Social Search Optimization: How Travel Brands Win With SOSEO
Traditional SEO is key to climbing search results, but the concept feels almost quaint in today’s fast-paced tech landscape. We already introduced you to AEO and GEO for websites. Now we’re here to tell you about social search engine optimization (or SOSEO). Why? Because travelers are leaning into social media more and more for visual inspiration and highly focused planning (think: Nashville 3-day trip itinerary for a bachelorette party with coastal cowgirl vibes).
Grab The Attention Of Social Search Engines
Videos don’t have meta descriptions or title tags, so social search engines rely on multimodal signals to serve them up. These include on-screen text, audio transcriptions, engagement velocity and visual context. Platforms will read overlays, index spoken words and actually “view” imagery on videos. Then social media users do the rest — how quickly they save or share a post also weighs into the equation.
Employ Social Media Search Strategies That Work
You will never (EVER!) hear us advise against creating content for content consumers. But you also need to craft your posts to be discoverable. Here are three strategies to get you there:
Consistency for Search’s Sake
Search is everywhere … and everything. Your website uses relevant keywords — your socials should too. As tempting as it is to caption a post with “Beach vibes only 🏖️” one that says “Discover Bermuda’s secret beaches this summer” will deliver more eyeballs. The same rule applies to your scripts. Weave keywords (naturally and conversationally) into video voiceovers.
Real Content for Real Consumers
Aesthetically, your motivation should be more travel blog than Super Bowl ad. Roll with vertical videos that capture an authentic experience rather than a slick production. Remember that bachelorette party we mentioned earlier? They want social media to serve them ideas for their 3-day trip that align with their interests. Create content around very specific travelers like that.
Micro Influencers for Macro Impact
There are influencers out there with 5,000 to 50,000 followers that already dominate the keywords you want to rank for. Partner with them! The content they create becomes trusted social proof for your brand.
Leverage These SOSEO Tactics Right Now
While the strategies above apply to all social channels, below are some specific tactics that you can immediately execute on your individual platforms:
- TikTok: Use a 3-second hook that answers a common travel question
- Instagram: Create Carousels for searchable itineraries
- YouTube: Write your primary keyword into your raw video file name
- Facebook: Optimize Local Pages to pop up in “near me” searches
Of course, this only scratches the surface of social search optimization. Every day, the Dana team flexes marketing expertise for our clients — and we have the results to prove it. Want to win over travelers with SOSEO? Contact Lynn Kaniper at 609.466.9187 ext. 117 or lkaniper@danacommunications.com today.