Cutting OTA dependency for a Mediterranean hotel group
A 5-property boutique hotel group across Malta and Sicily was losing 15–22% of every booking to OTA commissions. Here's how a technical SEO audit and a year of local-search work turned direct bookings into the primary channel.
Heavy OTA dependency and technical debt
Over 80% of the group's booking volume came through OTAs paying 15–22% commission, while the group's own sites were losing the visibility fight. A technical SEO audit (what we call Technical Audits) turned up three compounding problems:
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01
Technical performance
Lighthouse scores as low as 34/100 on mobile across the portfolio.
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02
Google Business Profile
Inconsistent name/address/phone details and unoptimised listings across all five locations.
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03
Visibility deficit
Outranked by local competitors and third-party booking sites even for their own branded search terms.
Local foundation
Full Google Business Profile audit and cleanup, plus Hotel structured-data markup to feed room pricing and availability straight into search results.
Performance overhaul
Core Web Vitals optimisation (Performance Engineering) rebuilding front-end assets to lift PageSpeed scores from 34 to 92.
Content strategy
120+ location-specific pages built around "things to do" and "best areas" searches near each property.
Review engineering
Automated review solicitation wired into the property-management system, targeting a 4-hour response time on every direct review.
Key technical actions
The 12-month trajectory
+65% sessions
Initial technical cleanup and local citation syncing produce immediate visibility gains.
+140% traffic
Content strategy matures; properties begin appearing for competitive "best hotels in…" terms.
Local domination
All five properties reach the Top 3 local pack. OTA dependency drops to 45% as direct traffic surges.
+289% traffic · €340,000 saved
Direct bookings up 195%, fundamentally shifting the business away from OTA reliance.
“Direct bookings have nearly tripled since partnering with SEO Engineers. We are saving over €340,000 annually in OTA commissions. The ROI is undeniable.”
Marco Rossi
Digital Director, Hospitality Group
Related reading
This engagement started with the same technical SEO audit we run for every new client. See how the same approach plays out elsewhere, or talk to us about your own portfolio.
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