's how to do it right:
Find broken links using tools like Check My Links or Ahrefs' Content Explorer. Target travel resource pages specifically, as they contain numerous external links and accumulate broken links over time.
Research the original content using Archive.org to understand what the broken link was about. Don't just copy that content. Instead, create an improved, updated version based on the same topic.
8. Turn unlinked brand mentions into backlinks
Unlinked mentions are one of the most overlooked link-building opportunities in travel website link building. These occur when your brand is mentioned online without a hyperlink to your website. That's why converting them into real backlinks makes sense. Below are the steps to find and convert these opportunities:
Set up monitoring using tools like Google Alerts or Semrush's Brand Monitoring Tool. Track your main brand name, misspellings, product names, company representatives, and even copyrighted images through reverse image search.
Personalize your outreach by referencing specific details from their content. Explain how adding a link would benefit their readers by providing access to more detailed information.
Act quickly while the content is still fresh. This increases your chances of conversion, as does focusing on reputable, authoritative sites rather than pursuing numerous low-quality sources.
9. Use seasonal and local opportunities
Elite travel brands capitalize on predictable seasonal patterns. With over 48% of Americans intending to travel during holiday seasons and 85% planning to travel at least once during summer months, savvy marketers align their link building with these peak periods.
Top brands also pursue local link building to boost visibility in regional search results. They secure valuable backlinks from community websites by:
Sponsoring local events that attract travelers
Partnering with nearby businesses like restaurants and attractions
Creating location-specific content that local sites want to reference
Conclusion
Successful travel brands differentiate themselves through thoughtful link building practices. The key difference between average travel sites and industry leaders lies in their consistent approach to travel website link building. Instead of pursuing links sporadically, successful brands incorporate link building into their ongoing marketing efforts.
They also capitalize on seasonal trends and local opportunities, creating a strategic advantage in both timing and relevance. Focus on creating valuable content, nurturing meaningful partnerships, and maintaining consistency in your efforts. Results won't appear overnight, but this strategic approach will eventually separate your travel site from competitors and establish lasting visibility in search results.