Choose the decision the page should help with

Before drafting, complete this brief: “This page helps [audience] decide [question], using [evidence], with [next step].” For example, a family-focused page might compare areas to stay and the room details to check. This is a suggested editorial brief, not a claim about a particular destination.

We recommend choosing the decision before the keywords because it gives every section a purpose. Keep broad country introductions and detailed resort comparisons distinct, then link them where the reader benefits.

Build a source record before writing

Use a simple record with the claim, source URL, date checked, scope and person responsible. Our suggested source choices are an official tourism body for destination descriptions, the operator for its timetable or opening information and the accommodation provider for specific facilities. This keeps each fact close to the organisation responsible for it.

For UK travellers, FCDO foreign travel advice covers entry requirements, safety, health risks and legal differences. Country pages offer email updates. Link to the relevant current advice and make any summary’s audience clear; do not turn a rule for one nationality into a promise for everyone.

If a detail cannot be verified, omit it or make the need to confirm explicit. We recommend this especially for journey times, seasonal facilities and accessibility claims, where an attractive sentence can otherwise create a practical expectation.

Add something the source pages do not already provide

Google’s helpful-content guidance asks publishers to offer original value and clear sourcing. It also warns against changing dates simply to make content appear fresh.

Use your own documented work: a comparison based on stated criteria, questions drawn from enquiries or an accurately attributed account from a colleague who visited. Explain why you recommend an area or holiday type using the relevant evidence. Do not invent a personal visit or a quotation to make the page sound experienced.

A useful test is whether a reader can understand the basis of the recommendation. Replace “ideal for everyone” with the specific features and trade-offs that support the choice.

Give the page a practical structure

Our suggested outline is: a direct answer, the main choices, practical planning details, a few genuine questions and the next step. Use descriptive headings so a reader can find the section they need without reading the whole page.

Link the advice to a relevant search, enquiry form or product page. Google’s link guidance recommends meaningful link text and relevant internal links. For example, a link labelled “Compare family room requirements” explains its destination more clearly than a repeated “Click here”.

Keep factual advice as readable text. If a map, photograph or table adds value, check its accuracy and usage rights and explain what it shows. We recommend reviewing the page on a phone before publication so the answer and next step remain easy to use.

Treat AI visibility as part of useful publishing

Google says its AI search features use the same foundational SEO practices. There is no special AI file or schema requirement for those features. Eligibility does not guarantee inclusion. This guidance concerns Google; it should not be presented as a universal rule for every AI service.

Our recommendation is to make each important answer clear, properly scoped and supported by a nearby source link. This helps the reader check the answer and gives the page a coherent purpose, without promising a citation from an AI system.

Maintain the facts as well as the wording

Assign an owner and record what should trigger a review: a supplier update, a changed official advisory, a broken link or a revised offer. We suggest reviewing the most changeable details first, because a tidy introduction cannot compensate for an incorrect practical instruction.

Show an honest checked or updated date. Google’s date guidance explains how visible dates and date information should describe the page’s publication or update. Keep a short record of substantive changes so a new date has a clear reason.

Before publishing, check the title, summary, body, questions and links against the same evidence. For the wider journey, use our travel website launch test pack. A finished page should answer its question, support its claims and lead somewhere useful.