The Importance of Brand for Travel SEO in an AI World

Nearly half of searches now include a brand name, yet many SEO and travel marketing teams still treat brand building as an afterthought. In this post-AI search landscape, that’s no longer an option. 

AI-powered search relies on signals of trust – mentions, citations, consistency. Visibility now starts with reputation. And for travel SMEs, that means weaving brand building and organic search into one unified strategy. 

We’re now operating in a world where attention is cheap, but trust is rare. And that’s exactly where digital PR for travel comes in. 

In this article, we’ll explore why brand is becoming central to travel SEO, and how to make sure yours is showing up in all the right places.

What do we mean by ‘brand’?

When we talk about ‘brand’, we don’t mean your logo, your fonts, or your colour palette. Sure, those things are important – they help people recognise you – but they’re just the outward expressions of something bigger, not your brand itself. 

What we’re really talking about is perception. 

Your brand is the sum of all the signals that tell people – and search engines – that you’re credible, relevant, and trustworthy. It’s what makes someone see your name in search results or on social media and feel confident clicking. Or it’s the reason they come looking for you in the first place. 

Take a brand like TUI. People know it, and they’re more likely to click it. That’s not just down to a sleek logo – it’s because the brand is well-established, recognisable, and trusted. That instinctive pull? That’s brand. 

Google’s focus on brand 

Google’s focus on brand skyrocketed when AI hit the mainstream. Suddenly, content was everywhere. With tools like ChatGPT, anyone could generate thousands of blogs in minutes – fast-tracking publishing and pumping traffic to their sites. 

But with that came a wave of sameness. A flood of templated tone, surface-level insight, and content that looked fine on the surface but lacked anything meaningful underneath. As a result, Google found itself drowning in regurgitated, low-value content – and search quality took a hit. Exactly the kind of thing Google works so hard to prevent. 

Against this backdrop, trust becomes the most valuable currency in the room. Travellers increasingly wanted credible and authentic recommendations from brands they recognised – not just another AI clone with a nice headline. 

Google responded the way it always does: with algorithm updates. A stream of algorithm changes followed, putting more emphasis on helpful, people-first content and core E-E-A-T principles. But one pattern quickly emerged – the travel sites coming out on top weren’t just creating helpful content. They had strong brands.

Booking.com. Expedia. Even when their content didn’t go above and beyond, they were rewarded. Because they’re trusted, well-known, and widely mentioned across the web. Like it or not, Google still backs the big names.

How do we know that Google measures brand strength?

Where’s the proof that Google actually uses brand signals in search rankings? 

We have the recent Google leaks to thank for that. 

These internal documents gave us a rare behind-the-scenes look at how Google works – and confirmed what many digital PRs have been saying for years: you need a strong, established brand to perform well in search. And that’s even truer when it comes to being cited in LLM-generated results. 

The leaks uncovered a lot – some things SEOs had long suspected, others that came as a complete surprise. But one takeaway stood out: Google’s ability to identify and measure brand entities. 

It was such a core finding, in fact, that Rand Fischkin highlighted it as his main takeaway from the leaks as a whole: 

“If there was one universal piece of advice I had for marketers seeking to broadly improve their organic search rankings and traffic, it would be: Build a notable, popular, well-recognised brand in your space, outside of Google search.”

For us at SEO Travel, this wasn’t a revelation – it was validation. We’ve always believed brand building is essential to long-term SEO success for travel businesses, and our digital PR team has been proving that with our clients for years. But it’s great to see hard evidence to back it up. 

And there’s more. At SearchNorwich in December, Mark Williams-Cook revealed findings from a Google exploit that shed even more light on this. According to him, Google uses something called a site_quality score to measure the strength of a brand – and it’s influenced by:

• Branded searches – how often people search specifically for your brand name.
  
• User interactions – like clicks on your site even when you’re not ranking top.
  
• Mentions & anchor text – showing up around the web, not just in backlinks.

The takeaway? To compete in SEO in 2025 and beyond, you don’t just need content – you need a brand people trust. 

