In August we invested product development time in two specific areas: AI Visibility (more on this in a separate update) and cosmetic design updates (my personal favourite part of what we get to work on).

We have six updates that landed on Springnest sites in August, here's what's new:

Our biggest update to maps and location in years

We've reimagined the way maps look and work, all with the intention of keeping your visitors on your site for longer, and breaking down the doubts and barriers visitors face before booking direct.

• Maps on map pages are taller and fill more of the screen instead of sitting in a fixed box
• Marker design is entirely refreshed, dynamically matching your site's design system and colour palette (no more one-size-fits-all marker design)
• Your property's location marker is bigger than the others, and optionally you can toggle a pulse effect around your location to orientate your visitors
• You can switch your map's design between colour and grayscale
• We added eight new categories, based on feedback from the Springnest community: Wine Farms, Workspaces, Wellness, Cafes, Golf Courses, Beaches, Cycling Routes, and Bars and Nightlife
• "Restaurants and Bars" renamed to "Restaurants"

Learn why a well-populated map page can avoid "tab-hopping" and boost bookings: Stop losing bookings to tab-hopping

Your site is wider

Your site now uses more of the screen width. This is going to feel most apparent when viewed on a laptop or larger screen (while there's an ongoing increase in mobile visitors across Springnest sites, desktop still accounts for almost half of views across the board).

New: Pre-headers

Decades ago in print journalism, the idea of "eyebrow" text was adopted to provide immediate context and category so readers instantly understand the main headline. It transitioned into web design as a pre-header or primer that hooks the reader's attention and establishes context first, allowing the main headline below it to remain short, clean, and high-impact.

This new, optional field is now available in Springnest admin, wherever headings appear: page titles, sections, blocks, banner slides, popups, and the reviews and newsletter widgets. Use them sparingly and intentionally 😉

New: Secondary buttons

Secondary buttons are now available on every Springnest site. Find the option anywhere you already set a button: blocks, sliders, rooms, activities, events, offers, blog posts and listings. These can be useful to create a secondary call to action to a block or banner (imagine a content block promoting your restaurant, with the two buttons: "See the menu" and "Book a table")

New: Per-slide text position

Each banner slide can now set its own text position (left, centre or right, top, middle or bottom) instead of following one site-wide setting. This gives you maximum flexibility and freedom to find the most suitable combination between your banner image composition, and the text you layer over them.

Reviews widget: Grid layout

The latest update to the Reviews widget has a new layout option: reviews shown side by side in a grid instead of one at a time, with a swipeable carousel once you have more than three. Switch it under Website → Widgets → Latest Reviews.

As humans, we’re sensory beings. We’re also generally bad at judging precise distances and directions. We want to see context and proximity, rather than read directions to figure it out. Maps help us navigate this when driving, or, booking accommodation.

No matter the type of traveller, and how complex their booking journey, at some point every guest will consider your location when they decide to stay with you or not. In fact, location and access are one of the key barriers in the booking decision. In a research study conducted by the Baymard Institute on travel accommodation UX, 95% of prospective guests actively engage with side-by-side interactive maps to verify property location and proximity before committing to a reservation.

Three reasons a map page will contribute to more direct bookings:

Remove fear and uncertainty: the two of the biggest drivers of booking abandonment.

Each potential guest has a string of concerns they work through during research. The concern could be “Is this close enough to the airport?”, “are there any good cafés in walking distance to work from”, “is there enough for the kids to do in the area if we stay here?” or “Is there a town nearby to buy food and fuel up before we head into the mountains?”. Your website’s job is to rule out as many of these concerns as possible. Where you are in context of other points of interest, is one of those fears. This can be as simple as showing your location’s proximity to the airport, mapping out the family friendly wine farms in your valley, or building out a map of co-working spaces in your city, within close proximity.

Give your bookers less reason to tab-hop

Imagine a visitor browsing your website in one tab, with Google Maps (or even Booking.com) open in another tab, to figure out where your property is located in context of attractions, landmarks, or airports. Inevitably, their attention and focus will become so stretched that they will either veer off the booking path entirely, or they will be captured by an ad or offer while jumping between tabs (Our on-screen attention span plummeted from 2.5 minutes in 2004 down to roughly 47 seconds. Scary.) Bottom line here: if your website’s location page answers these questions for them, the less likely they are to tab-hop, and the less likely they are to abandon the booking journey on your site.

Beat OTAs at their own game: destination context and neighbourhood breakdowns

OTAs have figured out the value of creating destination guides and neighbourhood guides, and some of them (read Airbnb) do it really well. Building your own interactive map with points of interest levels the playing field for your property. Part of your value as a host is knowing your area. Why wait until your guests are checked in before offering them the gift of personalised local recommendations? You know that the pizzeria down the road have been making the best margaritas for 22 years, that the pharmacy around the corner is open 24/7, that guests often say “I didn’t realise you were this close to the beach”. Sharing this expertise as a beautiful and interactive guide on your website will do more than just show that you have a good location; it will tell your prospective guests that they are staying with a property who understands their destination. That builds trust. Trust leads to bookings.

Where to start

Maintaining an interactive map can be a high-value low-effort marketing activity, compared to writing blog articles or maintaining a destination events calendar. Here’s your blueprint:

Step 1: Think about your typical guests, build your list. Who are they, and where do they go during their stays? Catering for business travellers? List business parks or conference venues. Catering for families? List family-friendly parks and activities. Catering for people visiting a nearby national park? List the gates, shops, service stations or lookouts that will be valuable to them.

Step 2: Write a short blurb for each (while we’re generally conservative about using AI to write marketing copy, this is a pretty safe and sensible use case, since the AI will be able to do research on specific places and write a short unique blurb in a flash).

Step 3: Build your map. Start with your own location, and add the markers from your list, using their relevant categories, and add their blurbs.

Bonus tip: Adding everything can be almost as ineffective as adding nothing. Step 1 above is key. Instead of adding 50 markers for every grocery store, bus stop and KFC, start with the 10 places you will make your guests go “Ah, if we stay here we can easily get to X” or “This is really convenient, we’ll have a lot of Y around us”.

If you have had an SEO audit done in the last few years, or asked anyone how to get your property showing up in AI search results, the phrase schema markup has likely come up at some point. It tends to be used with very little explanation attached. Let's change that.

Every web page carries more than the words and photographs your guests see. Behind it sits a summarised version of the page, written for machines rather than for people; that's schema markup. It is a short, factual summary that tells Google, Bing and the AI assistants exactly what the page is about and who you are, in a form they can read without having to interpret anything abstract (AI language models aren't great at understanding poetic and abstract details about your property). You may also hear it being called structured data, and for practical purposes the two terms mean the same thing.

For most of the last decade this was a niche technical concern that only really interested SEO consultants. That has changed with the rise of AI Search.

