The 5 Ws Of Blogging For Your B&B

For as long as blogging has been preached to innkeepers, it has also been one of our greatest pain points. Blogging is a proven marketing strategy but it requires careful planning and execution.

Let’s explore the 5 Ws of effective blogging for your B&B and how they can give your blog direction and purpose:

1. WHO am I writing to?

In the hospitality industry, our broad target market is travelers. But you will need to determine your specific target demographic. Think about who your past guests have been. Think about the type of guests that you want to attract. Consider why those particular people would want to travel to your area.

2. WHAT should I write about?

You might initially think that you should be writing about your property, your amenities, your excellent service, etc. One major truth to travel is that the lodging is rarely the destination. Travelers go to LA for the food scene. Travelers go to Yellowstone to enjoy the outdoor beauty. As a result of their desire to visit these destinations, they will need a place to stay.

With that in mind, focus your blog posts on the destination. Feature local attractions, seasonal events, the local food scene, or the art scene. Alert travelers to these attractions and give them some personal commentary. What's your favorite meal at that local restaurant? What is the best time of year to visit that nearby National Park? Where's the best parking for that downtown farmers market? You are the local so that means you can provide insider tips and tricks that travelers won't find anywhere else.

3. WHERE do I publish blog posts?

There is some debate in the SEO community as to whether your blog should be in a subfolder (bnbwebsites.com/blog) or a subdirectory of your website (blog.bnbwebsites.com). Regardless of which route you choose, the most important thing is that your blog is actually associated with your website - don't use something like bnbwebsites.wordpress.com.

Subfolder or subdirectory, if you are publishing high-quality, linkable content, it will be found.

4. WHEN should I write new posts?

The most highly recommended frequency for blogging is weekly but don't treat that as canon. If you simply don't have the time to blog weekly, it's likely going to lead to publishing low-quality content and/or burnout.

Start off with monthly blog posts. Once you've gotten that down, then consider stepping it up to every-other-week. Once you've gotten that down, then consider stepping it up to weekly.

A high-quality blog post monthly is exponentially better than low-quality blog posts weekly.

5. WHY am I blogging?

A. Provide valuable information to travelers

The primary purpose of any business blog is to provide useful information to your industry. Be an expert in your area. Provide useful information to travelers, while introducing them to your brand. But as soon you start using your blog as a billboard, that's when you start losing folks.

B. Increase your online presence

Consistently publishing high-quality material is also a great way to earn links from other reputable websites. If your content is truly original and useful, other websites will want to link to it as a resource. An increasing backlink profile is one way to prove to search engines that your website deserves to be ranked highly.




Blogging is not an easy activity. It is a huge time commitment. You have to research, you have to write, you have to edit, you have to publish. It's not easy but, when executed properly, it can reap huge results.