FAQ

​How big is the team at Whirr?
Whirr is one person: Founder and SEO, Seth Woodward. In other words, we're very small, but that's by design. Whirr is personalized SEO, done at the most direct, personal level. Your initial contact is also your onboarding specialist, account manager, and lead strategist.
 
How is Whirr different from other SEO agencies?
This might be my favorite question. Firstly, Whirr focuses exclusively on the travel and tourism industry where we can best leverage our 15+ years of travel marketing experience. Secondly, larger agencies pass account work through multiple hands, which in our experience will inevitably lead to improper expectations, miscommunications, and inefficient execution.
 
Why does Whirr specialize in SEO for travel and tourism?
Our chosen specialization is two-fold: (a) we love travel and how it inspires us, and (b) our 15+ years of in-house experience within the travel industry revealed that generalist SEO agencies fail to grasp the nuances of travel and tourism businesses. Travel purchase cycles and customer journeys are unique, and as a result travel SEO is unique.
 
What are the key differences between SEO for general businesses and SEO for the travel industry?
Travel SEO involves extra consideration for the industry's unique levels of search intent, frequent location-based searching, long-tail emphasis, strong engaging visuals, extended (and repeated) buyer and traveler journeys, significant seasonality, dynamic competition, and a greater reliance on social proof or user-generated content.
 
Do you work with clients outside the travel industry?
Sometimes, but only if the fit is appropriate. If you like the cut of our jib but operate outside the realm of travel, we still invite you to reach out to see what Whirr can do for your business. Even if we're not a match, we may be able to point you in the right direction.
 
How are Whirr's SEO engagement terms structured?
We offer simple and flexible engagement options with a monthly fee based on your travel business' needs. I encourage 3- to 6-month initial engagement terms, allowing you to experience ROI before deciding on long-term commitment.
 
Does Whirr require long-term SEO commitments?
No, but in our discovery process we will give an honest assessment of your goals to outline when you should expect to see traction and measurable results. Whirr approaches SEO as your most effective and affordable long-term digital growth strategy, but that doesn't mean there aren't short-term gains and quick wins to be earned. Still, anything short of a 3-month engagement is likely a disservice to both your team and ours.
 
Can I upgrade or modify my service plan?
Yes. In fact, we may be the ones encouraging you to upgrade, change, or even downgrade your service plan based on emerging opportunities or factors like algorithm updates, measured performance, and your available resources. Like your travel business, SEO does not operate in a vacuum. It would be unfair, not to mention unwise, for us to be wed to a service plan that no longer supports your best interests.
 
How long before we'll see results?
It's important to understand that SEO is most effective as a long-term growth strategy. That said, you should see traction and early indications of growth in the first 3-6 months. More significant traffic gains and positive ROI (i.e., conversions and bookings) are more likely from months 6-12. These first 6-12 months are foundational to establish the sustained long-term growth of mature SEO strategies carried out for 12+ months. If we're doing our job properly, we've by this point clearly demonstrated the value of SEO as an ongoing process and are delivering compounding results.
 
Do you guarantee any results?
No, there are too many variables for us to guarantee results. However, we do set proper expectations, projecting results when possible, and commit to transparent progress reporting. In the event we fall short, we take accountability and revise our strategies as needed. On this note, please be hesitant of any travel SEO service making claims of guaranteed results. Guarantees usually accompany black hat tactics, and their potential short-term gains are not worth the long-term costs to your travel business.
 
Do you offer SEO audits for travel websites?
Yes, we offer a simple baseline audit for free. These are delivered with actionable insights, but are not as comprehensive as our paid, in-depth audits. We may advocate for a more thorough paid audit pending the findings of our initial audit or discovery call. Keep in mind, an SEO audit is a great starting point, but it's useless without proper implementation.
 
How much do Whirr's travel SEO plans cost?
Our plans vary in price depending on the needs of your travel business and the size of your site. In general, you should budget an investment of $2,000-$5,000 per month. This includes items such as onboarding, ongoing SEO strategy, competitive research, on-page optimizations, content outlines, and monthly reporting.
 
What resources are required from Whirr's clients?
Ok, this question is not frequently asked, but I wish it were because each client’s available resources significantly impacts the strategy and execution of our SEO recommendations. Whether you are a one-person travel business, or an enterprise-level organization supported by a full-scale marketing team, Whirr provides personalized strategies designed to grow with your business. Regardless of your company size, Whirr takes responsibility for the feasibility of our SEO advice. Therefore, we ensure each client has either the internal resources to implement our recommendations themselves, or access to reputable third-parties.
 
Does Whirr make changes directly to your travel website?
Since we specialize in travel SEO—and not in the countless coding languages and web platforms used by our clients—we appropriately limit our direct involvement with your website. Instead, we focus on providing detailed recommendations and strategies that you can execute with our support.
 
Will Whirr create and publish content for your travel and tourism site?
Sometimes. Depending on your product, business goals, and content management system (CMS), we may publish content directly to your site. However, in most of our SEO engagements we prioritize the researching and outlining of optimized content. With this approach, you leverage your intimate understanding of your audience with firsthand product knowledge to enhance and publish useful, high-quality content.