Springnest sites have carried schema markup for years, and in August 2026 we revised and extended it across every page type so that every property we host meets the current standard for AI search. It exists on every page of your site, and there is nothing to buy, request or configure. The rest of this article explains what it does, why it matters, and exactly what we publish on your behalf.

Why Schema Exists

A web page is written for people, with headings, photographs and brand messaging, and a search engine has to work out the meaning of all that as best it can. Schema markup removes the guesswork by stating the facts plainly alongside the page: this is a guest house, it is called X, it is in Y, this page describes a room that sleeps four, this page is an event running on these dates.

Think of it as the label on the back of a beverage bottle. The front is designed to appeal to a consumer to buy it. The back lists what is actually in it, in the same fixed format used on every other bottle, so anyone can check a single fact without reading the story on the front.

What it looks like

Here is a simplified version of what sits in the code of a hotel home page. We're using our Karoo theme as an example:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Hotel",
  "name": "Karoo Boutique Hotel",
  "url": "https://karooboutiquehotel.co.za",
  "telephone": "+27 23 555 0142",
  "email": "stay@karooboutiquehotel.co.za",
  "image": "https://karooboutiquehotel.co.za/images/courtyard.jpg",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "42 Church Street",
    "addressLocality": "Prince Albert",
    "addressRegion": "Western Cape",
    "postalCode": "6930",
    "addressCountry": "ZA"
  },
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.facebook.com/karooboutiquehotel",
    "https://www.instagram.com/karooboutiquehotel"
  ]
}

Still with me?

Ok, read it as a list of statements rather than code:

• This page is about a hotel, not a restaurant or a shop
• It is called Karoo Boutique Hotel
• Here is exactly how to contact it
• Here is exactly where it is
• These social profiles belong to the same business, so do not treat them as a different property

Note how this is not an SEO cheat code. Every fact is simply stated once, in a fixed place, in a form that cannot be misread by algorithms and language models.

Different page types have unique opportunities for Schema

Room pages carry their own block on top of the business one.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "HotelRoom",
  "name": "Deluxe Family Room",
  "description": "A ground-floor room with a private stoep facing the courtyard.",
  "occupancy": {
    "@type": "QuantitativeValue",
    "maxValue": 4
  },
  "bed": {
    "@type": "BedDetails",
    "numberOfBeds": 2,
    "typeOfBed": "King"
  },
  "amenityFeature": [
    { "@type": "LocationFeatureSpecification", "name": "Free WiFi", "value": true },
    { "@type": "LocationFeatureSpecification", "name": "Air conditioning", "value": true }
  ]
}

When an assistant is asked for a hotel in Prince Albert that sleeps four and has air conditioning, this is the difference between being a candidate and being invisible.

Why it matters more than it used to

Until recently, schema markup was mostly about how your listing looked in Google. It could turn a raw URL into a readable path through your site, or pull your event dates into a panel beside the result. Worth having, but cosmetic, and easy to treat as an SEO nicety rather than something that changed outcomes.

AI assistants changed the value of it. When someone asks ChatGPT or Google's AI results for a family lodge near the Garden Route with a pool, the assistant is not browsing your site the way a guest would. It is looking for clear, specific, machine-readable facts it can trust and repeat. Schema markup is the cleanest version of those facts you can give it.

This is why we are direct about the limits too. Schema markup does not make you rank higher on its own. It does not create demand. What it does is remove ambiguity, so that when your property is a genuine match for what someone is asking, nothing is lost in translation.

Which raises a fair question: if the assistants are reading a summary, does the writing on your website still matter? Yes, and arguably more than it did before. Schema only carries plain facts, and plain facts have never been what makes someone choose one guest house over another. Assistants read your actual pages as well, and that is where they find the language they use to describe you, and how they judge whether you fit a request like somewhere quiet for a long weekend with the dogs. Schema makes sure nothing factual gets misread. The rest of the job is still done by your words, your photographs and videos, your design, your website's functionality, and your booking engine.

What Springnest publishes on your site

This is the full list. Nothing here needs to be requested or configured.

On every page

Details about your business: Typed to what your property actually is: Hotel, Bed & Breakfast, Guest House, Lodge, Hostel, Motel, Resort, Campground, Self-catering, Restaurant, Travel Agency, Tourist Information Centre, Winery or Bar. Alongside the type sits your name, address, phone number, email, map link, logo, photos and social profiles.

Why: you are identifiable no matter which page someone lands on. Previously only the home page said who you were.

Breadcrumbs: Google can show the path through your site in search results instead of a raw URL.

What we publish on each type of page on your site

What we deliberately leave out, and why

There are three things we do not to publish for you. Here's why.

Static rates: If you have a rate table on your website, those numbers stay out of the schema. They are a guide for guests reading the page, not live availability-checked pricing, and they go out of date the moment a season changes. A stale rate sitting in Google's index is worse than no rate at all, and in some markets quoting a price you cannot honour carries a consumer-protection risk. Live rates belong in your booking engine, which is where a guest gets a real number for their actual dates.

Star ratings: You have probably seen gold stars sitting under a search result. Google will not show those for reviews a business has collected and published on its own website, and accommodation is left out of that feature almost entirely. So we leave it out. The stars guests do see when you come up in Google search or on Google Maps come from your Google Business Profile and the review sites, not from your own website.

Exact locations on Marketplace listings set to "approximate": On a Springnest Marketplace site, a listing can be set to show its location approximately rather than giving away the street address. Where that setting is on, we keep the exact coordinates out of the schema as well. Hiding an address on the page and publishing it in the code would defeat the point.

How to check and validate your own site's schema

You can verify all of this yourself, on any page, in under a minute.

1. Google's Rich Results Test at search.google.com/test/rich-results. Paste a page URL and it shows you what Google reads.
2. The Schema Markup Validator at validator.schema.org. A stricter, vendor-neutral check.
3. Google Search Console, under Enhancements. This is where you track how it performs over time.

Before you add schema of your own

If you paste your own schema markup into your site's custom head code, it can contradict what we already publish. Two conflicting descriptions of the same business are worse than one clear description.

If you have added markup of your own, or an agency has, tell us and we will sort out which version should stand.

In summary

Your site already tells search engines and AI assistants who you are, what you sell, and what guests say about you, in a format they can read without interpretation. It happens automatically. You do not need to buy it, request it, or manage it.

If you want to see it, use the Rich Results Test. If you want it changed, ask us.

At some point in the last few months, you have probably wondered what AI means for your website. This is our honest view.

Firstly, let’s address an important fact: Google still handles around 90% of the world's searches. That has not shifted overnight. But how Google displays results is changing. Google AI-generated answers now appear in roughly half of all searches though, and fewer people are clicking through to websites as a result. At the same time, a growing number of travellers are skipping Google entirely and asking tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity directly. "What is a good boutique guesthouse in the Winelands for a long weekend?" They trust the answer they get back.

