January 30, 2024
Private Jet Charter SEO Strategies that Will Increase Bookings
The private jet charter industry stands out for its exclusivity and luxurious services. This is not your everyday airline, but a business catering instead to businessmen and the elite of society. And because of its affluent clientele, effectively marketing a private jet charter remains a significant challenge.
A decade ago, combining a few print and radio ads with customer referrals brought in customers and kept private jet charter companies thriving. But today, that approach falls short. Modern consumers, increasingly wary of traditional advertisements, predominantly use Google to explore their options for various services. Consequently, private jet charter operators realized what search engine optimization (SEO) is and how a good position in Google search results leads to increased organic search traffic, more leads, and a growing customer base.
When searching on Google, prominent private jet charter companies dominate the search results. The critical question then becomes: how can a new or small private jet charter business stand out amongst these established players in search engine results pages (SERPs)?
Keep reading to find out how search engines work and how you can exploit this knowledge to your advantage.
How do search engines work?
Search engine crawlers/bots continuously scour the internet to discover web pages and add them to their index. Whenever a search is initiated, the algorithms display the indexed pages in search results and rank them based on their relevance.
The ranking process involves evaluating hundreds of elements, such as the presence of relevant keywords, the quality of content, the authority of the site, the user experience, and numerous other factors. Let's say a VIP is using Google to find a Gulfstream G650 jet charter, your website your site may or may not come up depending on these factors. Does your page content contain "gulfstream g650" or other related keywords? Do you provide all the information customers need to book a reservation? Is your private charter a trusted brand in the private jet industry? Each of these factors will impact your page's position in Google search results, organic traffic, and the profitability of your business in general.
SEO strategy for private jet charters
When potential clients look up private jet charter services on a search engine and land on your site, the goal extends beyond just attracting their visit. You want them to take action, whether it's booking a jet immediately or capturing them as a lead by having them fill out a contact form. To achieve this, employ the right strategies to draw in qualified leads and encourage them to convert:
Know your target audience
To launch a successful SEO or any digital marketing campaign, you must first understand your target market. Your clientele consists of high-net-worth individuals and corporations who prioritize their time and privacy. They also prefer convenience, comfort, and luxury over cost considerations. By understanding their preferences and habits, you can present your brand's unique value proposition to match their expectations.
Target the right keywords
You want to be seen as the best and safest private jet charter company, but by whom? Unless you operate around the world or your private jets can arrive in an hour to where your clients are, it's more practical to corner potential clients near your homebase. You can do so by identifying and utilizing location-based keywords in your content.
Keywords serve as the crucial link connecting user searches with the content on your site. If your content lacks these essential keywords, your page won't show up in search engine results. Identifying keywords is also important if you plan to run a Google Ads campaign since you want to make sure that your ads only appear on specific search queries.
We recommend using Ahrefs Keyword Explorer to discover keywords used by your clientele when looking for private jet charters. The tool will also show you how many people use a certain search term per month and the level of competition.
At the beginning of your campaign, focus on targeting specific keywords with lower competition and high search volume, rather than generic terms like "private jet charter" or "private plane rental". This approach avoids stiff competition from private aviation industry giants, makes it easier to achieve better rankings, and sees website traffic increase quickly. You may target keywords like these instead:
- jet charter in [location] (e.g. jet charter in dallas)
- private jet [location]
- one way private jet charter to [location]
- g650 jet charter in [location]
- empty leg flights in [location]
- deadhead flights to [location]
After identifying your target keywords, group similar search terms and assign them to specific pages. For example, "private jet charter in dallas" and related terms will be used only on the homepage, while "gulfstream private jet charter" will be assigned to the Gulfstream jet charter page.
Lastly, you must also consider the intent behind keywords, not just their search volume and competition. Some keywords imply a user's search for information, while others suggest they are ready to make a booking. Understanding the intent will be important in the next step - content creation.
Publish two types of content
The first type of content that you should publish is page copies packed with information. Start by outlining your value proposition as previously discussed. This will guide the content you write and how you effectively phrase it.
Imagine yourself as the customer, thinking about the information you would want before booking a private jet. Provide them with essential details such as:
- Rates and payment methods for the charter
- Aircraft specifications
- Airport arrival, departure, and pickup details
- Amenities offered
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Remember the keywords you discovered using Ahrefs? Integrate keywords that have a transactional intent with your unique value propositions to craft engaging content. Place those keywords strategically in page titles, meta descriptions, and headings to make your content search-engine-friendly.
