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Key Takeaways
Content Still Matters, But Its Role Has Changed: You’re no longer just creating blogs to rank on Google. Search behavior is shifting, especially with AI overviews cutting traffic to content pages. But content still plays a critical role in brand authority, SEO support, and long-term visibility.
Don’t Expect Blogs to Convert—And That’s Okay: Your “Best Things to Do in Destin” blog may not lead directly to bookings, but it can help Google recognize you as a local authority. That builds trust and indirectly supports rankings for high-converting pages (like your property listings).
Shift Focus to the Right Kind of Content: Invest less in generic SEO blog posts and more in specific, valuable content. That includes guest videos, homeowner education, owner-facing case studies, and social-first visual content like Instagram Reels or TikToks.
Owner Content Might Be Your Secret Weapon: If you’re stable on guest acquisition, pivot some of your content budget toward content that speaks to current and future homeowners. This could be blog posts, downloadable guides, videos, or even tangible brochures.
Video Is a Non-Negotiable: You must be creating video. Whether it’s walkthroughs, vertical reels, or short guest experience clips, video boosts engagement, trust, and reach. Google is even indexing TikToks and Instagram Reels in search results now.
Social Channels Are the New Search Engines: Travelers (especially Millennials and Gen Z) are using TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts to search and discover. Your video content needs to be tailored to these platforms to meet them where they are.
Attribution Is Messy—But Content Still Works: You might not be able to see the exact path from blog post to booking, especially as platforms fragment discovery. But brand-building content (including social, email, and educational resources) absolutely influences conversions.
If You Do Content, Be Consistent: Don’t abandon content after a few posts or videos. You need volume and consistency—dozens, if not hundreds of pieces—before results start to compound. Treat it like a long-term investment.
Use Data-Backed Stories to Stand Out: Want to impress homeowners? Use real internal data to prove results (e.g. “Adding a sauna boosted revenue by X%”). These kinds of content pieces are compelling, unique, and impossible for AI to fake.
The Algorithm Will Keep Changing, Your Brand Shouldn’t: Search algorithms, AI tools, and platforms will continue evolving. The one thing you control is your brand, your message, and the consistency with which you show up. Keep investing in content that strengthens your identity.
Blogs Alone Won’t Cut It Anymore: You should still have written content on your site, but diversify. Repurpose written content into short-form videos, add images, and turn them into email newsletters or carousel posts. Multi-format = multi-channel ROI.
Don’t Rely Solely on Airbnb or Google: If you’re only investing in platforms you don’t control, you’re at risk. Content (owned and distributed wisely) gives you leverage, authority, and a long-term path to independence from OTAs.
What We Cover In This Episode
In this episode of The Heads In Beds Show, the guys DEBATE the content creation benefits. With AI overviews stealing a ton of your traffic, does it even make sense to take the crumbs of clicks that are left?