The reason so much of the current advice is confusing is that it picks a side.

"Google is dead."

"AI is everything."

Neither is true.

How AI tools decide who to recommend

When someone asks an AI tool for a property recommendation, it does not rank pages the way Google does. It reads reviews, listings, travel articles, and other websites, looks for patterns across all of them, and builds an answer from what it consistently finds.

If your property is described accurately and in enough detail across enough of those sources, the AI treats you as a credible answer. If only your own website mentions you, it is less confident.

Which raises an obvious question: if AI is reading all these other sources, do you even need a website anymore?

The answer is yes, more than ever, for two reasons.

Firstly, your website is the only place on the internet (yes I said the internet 👴) where you control the full story. Every other source, your TripAdvisor listing, your Booking.com profile, a travel blog post, tells a partial version of who you are. Your website is where the complete picture lives. AI tools use those external sources to decide whether you are worth recommending. They use your website to understand what they are recommending.

Secondly, the AI still needs somewhere to send people. Getting recommended is only half the equation. The other half is what happens when someone clicks through. If your website is clear, fast, and easy to book, the recommendation converts. If it is not, you have been found and lost in the same moment.

The properties that will do well in AI search are not the ones who abandon their websites in favour of being everywhere else. They are the ones who treat their website as the destination everything else points toward.

So do you need to start from scratch?

No, but that does not mean nothing has changed either.

Properties with clear, well-structured, specific websites are better positioned than they were before. Properties with vague, slow, or poorly organised websites are more vulnerable than they were before. The fundamentals have not changed. They matter more.

The rest of this article explains that that means for you in practice.

Three areas of your website worth updating

When an AI tool is building a response, your website is one of the sources it draws from. What it struggles with is text that sounds beautiful but does not communicate anything concrete.

"A magical escape for discerning travellers" tells an AI almost nothing. "A 4-suite adults-only farm stay in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, 15 minutes from Hermanus, with an equipped kitchen, vegetable garden and a wine cellar stocked exclusively with Walker Bay wines" tells it quite a lot.

Springnest websites are built with this in mind. Your property type, location, room details, and key features are laid out clearly in the places an AI actually looks. But the words themselves are yours to write.

Your homepage text. Read it as a stranger would. Within ten seconds, can they tell what the property is, where it is, who it is for, and why it is worth booking? If not, that is the first place to fix. Specific beats atmospheric, every time.

Your room and accommodation descriptions. These are consistently underdeveloped on hospitality websites. Specific detail, views, room size, what is included, what is nearby, is more useful to AI and to guests than general adjectives.

A frequently asked questions page. AI tools are question-answering machines. If your website already contains clear answers to the questions guests actually ask, "Is it suitable for children?", "How far from the airport?", "What is included in the rate?", those answers can be pulled directly into AI responses. A well-built FAQ page works harder than almost any other content on your site.

Build content around the topics your guests actually search for

Blogging for volume never really worked. Publishing post after post on loosely connected topics, hoping something would surface in Google, was a weak strategy long before AI search arrived. What has changed is that AI has made the gap between purposeful content and aimless content even wider.

AI tools are not just looking for a single page that mentions a topic. They are looking for websites that demonstrate genuine authority on it. A well-structured set of content around a specific theme, "romantic stays in the Winelands", "what to do in the Karoo for a week", "why the Eastern Cape is worth the drive", signals expertise in a way that a homepage alone never can.

This is sometimes called a hub-and-spoke model. A central page covers a topic clearly and in depth. Supporting articles go deeper on specific aspects of it and link back to the centre. Each piece answers a real question a guest would genuinely ask. Together, they tell AI tools that this website knows what it is talking about.

For an independent property that does not mean publishing constantly. It means being deliberate. Three or four well-written, specific articles built around the topics your ideal guests are searching for will do more for your AI visibility than twenty loosely connected posts. Write with a purpose, link them properly, and let the content work together rather than in isolation.

Claim and update the listings AI already trusts

Beyond your website, AI tools reference a handful of sources consistently.

Google Business Profile is the most important. It is free, it is widely trusted, and if it is incomplete or out of date, that is the version of your property the AI is working from. Check that your listing accurately describes what you offer, is correctly categorised, and reflects what a guest would actually find when they arrive.

Review platforms matter too, not just the reviews themselves, but whether you respond to them. An active, engaged property reads differently to an AI than a dormant one.

Your regional tourism body is also worth a look. Tourism associations, wine routes, regional boards, most of them publish content about properties in their area and are actively looking for it. A mention or listing there is free, credible, and exactly the kind of third-party source AI tools treat as reliable.

Collectively, it builds the consistent, cross-platform picture that AI tools use to decide whether you are worth recommending.

Get someone outside your business to write about you

Travel writers, bloggers, and journalists have always been valuable to independent properties, when the fit is right. What has changed is why. In an AI search world, a well-written piece from someone outside your business does something your own website cannot: it tells AI tools that an independent voice has validated you. That gives them a reason to trust your property that no amount of on-site content can replicate on its own. The key word is well-written. A post from someone with no real audience and nothing interesting to say does not move the needle. The goal is a credible, specific piece of content that lives permanently somewhere the AI is likely to find it.

Travel bloggers who cover your region, journalists who write for local lifestyle or travel publications, content creators who already spend time in your area. Many of them are actively looking for properties to write about. A hosted stay in exchange for an honest, permanent piece of content is a reasonable proposition, and it produces something that works for you long after the visit.

One well-written piece from someone outside your business, sitting permanently on their site and describing your property specifically, carries more weight in AI results than many posts on your own blog. The AI is looking for independent voices. A third party saying you are worth visiting means something different than you saying it yourself.

Start with whoever is closest. A regional travel writer. A popular local blogger. Your tourism association's content team. You do not need many. One or two, built up over time, make a meaningful difference.

What your Springnest website is already doing for your AI visibility

Every Springnest website is built on the structural foundations that AI visibility depends on. Clean page hierarchy. Fast load times. Clear property information laid out consistently in the places AI actually looks. Structured data markup that tells AI tools exactly what your property is and where it sits. These are not optional extras or recent additions. They are built into every Springnest website by default.

We did not build it this way because AI search arrived. We built it this way because a well-built website has always required it. What AI search has done is make the gap between a well-built website and a poorly built one impossible to ignore.

Your Springnest website is already on the right side of that gap. The four things above are what you do with that advantage.

If you do one thing this week, open your Google Business Profile and read it as a stranger would. Is it accurate? Is it specific? Does it describe the property you actually have today? That is often the first place an AI looks. It should be the first place you check.

Questions about AI and what it means for your property? Comment below and we'll give you a straight answer.