The second type of content is to be used to expand your reach to other markets. Capitalize on the emerging luxury travel trend by actively using content to spark interest and educate potential clients about this new era of travel. Engage travelers with a variety of blogs and social media posts that showcase luxury travel and the unique selling points of private aviation to build trust and expertise as a private jet charter.
Make your website an eye-candy
It's kinda maddening to see the websites of private jet charter companies do not have an elegant design and branding. Looks are everything in the private aviation industry and the clientele is especially picky. Domains that don't radiate luxury won't attract that many patrons.
To market your private jet charter successfully, you need to build a strong brand that differentiates your services in the competitive landscape and leaves a lasting impression on your clients. Your web design and its imagery should exude trust, safety, comfort, and supreme luxury above all else.
While the design and imagery don't have a direct effect on search engine rankings, they are still a vital marketing strategy. Visuals are very important to user experience and can be the difference in swaying the decision-making in your favor.
When designing or redesigning your domain, make sure it has good site speed, looks good, and functions well on desktop and mobile devices. Keep in mind the superior user experiences provided by leading flight and hotel brands. Your website should offer an experience that matches or exceeds theirs to stand out and attract customers.
Make it easier for Google to find you
We mentioned earlier that Google visits and indexes billions of domains on the internet. This means that Google crawlers have a limited time indexing each one. This is why you need to eliminate duplicate content, broken links, incorrect canonical tags, and various technical issues as they can hinder or even block search engines from visiting and indexing your site. Your otherwise excellent content will be useless if they are inaccessible to both Google and people.
To ensure your website stays in top shape, your team needs to conduct regular technical SEO audits and address any issues. Just as you keep your private jets well-maintained, you should apply the same care to your domain.
Making your website friendly for search engines is a long and complex process that we've outlined in separate guides. We recommend that you collaborate with your developer and read our guide for conducting an SEO website audit and how to optimize your landing pages for SEO.
Create online business listings
Google often displays special boxes containing business information in the right sidebar of search results. These visually appealing and informative business profiles come from a brand's Google Business Profile (GBP).
Your private jet charter company can get its own eye-catching and informative profile by claiming your free GBP. This straightforward process takes just a few minutes but can significantly enhance your organic visibility.
However, don't stop at GBP. Create your profile on Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Facebook, Yelp, and other online business listings to reach a wider audience. Ensure you regularly update and maintain consistent information across all platforms to avoid confusion. You wouldn't want to misdirect potential customers to the wrong address.
Having a strong presence on local online directories will make it easy for your potential clients to find your company. This increased online presence can translate to a surge in website visitors, culminating in higher bookings and revenue.
Earn backlinks for your website
Backlinks are the blue, often underlined text in blogs, news articles, and other online publications. They are used to reference information sources and also play a critical role in Google's trust-based algorithm.
Let's say the website of a civil aviation authority links to your website, Google's interpretation is that the the civil aviation domain endorses your website. More backlinks signal to Google that your site is reputable, potentially boosting it to the first page of search results. In short, more backlinks lead to better rankings.
Publishing standout content is an effective, safe way to earn backlinks. Quality content naturally gets shared on social media and attracts links from relevant sites. If you follow our advice about content creation, earning backlinks organically should be well within your reach.
Online directories are a good backlink source, which is why we recommend signing up with them. They're generally free, so there's every reason to create directory listings.
Forming a partnership could revolutionize your private jet charter SEO strategy. Luxury hotels or resorts cater to a similar clientele as private jet charters. Partnering with them grants access to their customer base without substantially hiking up marketing spend. Plus, you can ask your business partner to place your link on their website.
Finally, issuing press releases about your company's milestones is another way to secure backlinks since you're allowed to include your website address. PRs are often picked up by news agencies and bloggers, this means these domains will also link back to your website. If something newsworthy happens, write a compelling news piece and distribute it to PRNewswire, BusinessWire, and local news organizations as they reach thousands of other media outlets.
Provide outstanding customer service
Although customer satisfaction has no direct effect on private jet charter SEO, exceptional service still plays a key role in ensuring client retention and recommendation. A team that goes above and beyond the standard charter services will help your company stand out in the competitive private jet charter industry and can be the difference in turning one-time customers into satisfied clients and loyal patrons.
Need help implementing your private jet marketing strategy?
If you're still reading up to this point, thank you for reading through our guide. We trust that our SEO and digital marketing strategies for private jet charter companies will enhance your online presence, increase website traffic, and boost your leads.
If you find search engine optimization overwhelming, Serphead is ready to assist. Our experienced SEO experts specialize in bespoke solutions such as technical SEO, building backlinks, writing optimized page copies, and local SEO. We have helped all types of businesses succeed online with our holistic approach. We can do the same for private jet companies. Contact us today for a free consultation.