Earlier this month, search engine giant Google announced plans that will see it shift its focus to mobile-focused technology to drive growth – which is good news for hoteliers. The announcement was made at the firm’s annual Performance Summit, which saw representatives talk about the changes it will be making to Search, Display, AdWords and Analytics platforms to provide an improved service to advertisers.
Here is a brief overview of how these changes will provide greater advertising opportunities to hoteliers. Expanded Text AdsGoogle already announced that it will be making its Expanded Text Ads function available to all advertisers, but it has now revealed that it’s boost the ad text allowance by 50 per cent. This is fantastic news for hoteliers as it provides a better first impression to customers viewing your website through a mobile phone. Increased character limits for headlines and descriptions means advertiser can send out the right message and attract relevant users to the website.
Local Search Ads at the Performance Summit, the firm announced that advertisements on local content will appear on local versions of the Google search engine and on Google Maps. This means that advertisers are able to connect with prospective guests who are looking for a physical location. Hoteliers who are using local extensions will be able to promote their location when prospective guests search for phrases like ‘hotels near me’ or ‘cheap accommodation in Manchester’.
On Google Maps, this will lead to branded pins appearing alongside promotional text, leading to more website traffic. Similar Audiences in Search results this is an expansion of Google’s existing display product, which allows marketers to identify and target possible customers that show a similar interest in your hotel, if their data matches that on your remarketing lists. If hotel marketers are able to match online search behaviours, they can expand the reach of their campaigns and attract relevant visitors without much exertion. Demographic Targeting for Search later this year, Google plans on releasing Demographic Targeting for Search to all advertisers, meaning they will be able to target campaigns to specific groups of online users – those that are most likely to be interested in your hotel, boosting conversion rates.
Initially, Google will allow you to see segmentation based on gender and age, but more could be announced later in 2016 or in early 2017. Display Ads on Mobile advertisers will now be able to provide the search engine with a headline, copy and an image that the firm will automatically use to create responsive display ads that automatically adjust to whatever platform they are being viewed on, whether that’s a phone, tablet or laptop. These ads provide a better impression of your hotel to your prospective guests and opens up the opportunity for them to appear at any moment across many platforms, rather than be limited to a specific device.
Cross-Exchange Inventory executives at the Performance Summit revealed that Google has extended its reach for marketing campaigns beyond the parameters of its own Display Network. Users will be able to access a larger ad exchange inventory, meaning that your ads will appear on more websites, but with the same precision as you currently enjoy. Flexible Bidding Another big announcement is that advertisers will soon be able to set separate bid adjustments for mobile, desktop and tablet. If you find that your campaign is more successful on one device, you have the flexibility of moving more focus to this platform, as it will yield the best return on investment.