If you want a better way to showcase what’s happening at your property, Springnest Events gives you a structured, flexible way to publish it on your website.

The benefits of publishing events on your website

Event content can be practical, persuasive, and discoverable at the same time. It helps visitors understand the experience beyond the room, supports visibility for value-added services, and gives your website more structured information for search and AI tools to work with.

A few ways you can use Events:

• exclusive wine tastings and culinary experiences
• live music and themed evenings
• kids’ holiday programmes
• ranger talks, stargazing, or lodge experiences
• local events worth sharing with your guests
• departure times for activities or experiences

Flexibility was an important part of this release, especially because we’ve heard clear demand for more creative control. That’s why Events includes a Layout Editor, so you can shape the look of your Events feed and decide how much detail to show.

If you want help setting it up, we’ve also published a new series of guides covering what Events is, how to create a new event, and how to edit the Events feed page, in the Springnest Help Centre.

We decided on building this month’s product update a simple reason: an increased number of Springnest customers have been asking about email marketing, and many of them wanted an alternative to the tools they had already tried (or never got around to trying).

Why email marketing matters for accommodation businesses

Most guests who stay with you will not book again unless you give them a reason to think of you. That is not a criticism, it is just how attention works. People forget.

While email might feel “old” compared to the latest string of AI and social media developments, it’s still an extremely effective channel when used right. A well-timed message about availability during a quiet month, a seasonal offer, or a simple "here is what is new" update can bring past guests back to your website. Over time, this builds a list of people who already know and trust your property, and that list becomes one of your most valuable marketing assets.

The challenge has always been getting started. Choosing a platform, setting it up, figuring out what to send. For busy property owners, it often stays on the to-do list longer than it should.

What the Mail Blaze integration does

Mail Blaze is a South African email marketing platform built around simplicity. We have added a native integration to Springnest that lets you connect a Mail Blaze newsletter signup widget directly to your website.

Here is what that means in practice:

• A signup form appears on your Springnest website above the footer, beautifully styled to match your brand and design system.
• When a visitor subscribes, their details go straight into your Mail Blaze account
• You can start building a mailing list without writing any code or installing anything yourself

The setup only takes a few minutes. If you already have a Mail Blaze account, you can connect it right away. If you are new to Mail Blaze, you can create an account and explore their plans on their website.

Why Mail Blaze?

We’ve been in touch with kind folks at Mail Blaze for a good couple of years, and this prouct update felt like a natural progression to integrate with a project that suits the Springnest community: independent properties, small teams, people who need things to be straightforward. Their platform is clean and focused, their pricing is transparent, and their support team is hands-on and responsive.

They are also a South African company, which means local support, local billing, and a team that understands the market you operate in.

What about the Mailchimp widget?

If you are already using Mailchimp and it is working for you, nothing changes. Your existing integration continues to work exactly as it does today.

The Mail Blaze integration is for properties who have been looking for something different, whether that is simpler pricing, local support, or just a fresh start with a platform that feels less overwhelming.

This update is about giving you more choice, not less.

How to get started

1. Log in to your Springnest Admin panel
2. Navigate to the Newsletter Widget settings
3. Select Mail Blaze as your email marketing provider
4. Connect your Mail Blaze account and choose your subscriber list
5. Save and publish

For a detailed walkthrough with screenshots, visit our Help Centre guide:

How to set up the Mail Blaze newsletter widget

Not sure where to start with email marketing?

If you are still deciding whether email marketing is the right move for your property, Pauline Radford-Hayden (COO at Mail Blaze) wrote a practical guide for Springnest Academy that covers exactly that: when you need software, when you do not, and what to look for when you are ready.

Read: Do I Need Email Marketing Software? A Practical Guide for Hotels, Lodges & Guest Houses

Ever heard about email marketing and thought, “I should be doing that” or “I’m losing out”? You are not alone.

Property owners often spend weeks researching tools and then end up using none of them due to overwhelm and complexity. The real question is not which tool is best, but what you actually need a tool to help you achieve versus not using one at all.

Like any platform, email software should support your goals. Before choosing a tool, it helps to understand the basics.

What Does Email Marketing Software Actually Do?

In simple terms, an email marketing platform allows you to:

• Store your subscribers’ information
• Send emails to many people at once
• Track performance like opens and clicks
• Automate common email sequences

This makes it easier to update guests about events or last minute availability, tailor messages for different guest types, and build long term relationships. Over time, this can support repeat bookings and revenue.

When You Might Still Be Ok Without Email Marketing Software

Email marketing sounds appealing, but simple solutions are sometimes enough at an early stage. You probably do not need a platform yet if:

• You have fewer than 50 to 100 past guests
• You send very occasional updates such as seasonal offers
• Your team can manage BCC emails or a basic spreadsheet without errors
• You mainly want to start communicating

In this case, your inbox provider like Gmail or Outlook can work. Use BCC for privacy and a simple spreadsheet to track subscribers. It helps to note when consent was given.

Top tip
Make it part of your check in process to ask guests if they would like to receive emails. Record the date of consent in your spreadsheet. This saves time later and helps with compliance.

When You Should Start Considering Email Marketing Software

If the points below feel familiar, it may be time to move to a dedicated platform:

• You have more than 100 subscribers and manual sending feels stressful
• You want to send different messages to different guest types
• You want more polished and brand consistent emails
• You would like to automate pre arrival or post stay emails
• Managing the process takes more time than creating content
• You want to reduce the risk of human error
• You want insight into what is working
• You are ready to send emails regularly

If you agree with most of these, a platform will likely save you time and effort.

What Should You Look For in a Platform?

You do not need every feature. Focus on what helps you communicate clearly with guests.

Key Features to Look For

Subscriber management
You should be able to store contacts, add custom fields such as guest type or stay dates, and segment your list easily.

Easy email builder
A drag and drop builder lets you create professional emails without code or developer help. Try this during a trial to avoid frustration.

Basic automations
Look for welcome emails, pre arrival emails, and post stay follow ups. These are especially useful for reviews.

Clear reporting
At a minimum, you want to see opens, clicks, unsubscribes, and bounced emails.

Account Level Considerations

• Pricing structure and how it scales
• Quality of customer support and documentation
• Reviews from other users

Things You Need to Know When You Start Emailing

You Will Need to Verify Your Domain

Most platforms require domain verification. This helps inbox providers trust your emails and improves delivery. Support teams usually guide you through this step.

Templates Save Time and Create Consistency

Templates help your emails look familiar and on brand. A simple, well designed base template works best. You can then add personality in the content itself. Mail Blaze offers Springnest specific templates if you want a starting point.

Consent Really Matters

You need clear permission to email people. This means express consent, where the subscriber actively agrees to receive emails.

Every email must include an unsubscribe link. One click unsubscribe is best. Do not take unsubscribes personally. A smaller engaged list is far more valuable than a large unengaged one. Never buy email lists or add people who have not interacted with your brand.

