Find out what Google Hotel Ads is and how it can benefit you
Google Hotel Ads is considered the undisputed leader among metasearch engines in the tourist accommodation sector. According to research by EyeforTravel and Fornova, the platform has an estimated market share of between 64-80%.
Google Hotel Ads was launched in 2011 under the name Google Hotel Finder with the aim of improving the experience of users, and of having guests who are more satisfied with their searches.
Today, it has become a fundamental marketing channel for establishments that want to generate direct bookings on their official website. The reason: it offers the chance to compete with the main booking sites such as Booking, TripAdvisor or Trivago without having to invest a large amount of money.
It is a tool that allows users to search for and book hotels. It also offers the possibility of comparing rates, date availability and reviews from other guests to help them choose the best deal.
If you are still not sure why you should advertise on this platform, keep reading!
Why should you be on Google Hotel Ads?
Google Hotel Ads offers a number of advantages:
- Improve the positioning of your establishment. You will gain more visibility and your chances of attracting new customers will increase.
- Compete directly with the OTAs. It allows you to sit alongside the main booking sites, giving you the opportunity to win more direct bookings. For this to happen, you will need a sound strategy and to offer better rates or additional perks (free breakfast) on your direct sales channel.
- Lower commissions on bookings. If you win direct bookings, you will save the costs (commissions) that online travel agencies charge for every booking.
- Build customer loyalty. You will get to know your customers in greater depth and build a relationship with them. You will also have the information you need to carry out targeted marketing actions.
What payment models does Google Hotel Ads offer?
There are several ways to pay for the campaigns you run through Google Hotel Ads:
- Commission (pay per conversion). You pay when the customer completes the booking.
- Commission (pay per stay). You pay once the guest has completed their stay at the hotel. This option is only available to certain partners.
- Max CPC bid (fixed or percentage). You pay for every click the customer makes on your ad. You have the option of adjusting the bid by device type, traveller location or length of stay.
- Enhanced CPC. Automates the bid adjustments of a max CPC bidding strategy.
As you can see, Google offers several payment options so that hoteliers can choose the one that best suits their goals and needs. Start increasing your direct sales with Hotel Ads today and pay only when you get results! What are you waiting for?
If you would like more information about the bidding strategies for Hotel Ads campaigns, click on the following link
Free Booking Links
Still not convinced? Don't worry, because since the beginning of 2021 Google has launched a new option: free booking links.
Free booking links give you the chance to appear in the tool without having to bid. However, these free links are placed below the paid links and show less information than the entries in the paid section.
In addition, these free links help to extend the reach of the usual paid GHA campaigns. For this reason, using a strategy based on both options will give a significant boost to your direct sales channel.
Steps to create a campaign in Google Hotel Ads
Would you like to know where to start when creating a campaign in Hotel Ads? We explain it in 7 simple steps:
1. Sign in to your Google Ads.
2. Go to the Campaigns section. You will find it in the page menu on the left.
3. Create a new campaign. To do so, click on “new campaign” or on the “+” symbol.
4. Choose the option to create a campaign without a specific goal. You will see that it is the last one on the list.
5. Under “Campaign type” choose Hotel and then select the linked Hotel Center account.
Note: Is this the first time you have created this type of campaign and your establishment is not yet connected? Don't worry, at Alojapro we can help you. We are a Google technology partner, so we can integrate your hotel list and rates into Hotel Center. Contact us!
6. Select your advertising preferences: campaign name, bids, budget, networks, devices and locations.
7. Create the ad groups and hotel groups you need. Choose the ad group that suits you best, set the ad group name and the bid.
Save, and you are all set!
Which type of ad group should you choose?
There are two ad groups when creating campaigns in Hotel Ads: hotel booking links and hotel promotion. Here is what each one involves.
- On the one hand, booking links show room prices and availability with a link that takes users directly to your booking page or, if you prefer, to a checkout page hosted on Google. They are shown when travellers are about to book a specific hotel.
- On the other hand, promotion ads are designed to highlight the features of your property and attract incremental traffic on top of the organic results. They appear when travellers search for topics related to a city, a region or a destination.
For more information about ad groups, you can go to the following link
In short, Hotel Ads is a wonderful opportunity to send traffic to your direct sales channel and gain more visibility in Google results.
Don't wait any longer: start making the most of the potential of this tool today!
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