Webinar
08 May 2025

Webinar Recording - Is Traditional SEO Dead? How to Win at Travel Search to Drive Direct Bookings

In this webinar, industry leaders unpacked how the travel search landscape is undergoing a seismic shift - moving beyond Google to include AI platforms, social media, and video-first discovery channels. 

The panel called for a rethink of traditional SEO, urging brands to adopt a more holistic approach focused on discoverability, user-first content, and multi-channel visibility. 

From the rising influence of AI overviews on traffic to the critical role of brand authority in driving direct bookings, the discussion offered clear insights into what travel businesses must do now to stay competitive.

Panelists: 

KEY INSIGHT: 

  • The Search Landscape is Expanding Beyond Google: 

Search activity is no longer confined to traditional search engines; it now happens across a multitude of platforms including AI chatbots, social media (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok), Amazon, and more. Google's market share of ‘all search volume’ has significantly decreased from its early dominance.

  • The Focus Needs to Shift to "Search Everywhere Optimization": 

Given the proliferation of search platforms, the strategy must evolve from optimizing solely for search engines (SEO) to optimizing for discoverability and visibility across all platforms where potential customers are searching.

  • AI Platforms Are Beginning to Deliver Tangible Results: 

AI is not just a theoretical threat; it is already contributing to traffic, inquiries, bookings, and revenue for travel businesses, as shown by data from Discover Africa Group.

  • AI Has Accuracy Issues and Limitations: 

While evolving rapidly, AI can still provide incorrect information. There's also a danger in over-relying on AI to quickly generate low-quality content, which can create a negative cycle.

  • Google's AI Overviews Impact Website Traffic: 

Google's AI Overviews, which provide summarized answers at the top of search results, contribute to "zero-click searches" and can lead to a significant reduction (around 34%) in clicks to the first organic search result.

  • Traditional SEO Fundamentals Still Apply:

The foundational elements of traditional SEO, such as technical website health, keyword strategy, quality content, link building, user experience, structured data, EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), and brand authority, remain critical in the age of AI search.

  • Emphasis on EAT and Brand Authority is Crucial: 

In the new landscape, proving your Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (EAT) to algorithms (which are increasingly trained like humans) is paramount. Building a strong, recognizable brand is becoming even more important, potentially outweighing traditional link building in some AI contexts.

  • Content Must Be Created for People, Not Just Bots: 

The goal should be to create content that directly answers the nuanced, conversational, and often long-tail questions that humans are asking, especially through voice search or AI interactions. Websites should be a comprehensive "single source of truth" to serve both users and AI.

  • Detailed, Long-Tail Content (FAQs and Frequently Not Asked Qs that are still brand relevant) is Valuable: 

To help AI find and surface your content, provide extensive and specific information, covering not just frequently asked questions but also less common, long-tail queries where your site can demonstrate expertise.

  • Video is a Key Content Format for Engagement and Discoverability: 

Video is increasingly important for capturing audience attention across platforms. While AI can process video transcripts, creating high-quality, engaging video content can potentially keep users engaged longer than easily summarized text, and improves discoverability on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

Additional Links / Documents:
ATTA-Webinar-Is-traditional-SEO-dead-AI-era-Andre-Van-Kets.pdf

Zero click searches - https://www.semrush.com/blog/zero-click-searches/

By Discover Africa
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