Why Your First Emails Might Go to Spam

Even with correct setup, inbox providers take time to trust new senders. Early emails may land in spam while your sender reputation is being built.

Think of sender reputation like building credit. It improves through consistent, good behaviour over time.

Tips for Building a Healthy Sender Reputation

Start small
Send an initial re introduction email explaining what guests can expect and how often you will email.

Stay consistent
Choose a realistic sending frequency and stick to it. Quality and relevance matter more than volume.

Avoid spam triggers
Avoid excessive punctuation, capital letters, or exaggerated claims in subject lines.

Monitor engagement
Not everyone opens immediately. Track engagement over time and identify dormant subscribers.

Maintain your list
Every 6 to 12 months, review inactive subscribers. Either remove them or send a re engagement email. You can also reduce how often they hear from you.

What to Expect in the First Few Months

Perfection is not the goal. Communication is.

You will make small mistakes and that is normal. Over time, email marketing helps you learn, refine, and stay top of mind with your guests. Trust builds gradually, and consistency matters more than getting everything right from day one.

You can now create an FAQ Page that brings important guest information together. This page gives you a simple way to answer common questions clearly and in one place. It helps guests move through your website with more confidence and makes practical details easier to find when they matter most.

Why it matters

Good FAQ content does two important jobs.

First, it helps people. Guests get quick answers to the details they care about, which reduces doubt and supports confident booking decisions. Search engines like Google have specific content guidelines: create content for real people, not just for search engines. If your content solves real problems, shows real experience, and is clear and honest, it naturally aligns with what Google is trying to surface in search.

Second, it helps machines clearly understand your content. Search engines and AI tools prefer content that answers real questions in a clear, direct way. When your information is easy to understand, accurate, and consistent, these systems are more likely to correctly represent your business in search results and AI-generated answers. A well-structured FAQ page also gives search engines and AI systems a clearer understanding of your property. This helps them better recognise what you offer and when your property is a relevant match for a potential guest’s search.

In other words, one well written FAQ Page can serve both your guests and the systems that increasingly guide them.

What is new?

• A dedicated FAQ Page inside your Springnest site
• A simple way to add, edit and reorder as many questions as you need
• A clean layout that is easy for guests and AI tools to scan

Learn how to create strong FAQs

If you would like guidance on choosing strong questions, writing clear answers and using FAQs as part of your AIO strategy, read our practical guide here.

There are a number of questions we get asked at Springnest at least once a month. Things like “can I use my existing domain to host a Springnest website?” or “can I make changes to my website?”. These things are well documented on our website and sales collateral and to us they seem obvious, but yet, we answer those questions time and again.

Hospitality is no different. Think about how often do you receive questions about airport transfers, wifi, or checkout times.

Even with a detailed website, guests often reach out with questions they couldn’t find or didn’t have time to search for. That’s where a well-written FAQ page really helps.

Why you get the same questions over and over?

Getting repeat questions doesn’t mean your content isn’t working. It means your guests are human.

Most visitors don’t read every page; they scan, looking for quick answers that remove doubt.

Think of FAQs as your website’s "front desk in writing". When written clearly, they handle common concerns long before an email or WhatsApp message arrives. That saves you time and builds trust with travellers who are still deciding where to stay.

How can having a FAQ page benefit your business?

Conversion and visitor experience

Your prospective bookers have questions that stand between them browsing your website, and them booking their stay. FAQ pages can help answer those questions.

SEO and AIO (being cited in AI tools)

Question-and-answer style content provides clear, direct answers to specific questions, helping search engines and AI systems understand the topic and improving the chances of the content appearing when similar questions are asked online.

Saving you and your team time and energy

Less questions means less time responding. Which means more time for running your business and delighting your guests.

Why FAQ pages matter even if you have the information visible on other parts of your site

An FAQ isn’t just another place to list what you offer. It’s where you answer what guests actually ask.

Here’s a simple contrast:

• Amenities page: “We have 24-hour reception.”
• FAQ page: “Can I check in late at night?”

See the difference? The first states a feature; the second addresses a concern. Good FAQs are written in the language of curiosity, not marketing.

A simple framework for writing useful FAQs

Start with what you already know.

1. Collect real questions. Scroll through your inbox or message history. Anything you’ve answered more than once belongs on your FAQ list.
2. Rephrase them in guest language. Write them as questions your traveller would actually type or ask out loud. (“Do you have family rooms?” not “Accommodation options for families.”)
3. Keep answers short, honest, and helpful. You’re not writing an advert; you’re removing doubt. Include what matters most and link to more detail if needed.
4. Optionally, link FAQ text to relevant pages on your site. Guide guests to helpful follow-up information (like rooms, pricing, location, or policies) so they can easily take the next step. Here’s a guide on how to hyperlink your text. This also strengthens your site’s internal linking, which helps search engines better understand your content and improves visibility.

If a guest could say “Ah, that’s exactly what I wanted to know,” you’ve done it right.

What to avoid when writing FAQs for your Springnest Website

Not all questions belong in your FAQ. Poorly written FAQs hurt clarity and don’t help with SEO.

Being too generic and obvious (using FAQ as a SEO tool, rather than a helpful resource)

Poor FAQ: Do you offer tented accommodation in the Kruger Park?

These waste space and credibility.

Better FAQ: Which accommodation options do you offer?

Being too specific (Marketing disguised as FAQs)

Poor FAQ: Is there a shaded area by the pool for kids?

These are selling points, not FAQs. Consider weaving these facts into the Answers, or use them as amenities on Accommodation or facilities pages instead.

Better FAQ: Are you a family friendly?

Conclusion

Writing FAQs might not feel as exciting as crafting blog articles or sharing on Instagram, but it’s one of the most practical ways to improve your guests’ experience before they arrive. Start small; five honest questions are better than fifteen vague ones.

Bonus AI Prompt

Copy and use this prompt in your AI Tool of choice, to brainstorm logical FAQs, using the information you already have available on your website.

Beginning of AI Prompt

I would like to improve the FAQ page on my hospitality website. Please visit this URL and study my business, my location, my rooms, and my guest experience. Then suggest five FAQ questions and short answers based on the following rules.

1. Questions must reflect what real guests actually ask.
2. Questions must be written in natural guest language, not marketing language.
3. Answers must be short, clear, and genuinely helpful.
4. Focus on questions that reduce doubt about booking, for example check in, parking, wifi, meals, family suitability, transfers, payments.
5. Avoid obvious sales questions or unnecessary SEO content.
6. Only include questions that would make a guest say, “Ah, that is exactly what I wanted to know”.

Here is my website URL: [paste your website address here]

Please provide the five FAQs in a simple list.

