How the Evolution of Google Products will Impact Hotel Search

In the latest changes and additions to Google’s search landscape, many hoteliers are finding it much more challenging to stand out on the first page and rank organically. Over the past years, Google has rolled out with new products, which have significantly dominated the online travel space; particularly when it comes to the hotel search experience. According to Google, these changes are intended to improve the hotel search experience for travel shoppers by making it easier for them to find the best hotel deals. They can do this without having to navigate to another metasearch engine such as Kayak or Trivago. In this way, users will be able to find everything they need to know through Google to help them decide where to book without having to click on one of the search results.

Users will be able to read reviews from Google My Business, see real-time hotel comparison rates from Hotel Price Ads, and view photos. This all sounds great and beneficial for Google, but what about independent hotels that already struggle with ranking organically against OTAs and brand hotel sites? These Google products pose a more significant threat to independent hotels. Through these products, Google is increasingly moving into areas that it can monetize through its own sponsored programs. Some of these products are Hotel Price Ads and PPC and push organic results further down the fold. So let’s review these significant changes and discuss how hotels can utilize these features to maximize visibility, increase traffic, and boost conversions.

Google Product #1- Pay-Per-Click Advertising

Although not a new advertising platform, pay-per-click is still a highly relevant and useful way to increase visibility and gain traffic. With these Google products, it may seem like paid advertising is the only for sure way for hotels to show up above the fold in search results. However, PPC should only supplement your overall online marketing strategy. Driving organic traffic and increasing direct bookings using Social Search Optimization or SSO 3.0 should be every hotel’s priority. Larger funded competitors like OTAs and brand sites, heavily rely on PPC advertising to position themselves on the first page. Instead of relying on PPC advertising, independent hotels should implement an SSO strategy. This enables them to rank for less competitive long-tailed keywords that will yield higher conversions.

Google Product #2- Google Hotel Price Ads

When Hotel Price Ads first appeared on Google, hoteliers became threatened by its features and ability to divert a travelers’ attention away from natural search results. Hoteliers might have seen a significant decline in traffic to their vanity site. If their property was not listed in the Hotel Price Ad drop-down, they felt it even more. Instead of thinking you can’t do anything to remedy this decline, hotels should learn to adapt and adjust their marketing strategy. For independent hotels interested in using Hotel Price Ads (HPA) to receive more clicks to their sites, hoteliers must participate through an Integration Partner, including various Customer Reservation Systems. This will ensure that a vanity site’s hotel rates are displayed on Hotel Price Ads. This would shift customer loyalty away from OTAs and brand sites and onto the property site.

Google Product #3- Google Knowledge Panel

Google displays its Knowledge Panel on the right-hand side of the SERPs. This means that a greater emphasis on local listing optimization needs to be taken when it comes to search placement. For better search placement and to stay ahead of the competition, hoteliers will need to optimize their Google My Business. Several factors will affect your hotel’s position in the carousel. Google’s algorithm takes into account whether the listing has been claimed, optimized, and actively managed. By actively maintained, we mean encouraging and responding to reviews, joining relevant communities, and posting about related topics about your hotel. Failure to optimize your property’s Google My Business will result in missed opportunities of converting visitors into guests.

The evolution of Google’s search landscape will inevitably change user behavior and affect click-through rates of organic listings. This means hoteliers must be prepared to implement a strategy that will align with these changes and work in their best interest. With that said, hoteliers should not let these Google features discourage them from re-strategizing their marketing efforts. Instead, they should use it as another marketing opportunity to sell their property.