Industries
SEO and AI search shaped by how your industry buys
An estate agency competes with property portals, a hotel with online travel agencies, a clinic with the scrutiny Google applies to health topics, and a SaaS company with comparison sites and buying committees. The underlying techniques are the same; the priorities, formats and risks are not.
Why the industry matters
Same algorithm, very different searches
Google assesses every website with the same systems, but what it considers a good answer changes with the query. For “flat for sale in Nueva Andalucía” it expects filterable listings; for “sleep apnoea symptoms”, reliable content written by professionals; for “alternative to an invoicing tool”, an honest comparison. If your site offers the wrong format, no amount of technical optimisation will make up for it.
Each industry also has its own competitive structure. In some, results are dominated by intermediaries with enormous authority (property portals, booking platforms, marketplaces); in others, by specialist publishers or public bodies. Knowing who holds the first page today, and why, determines where it is worth competing and where you need a different angle.
That is why every project starts with an analysis of your industry's search landscape: result types, intermediaries, dominant intent, seasonality, languages and how much trust is required. From there we adapt our general method to your case.
- Content formats aligned with what Google shows for each intent
- A clear stance on intermediaries: compete, complement or use them
- A level of rigour and review that matches the risk of the topic
Industries
Eight industries, eight search landscapes
Each page explains how customers in that industry search, the challenges we see most often and how we organise the work.
Real estate
Area and development pages that compete with the portals for Spanish and international buyers.
Learn moreTourism & hospitality
Direct bookings versus OTAs, Google Maps, reviews and searches across languages and seasons.
Learn moreProfessional services
Lawyers, tax advisers and gestorías: demonstrable trust, local searches and foreign clients.
Learn moreClinics & healthcare
Medical content reviewed by professionals, local listings and reputation in a YMYL field.
Learn moreE-commerce & retail
Category architecture, product pages, faceted navigation and product data at scale.
Learn moreSaaS & technology
B2B demand, buying committees, use-case pages, integrations and comparisons.
Learn moreFinance & fintech
Rigour, transparency and expert review in one of Google's most demanding areas.
Learn moreInternational companies
Entering the Spanish market or growing from Spain into Europe with properly localised content.
Learn moreWhat changes between industries
The variables we adjust in every strategy
The method is shared (research, technical foundations, content, authority, measurement), but the weight of each phase varies. This table sums up the differences that shape the plan most.
| Industry | Dominant competitor on Google | Trust requirement | Main lever |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real estate | Portals and aggregators | Medium | Area pages and original local content |
| Tourism & hospitality | OTAs and metasearch | Medium | Google Business Profile, reviews and direct booking |
| Professional services | Directories, publishers and other firms | High (YMYL) | Expert authorship and local SEO |
| Clinics & healthcare | Health publishers and public bodies | Very high (YMYL) | Professionally reviewed content and reputation |
| E-commerce & retail | Marketplaces and large chains | Medium | Category architecture and product data |
| SaaS & technology | Comparison sites, software directories and competitors | Medium–high | Use cases, integrations and comparisons |
| Finance & fintech | Comparison sites, banks and financial media | Very high (YMYL) | Rigour, transparency and brand authority |
| International companies | Local competitors in each country | Varies | Genuine localisation and hreflang |
How we adapt the method
What we tailor for each industry
Intent research
We classify the industry's searches by decision stage and by result format (listing, guide, comparison, local listing) before proposing a single page.
Review level
For health, money or legal topics we set up a workflow with review by a qualified professional on the client's side, visible authorship and update dates.
Weight of local search
For businesses with nearby customers we prioritise Google Business Profile, reviews and area pages; for digital businesses, topical architecture.
Languages and markets
On the Costa del Sol many searches arrive in English, German, Dutch or Scandinavian languages. We decide which languages deserve their own content and which do not.
Presence in AI answers
We identify which industry questions AI assistants already answer and which sources they cite, so we can work on the ones that can bring in customers.
Business metric
Every industry converts differently: viewing request, booking, appointment, demo, purchase. We build measurement around that action.
Not on the list
Is your industry missing?
These eight are the industries we see most on the Costa del Sol and in the European market we work with, but the method applies to any business that depends on being found: manufacturing, education, construction, B2B services, associations and non-profits.
In the initial assessment we analyse your specific search landscape and tell you frankly whether SEO is the right channel for your goals or whether you should start elsewhere, for example with paid search.
FAQ
Questions about our industry focus
Do I need an agency that specialises in my industry?
You need an agency that understands how your customers search and decide. Industry knowledge helps because it shortens the learning curve and avoids typical mistakes (publishing health content without medical review, for instance). But the technical and content foundations apply across industries, and an outside view sometimes spots opportunities the industry has written off.
Do you work with several companies in the same industry and area?
We discuss it openly before we start. If we already work with a direct competitor in the same area and for the same searches, we will tell you and decide together whether there is a conflict of interest.
What if my business spans several industries?
That is common: a clinic that also sells products online, an estate agency with holiday rentals, a law firm advising tech companies. We design the site architecture so each line of business has its own section and its own intent, without cannibalising the others.
Do YMYL industries take longer to rank?
They usually need more groundwork: showing who is behind the content, having it reviewed by professionals and building external reputation. That lengthens the initial phase, but the results tend to be more stable because they rest on trust signals that are hard to copy. Our E-E-A-T guide explains why.
Where do I start?
With an audit: we analyse your website, your competitors on Google and in AI answers, and your industry's search landscape. You receive a prioritised plan and a fixed-fee proposal if you decide to continue with us.
Related
Further reading
Methodology
Our SEO and AI search methodology: seven phases, a weekly, monthly and quarterly cadence, reporting, tools, communication and the first 90 days.
Services
SEO and AI search services: technical, local and international SEO, GEO and AEO, content, link building, Google Ads, web and analytics, all coordinated.
A guide to E-E-A-T
A guide to E-E-A-T: what it is in Google's quality rater guidelines, why it is not a direct ranking factor and how to demonstrate experience and trust.
Let's map your industry's search landscape
Start with an audit of your website, your competitors and your presence in AI assistants. We reply within 1–2 working days.