End of AI Prompt

About a year ago, I attended a hospitality tech industry event where I had a conversation with the MD of a competitor brand about remote work. It was a friendly and insightful debate. At some point they asked me, "doesn't it get awkward when there's no social interaction, though?". Truthfully, the only part about remote work I do not enjoy is how awkward and contrived it can feel on internal virtual calls, especially when it's been a while since an inter-person get-together. With that said, I still find those meetings less awkward than some of the boardrooms I've sat in at office parks while visiting other organisations.

Our annual Springnest Meetups have been a way for us to combat the challenges of remote work over the past couple of years, to ensure we’re all in the same room together, at least once per year. They have since become a welcomed tradition which gave us a platform to share meaningful experiences including a group ceramics workshop, a street art walking tour in Cape Town’s Woodstock neighbourhood, a yacht cruise around Table Bay, working in a mobile trailer on the West Coast, hiking Lion’s Head, and most recently, having a combination of free time and Co-working in Noordhoek. (During the 2020 lock downs we participated in a virtual sandwich making course with New York-based Ben Gollan (aka “A Man & His Sandwich”).

An important component of these get-togethers has always been an intentional theme behind each. I develop these based on the goal of the Meetup, which is created around conversations with the team, discussions between Niel and I, and other business objectives. Some examples are “Evolve” where we reimagined our internal security measures as well as our Customer Success goals, and “Recharge”, which was entirely themed around rest and connection.

This October, we got together under the theme aptly named “Morph”, for which we had two goals:

1. Embark on the first-ever Retreat, where the entire team stayed over at the same location. I.e. Work, cook, relax, and spend time together without anyone rushing to the airport to catch an evening flight home.
2. Have an in-person strategic session about AI, and how we can develop a policy and ethos that ensure that we use AI to offer as much value as possible to our customers, while retaining our human authenticity and passion.

What followed were two fun days of light work sprints overlooking Noordhoek Beach, free time where everyone could choose to lie in, go for a run, walk on the beach, or socialise depending on what would give them energy, cooking a massive portion of Nachos, and finally, a two-hour workshop to tackle the topic of AI adoption at Springnest.

The rough agenda and format we followed:

• Feedback on a team survey I sent out months before to gauge the sentiment and experience level of the team around AI
• Feedback on a lengthy problem mapping exercise we followed for a couple of weeks, with the intention to identify the highest impact/lowest investment opportunities for integrating AI into our work days.
• A collaborative process where we used our company knowledge hub in Notion to write lyrics, which were fed into an AI song generator to write a Meetup Theme song. It’s called Lasso The Sky, and let’s just say we’ll stick to tourism for our day jobs 😳.

Important takeaways from the workshop, and what it means for our community, partners and customers

Curious minds. Healthy scepticism.

There was a general sentiment within the team that AI is a no-brainer when it comes to repetitive, routine writing tasks, where there is now emotional backbone required, the format is heavily rigid, and the time saved can be used to create more value in other areas where human judgment or emotion is required. Examples included generating product tutorials, or internal SOP documents.

On the other hand, everyone agreed that passing purely AI-generated content off as content written by a human raises issues of brand authenticity and quality of the content. These include editorial content, educational articles in Springnest Academy, and personalised email correspondence with customers.

Having transparent conversations about AI at Meetup affirmed that being skeptical is an essential component of intentional AI use.

Lily Padiachy, Customer Success at Springnest

Don’t leave people guessing

AI is inevitable, but nothing stops us from being transparent about when someone is interacting with AI content, and when they are not. The idea of an “AI disclaimer” linked to content came up as a suggestion.

Some use cases are more prone to the AI hallucinating than others

During a segment of the session where we shared our existing experience with Ai at Springnest, we heard about everything from analysing dense SEO reports for consultative support, to writing structured briefs for the handover from Sales to Production, and using AI’s reasoning as a sounding board during difficult, high-pressure situations.

Prioritises value for customers, not just cost and time saving

As a fully remote, proudly lean team, having an army of always-present, never tired, phD-level AI helpers ready to carry our workload is obviously attractive. But there’s a difference between just optimising our business and viewing AI as a way to add more direct value for our customers. We’re committed to honouring that balance.

What to expect from AI and Springnest over the next year

• Faster resolution to consultative and complex support cases as we’re building out our internal knowledge base, housing 15 years of our expert human knowledge and experience
• A brand new series of add-on marketing services, leveraging AI to offer high-value, lower-cost solutions for customers who want to outsource their marketing
• Smarter solutions for multi-lingual Springnest websites
• More raw, video-based learning content, to combat the tsunami of AI slop flooding social feeds and search results

Like you, we’re navigating a rollercoaster of excitement, possibility, anxiety, and doubt about how AI is going to impact our work. What I can assure you of at this stage is that we’re embracing the change, and remain focused on our simple core values of making things to simple to use and easy to understand for you. As long as AI contributes to that, we’ll work to develop a healthy relationship with it.

Thank you for going on this journey with us,

Peter

For a long time, blogging worked a certain way: share a few listicles, include your keywords, and Google might reward your efforts with better visibility. That approach helped many small tourism businesses compete online.

But travellers don’t search like that anymore. They’re not typing “Sea Point guest house” into a search bar as often. They’re asking tools like ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overview questions like:

• “Where should I stay in Cape Town with kids?”
• “Is Sea Point safe for families?”
• “Which area in Cape Town has the best views?”
• “What’s the best lodge near Kruger for a first-time safari?”
• “Which East African island is better for a honeymoon: Zanzibar or Mauritius?”

And here’s the important part: these tools don’t just look for keywords, they look for answers that sound confident, local, and trustworthy.

Why This Matters for You

This doesn’t mean blogging is dead. Far from it. It means blogging needs a shift in approach.

• Old way: Write “Top 10 Things To Do in Cape Town” and hope to outrank TripAdvisor.
• New way: Write “Why Sea Point is one of the best bases for families in Cape Town”, “Why Skukuza makes a great first stop in Kruger National Park”, or “Why Zanzibar is a more laid-back choice than Mauritius for couples”.

That’s the difference. It’s not about tricking search engines. It’s about helping travellers with real questions in plain language.

The Two Types of Blog Posts That Still Work

1. Discovery blogs: Help people dream and plan. Think “Hidden beaches only locals know about in Cape Town”, “5 reasons to visit Kruger in the green season”, or “Local food to try on your first trip to Zanzibar”.
2. Stay-intent blogs: Help people decide where to stay. Think “Where families should stay in Cape Town (and why Sea Point makes it easier)”, “Best safari camps for first-timers in Kruger”, or “Where honeymooners should stay in Mauritius vs Zanzibar.”

Both matter. One gets you into the conversation early. The other puts you right where bookings happen.

What About Linking Out?