The impact of brand on AI search & LLMs 

So brand is key for visibility in Google. But is it important for AI search? The short answer is yes. It really is. 

Large Language Models (LLMs) don’t just pull any old content. They prioritise trusted sources: top-tier media, expert opinions, structured content, and social proof. 

Getting your travel brand into those spaces isn’t easy to fake. You have to earn it. And that’s exactly the point. 

When your brand appears in a Forbes feature, a national travel roundup, or alongside commentary from a respected expert, that content feeds the LLMs – and it sticks. These systems look for:

• Established brands 
• With consistent messaging 
• Across multiple offsite, high-authority platforms 

Sound familiar? It’s not far off Google’s own E-E-A-T principles – just scaled by AI. 

In other words, digital PR can directly influence brand visibility in LLMs, and this presents a huge opportunity for travel SMEs. The travel brands that get cited, surfaced, and recommended won’t be the ones shouting the loudest – they’ll be the ones who’ve earned their place in the conversation. 

That’s why brand perception is becoming one of the most defensible SEO signals you can invest in. 

Of course, AI search is still new – and ever changing. What works today might shift tomorrow. But one thing is clear: PR works. 

In other words, AI is also prioritising what our PR team has always aimed for: prioritising credibility over clickbait and substance over spin. For travel brands, this marks a turning point. If you want to be cited, surfaced, and seen, it’s not about who shouts loudest – it’s about who earns their place in the conversation. 

In this context, brand perception has become one of the most defensible signals a travel business can invest in. 

Why brand should be a core part of your SEO strategy 

Of course, AI search is still new – and ever changing. What works today might shift tomorrow. But one thing is important to remember: PR works best when it’s not siloed. The most successful travel brands treat it as part of a bigger picture. 

In this fragmented landscape, brand should be your anchor. The traditional pillars of SEO – content, links, and technical performance – still matter. But their real value lies in building recognition, trust, and demand for your brand.

Here’s why brand now belongs at the centre of your SEO strategy:

1. Brand influences how Google measures quality

Since the 2024 Helpful Content Updates, a clear pattern has begun to emerge: sites hit hardest often lack brand authority. 

Analysis has shown that sites with a high Domain Authority (DA) but low Brand Authority (BA) suffered the most. In other words, your backlinks and content have to work a lot harder when no one’s heard of your brand. 

2. Links are still valuable 

Yes, links are still a ranking factor. But the ones that count most now do more than pass PageRank – they build recognition. 

Good digital PR campaigns can help you earn those links and boost your visibility across platforms that LLMs pay attention to. When link building aligns with meaningful brand exposure, you’re not just building authority – you’re becoming the go-to.

3. Brand protects you as the SERPs evolve  

SERP real estate is shrinking. AI Overviews, carousels, ads, People Also Ask – it’s all pushing traditional organic listings further down the page. 

And in this more competitive, more visual search environment, users click on brands they recognise. They’re more likely to trust the result, engage with the content, and come back again. 

Signals like branded searches, engagement, and time on page all feed into how Google and LLMs assess value. So, having a known brand makes you harder to ignore – and harder to push off the page. 

4. It gives you more control over your traffic 

We all know algorithms will change, SERPs will evolve, and traffic sources will shift. But when you have a recognisable brand, you’re not completely at the mercy of Google.

You’ve got people coming to you directly. Whether through email, social, Youtube or even word of mouth. If people know your name and trust what you offer, they’ll find you – wherever you are. 

How to improve & measure brand for SEO?

If brand is becoming the backbone of SEO success, how can you strengthen it in a way that drives measurable results? 

Here are some practical ways to boost brand visibility and reputation – along with how you can track the impact: 

1. Focus on your users first 

Forget what Google wants for a minute. Focus on making your site genuinely helpful for real people. That means clear navigation, fast load times, and content that actually answers questions. 

As Mark Williams-Cook put it, “there is absolutely no ‘SEO change’ you should do on your site that will make the user experience worse. None. No exceptions.”

How to measure: 

• Time on site 
• Scroll depth & page engagement 
• Return visitor rate 
• Feedback tools or on-page surveys
  

2. Earn links & mentions through digital PR

People can’t engage with a brand they’ve never heard of. 

Digital PR helps put your travel brand on people’s radars – securing coverage, links, and mentions in places your audience already trusts. Travel blogs, national media, expert roundups – they all feed into how you’re perceived online. 

How to measure:

• Referring domains & link velocity (via Ahrefs, Semrush)
• Unlinked mentions (via Google Alerts or Brand24)
• Share of voice vs. competitors
• Quality and relevance of media coverage

3. Diversify your traffic sources 

The strongest travel brands don’t rely on just one channel. They show up in inboxes, in Instagram reels, on Youtube, and even in podcasts. That kind of reach means your audience can find you even if the algorithm changes. 

How to Measure:

• Direct traffic and branded search growth
• Email open/click-through rates
• Social mentions and reach
• Assisted conversions across channels (via GA4)
  

4. Create content that connects

It’s not just about what you say – it’s how and where you say it. Great travel brands invest in content that reflects their values, solves problems, and genuinely helps their audiences. 

That means going beyond keyword optimisation. Publish things worth reading. 

How to Measure:

• Organic engagement (comments, shares, scroll depth)
• Inbound links to specific content pieces
• Content-assisted conversions
• Keyword visibility for informational queries
  

5. Build trust with E-E-A-T

If someone lands on your site, can they tell who you are? Why you’re credible? What real experience you bring?

You need to make it easy for both users and AI systems to understand why they should trust you. Show real names, faces, credentials, media features.

These E-E-A-T signals build trust – on the page, in the SERPs, and in AI-generated results. 

How to Measure:

• Visibility in AI Overviews or SGE (using tools like Authoritas, AlsoAsked or manual tracking)
• Rankings for expertise-driven queries
• Number of expert citations or co-mentions
• Mentions of key individuals (e.g. founders or authors) in third-party sites

6. Keep doing the SEO basics   

Yes, technical SEO, structured data, site speed and internal linking are all still important. But they should serve the bigger picture: building a brand users trust, and platforms can understand. 

Search engines still need clean signals to recognise your expertise. Don’t neglect them.

How to Measure:

• Crawlability and indexation
• PageSpeed and Core Web Vitals
• Schema markup validation
• Error resolution rates (via GSC) 

How digital PR can help

In a world where AI search favours trusted sources and recognisable names, digital PR has become a crucial bridge between SEO and brand-building. It’s no longer just about earning linked coverage – it’s about building relevance. And relevance comes from being talked about in the right places. Not just high-authority publications, but those that are really relevant to your brand.

That’s why digital PR is such a powerful tool in the age of AI and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). Well-placed stories, expert quotes, and media features create contextual signals that helps LLMs understand who you are, what you stand for, and why you’re a credible answer to someone’s query. 

The goal isn’t just to get mentioned. It’s to show up in the places your audience already trusts, offering insight that adds value. Do that consistently, and you’ll build a brand that performs well in both traditional rankings and AI-generated results.

What does this all mean for travel SMEs?

It’s simple, really. You need to invest in your brand. 

SEO still matters, but brand is now part of the SEO equation, not separate from it. 

Keep doing the basics well: optimise your site’s performance, target the right keywords, build internal links, and make your content easy to navigate. But alongside that, invest in brand visibility. Understand where your audience is hanging out, who they’re listening to, and what earns their trust – then make sure your name shows up in those places. 

Because today, brand is what helps you get cited in AI Overviews, referenced in LLMs, and chosen over the competition – even when clicks are down and SERPs are crowded. 

Want support building a brand that earns visibility, trust, and authority? Our digital PR team would love to help – get in touch to chat.

About The Author...

Chloe Robinson

SEO | GEO | PPC

Chloe’s role in the team is to create and implement SEO & PPC strategies to boost websites to the top of Google’s search results. Vancouver is her top travel destination, being the perfect blend of city and mountains.