For years, the advice was “don’t link out, you’ll lose visitors.” In the AI era, it’s different. Outbound links to credible sources (like Cape Town Tourism, SANParks, or official tourism boards in Mauritius or Zanzibar) make your content more trustworthy, both to travellers and to AI tools. Think of it less like sending someone away, and more like adding a footnote that says, “See? You can trust me.”

Springnest’s Guide to Getting Started

1. Pick One Traveller Question to Answer
   Think of a real question your guests ask you (in emails, at check-in, or on the phone).Examples: “Is Sea Point safe for families?”, “What’s the easiest lodge to reach from Kruger airport?”, “Which East African island is better for diving?”
2. Write a Blog Post Around That Question
   Use the question (or a natural variation of it) as your blog title. Start your post by answering directly in the first 2–3 sentences.
3. Structure it Simply
   Break your content into short sections with clear headings.Use bullet points or FAQs if it helps.End with a gentle link to your rooms or offers (“This is why many families choose to stay at our guest house in Sea Point…” or “This is why our lodge is ideal for first-time safari guests in Kruger…”).
4. Add Trust Signals
   If you reference something official (like a park, transport, or safety guideline), link to the official source. Keep outbound links limited and useful, think footnotes, not distractions.
5. Cross-Share Your Content
   Repurpose your blog into a short Facebook post, Instagram caption, or email snippet. AI tools don’t only read your website, they sample content from across the web.

The Big Shift to Keep in Mind

Here’s the heart of it:

• Old blogging = chasing Google with keywords.
• AI-era blogging = answering travellers’ real questions with authority and personality.

If your content can do that, it has a chance to be pulled into AI search results, building trust and nudging travellers closer to booking with you.

What if your website could showcase your best Instagram moments—without sending visitors away?

We’re excited to introduce the Instagram Widget, a brand-new way to seamlessly display your latest Instagram posts on your Springnest website. If you’re already investing time in creating engaging social content, this widget helps you make the most of it—keeping your website fresh, visually dynamic, and aligned with your brand.

Why This Matters for Your Website

Your Instagram feed is a powerful storytelling tool, showcasing your property’s atmosphere, experiences, and personality. With this update, you can:

Inspire visitors with real-time content, directly from Instagram.
Keep your website fresh without manual updates.
Engage potential guests without sending them off your site.
Customise the look and feel to match your brand.

No extra effort. Just effortless visual storytelling.

Visit the Help Centre for a step-by-step guide on adding yours (or see the instructions in the video above).

Bonus AI Prompt

Use the prompt below, to brainstorm personalised headings for your widget. Customise it with your preferences and run it in your AI tool for choice (ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini etc)

Beginning of AI Prompt

I need 10+ creative, on-brand heading options for an Instagram widget that displays my latest Instagram posts on my website. The headings should:

• Be short (just a few words).
• Clearly communicate why website visitors should engage with my Instagram content.
• Use social media-related language, terms, or playful puns.
• Fit my brand's style and tone.

Business Context:

Website URL: [Insert your website URL]

Brand Style: [Describe your brand’s style— eg. luxurious, trendy, fun, or conservative]

Generate engaging and creative headings that reflect my brand and make visitors want to explore my Instagram content.

End of AI prompt

Before diving into the process of selecting images for your hotel website, it’s crucial to ask yourself a few key questions. These will help you align your visuals with the expectations and preferences of your potential guests.

1. Who are your ideal guests?
   Families, solo travellers, couples, business travellers?
2. What parts of their experience at your property do they typically enjoy the most?
   Look at your reviews to find common themes guests love.
3. What unique features set your property apart from the competition?
   Is it the scenic view, exceptional service, luxurious rooms, or unique amenities?
4. How do you describe your property to guests or partners over the phone or at trade fairs?
   Use this description to determine which images tell the story most effectively.

Next, create a simple content statement

For example, imagine your lodge primarily attracts families and couples looking for a private and immersive nature experience. Reviews highlight the unforgettable game drives with expert guides, tranquil moments in private lodges surrounded by wilderness, and the opportunity to learn about and support conservation efforts. Pair these insights with your unique features, such as world-class wildlife encounters, serene settings, and interactive conservation activities. By selecting images that showcase these elements—a family on a game drive spotting wildlife, a couple enjoying a private deck overlooking the savannah, or guests participating in a conservation project—you can craft a visual story that resonates with your target audience. Take a moment to list your own key themes and features, then think about how to bring them to life through imagery.

A short, simple statement could look something like this: My images should appeal to families and couples, highlighting the privacy, world-class game viewing, and opportunities to connect with nature that make my lodge unique. They should showcase serene private settings, captivating wildlife encounters, and moments of learning about and contributing to conservation efforts, creating a visual story that inspires guests to immerse themselves in the experience.

Practical Split of Types of Images

To create a comprehensive and appealing visual representation of your property, divide your images into three main categories: practical images, atmosphere and details, and lifestyle shots.

1. Practical Images

These images provide clear, straightforward views of your property’s spaces and amenities, helping potential guests understand what to expect.

• Space and Layout
  Room sizes and layouts
• Common areas like the lobby, dining room, and conference facilities
• Environment
  Exterior shots of the property
• Views from rooms or common areas
• Amenities
  Pool, gym, spa, dining areas
• Special features like rooftop terraces or garden spaces

2. Atmosphere and Details

These images capture the finer details and ambience of your property, evoking a sense of place and style.

• Close-Ups
  Decor elements like artwork, furnishings, and lighting fixtures
• Details such as fresh flowers, bedding, and toiletries
• Ambience
  Lighting that creates a cosy or luxurious feel
• Unique architectural features or design elements

3. Lifestyle Shots

Lifestyle images show guests enjoying their stay, helping potential visitors imagine themselves at your property.

• Guest Experiences
  Guests dining, relaxing, or engaging in activities at the property
• Families, couples, or business travellers using the facilities
• Local Activities
  Guests exploring local attractions or participating in cultural experiences
• Special events or activities hosted by the property

Case Study from the Springnest Community: Stil.

Putting It All Together: Curating Your Gallery

Once you have categorised your images, it’s time to curate them effectively on your website.

Homepage

• Signature Shots
  Feature your most visually stunning images that tell the story of your property.
• Key Highlights
  Include images that showcase what makes your property unique.

Room Pages

• Practical Views
  Show different room types with clear, well-lit images.
• Atmospheric Details
  Include close-ups of room features and decor.

Amenities and Services

• Facility Overviews
  Highlight pools, gyms, spas, and dining areas with clear, comprehensive images.
• Lifestyle Experiences
  Show guests enjoying these amenities.

FAQ: Choosing and Curating Images for Your Website

What size should my images be?

While Springnest auto-optimises images to ensure the best possible performance, it’s recommended to use images that are 2000-3000 pixels wide for the best editing experience. This size provides a good balance between quality and load times.

How many images should I use per category?

Less is more. People are used to consuming a lot of visual content and often jump between contexts. Instead of adding 20 similar images, choose your best 2-3 per category. This ensures that each image has a significant impact and keeps your website clean and engaging.

Why should I focus on practical, atmospheric, and lifestyle images?

Dividing your images into practical, atmospheric, and lifestyle categories helps create a comprehensive and appealing visual representation of your property. Practical images provide clear views of spaces and amenities, atmospheric images capture details and ambience, and lifestyle images show guests enjoying their stay. This combination effectively showcases your property and appeals to potential guests.

How often should I update my images?

Regularly refresh your image gallery to keep it relevant and engaging. Update images to reflect different seasons or special events, and add new photos whenever you upgrade or introduce new features.

Can I use images taken by guests?

It is recommended to use professional images on your website to ensure the highest quality and consistency. User-generated content (UGC) is best reserved for your blog and social media channels, where it can add authenticity and engage your audience in a more informal setting.

Conclusion

By asking the right questions and categorising your images effectively, you can create a visually appealing website that attracts and converts potential guests. The right mix of practical, atmospheric, and lifestyle images will provide a comprehensive view of your property, helping guests envision their stay and feel confident in their booking decision. Remember, your images are a powerful storytelling tool—use them to showcase the best of what your property has to offer.

Meet the latest product updates for Springnest Articles, designed to make your blog more engaging and user-friendly:

Introducing Suggested Content: Keep Readers Hooked
Automatically display relevant articles at the end of each post, keeping readers engaged longer. Suggested Content, based on categories, tags, and authors, is active by default and fully customizable.

Grid View for Blog Index Pages
Our new Grid view layout gives a sleek, compact look to your blog index pages on desktop, perfect for showcasing a variety of articles at a glance.

Enhanced CTAs with Summary Fields
Add punchy headlines and additional context to your CTAs with the new summary field, offering more flexibility to drive action.

No More Guessing: We've added an optional international dial code for enquiry forms

The new form element prompts your visitors to easily choose a relevant country code associated with the phone number they share with you. While optional for your visitor to use, it greatly improves the clarity of contact information received through your enquiry forms.

Every so often, we get a support request from a Springnest customer about an email they received from an external SEO consultant or company. These emails usually imply that someone high up like a Manager or Technical Expert took a look at the business' website. They found a series of important problems to solve, and they have the answer to the problem (for a fee, of course).

Below is a screenshot of such a message that made its rounds in the Springnest community recently.

Why am I receiving these emails, and should I be worried?

Think about it: a complete stranger sends you an unsolicited email about your business' website, guaranteeing to solve a series of issues you never worried about until now, and likely don't understand.

Sounds like snake oil to me.

• These emails are sent as part of mass spam campaigns, and are not tailored to your business or website.
• While there are many online SEO reporting tools that could generate SEO summaries for your website without your consent, the person or company who sent this to you, doesn't have the access to information to offer strategic SEO advice.
• Ironically, taking someone up on this type of SEO pitch could cause the very issues they are warning you against.

Why do businesses even care about unsolicited emails from complete strangers?

Because not understanding something can cause panic.

SEO is an inherently technical topic, meaning that the average hotel, guest house, or activity business owner has absolutely no idea how their website is being ranked on Google, or whether they should pay more attention to it. Unfortunately, this makes them vulnerable to opportunistic SEO “experts” (I'm using inverted commas because anyone who needs to send cold emails and use fearmongering to sell SEO services, is the opposite of an expert in my view).

Perceived problems (what businesses feel pressured to solve)

• W3C Markup Validation
• Header response code checkup
• Meta Robots
• Keyword Quantum Leapology (Ok, I made that one up)

Actual, underlying concerns (questions businesses should be asking)

• Am I getting enough value from my website provider for the price I am paying?
• Are there digital marketing tactics that my competitors understand, and I don't?
• Are my competitors getting more bookings this season? Am I missing out on revenue?

Are you saying SEO is a hoax?

Not at all.

SEO continues to be an important tactic to reach guests and raise awareness around your website and business. But it's exactly that, one potential tactic. SEO has also evolved immensely since the days when those SEO spam emails held any real weight. There's no magic wand to wave to get your website to outrank your competitors.

Like any other marketing tactic (paid ads, email marketing, social media marketing, loyalty campaigns, trade fairs), SEO requires a strategy and budget. It can get extremely nuanced and involves much more than a once-off audit or researching some keywords. You can decide whether investing in SEO is a worthwhile investment compared to other tactics. If it is, there are two types of work you should include in your strategy:

a) Technical SEO (minimum requirements of a good website)

• Your website must be fast and easy to use, on all devices. If your website is developed properly this should not be a big concern.
• Your website has technical components like Meta Tags and URLs which should be set up to be search engine friendly. The way your pages are built should also include something called structured data. These are like labels for Google, making it easier to understand your content, and increasing the changes of your website showing up in different types of search results.
• When search engines like Google introduce changes to the way they rank and index websites (also known as algorithm updates), your website needs to meet these technical requirements.

b) Ongoing, strategic SEO (things that will cost additional time and money)

• Keyword and customer research to determine how people search for your product, and which words you need to rank for to get the right people to land on your website.
• Regular, new content (blog articles, destination information, room descriptions, itineraries, reviews), containing the words from the point above.
• Adding alt tags to images (essentially helping search engines understand what your images are about). While Google is becoming good at understanding the contents of photos, there is still a way to go in terms of context. A double bed in Joburg looks the same as a double bed in Cape Town. And Kimberley. And Paris.
• Links from other, relevant websites (also called Backlinks). Think of these as an SEO-vote-of-confidence from other brands and businesses.
• Your profile and activity on your Google Business Profile and Google Maps.
• There are more, but these will have the most impact and will keep you, your SEO agency, or SEO consultant busy for a while.

What SEO is included in my Springnest Plan?

Everything in the technical part (point a 👆)

What can I do to increase my visibility and ranking?

• Ignore future SEO spam emails (and don't click links or open attachments)
• Ask yourself what business problem you are hoping to solve. More traffic? More bookings? Both? How much budget are you willing to allocate to increase these metrics?
• Check your business vitals. Take a look at your website performance report in Springnest Dashboard (or Google Analytics if you have that set up), alongside your booking engine report. This should give you a good indication whether you need to generate more traffic and awareness, or whether you are, in fact, seeing good traffic, and simply need to convert more of your website visitors into bookers.
• If you have the interest and time to do SEO in-house, browse our resources and start educating yourself. Regular content updates, running a blog, and adding Alt tags to your images are practical steps you can ytake in-house without much technical knowledge.
• The other option is to hire a (real) expert. Ask us about Springnest-approved SEO consultants and writers.

Is there anything else you'd like us to write about?

Please let us know by sending an email to help@springnest.com, we'd love to hear from you.