Hotel Deals On Paid Search: Sitelink vs. Promo Extensions

Limited-time offers are essential to any hotel marketing strategy, but promoting them can be complicated. There are so many options that it can be challenging to find the best approach, especially when it comes to paid search. 

This is especially true when it comes to Google Ads extensions. GCommerce has seen great success with both sitelinks and promotions for hotel deals, but we have yet to crown one extension type as superior. So let’s figure it out once and for all - Are sitelink or promotion extensions better for promoting limited-time hotel deals?

Our Google Ads Optimization Test

This test compared the efficacy of sitelink and promotion extensions when marketing limited-time hotel deals. If you’re unfamiliar with these extension types, see our full guide on Google Ads extensions for background on their format, strengths, and limitations.

We gathered data from 13 deals across Google Ads accounts for 9 boutique hotels in the United States. The content of each deal varied, covering percent discounts, convenience packages, unique experiences, and more. 

Each of the 13 deals ranged from a few days to a few months in length, taking place at various times throughout the year. For each individual offer, though, sitelink and promotion extensions ran simultaneously for the duration of the deal. 

All extensions were added to both Brand and Market (non-Brand) Terms campaigns using single keyword ad groups. In addition, each hotel’s Google Ads account also ran non-deal extensions during the test period, though competition with other extensions was fairly even between sitelinks and promotions.

The Results

This chart combines data from all 13 hotel deals. 

When combined, promotion extensions outperform sitelinks in all but cost per conversion and conversion rate. 

This is also supported when looking at results by individual deal. In this chart, the listed extension type performed better for a given Key Performance Indicator (KPI), with “Tie” indicating that the difference between extensions types was less than 5%.

In both cases, promotion extensions are the clear winner for most KPIs. They offer higher awareness, better CTR, and more total interactions than sitelink extensions. 

However, sitelinks do edge out promotions in conversion rate and cost per conversion, which is something to consider. If your hotel is running on a limited budget and values conversions over clicks, sitelinks may be the better option. 

Takeaways

Promotion extensions are great at driving awareness for hotel deals and should be incorporated into your hotel’s marketing strategy. They’re a valuable Google Ads optimization tool, and adding them to your hotel’s campaigns is a great way to reach future guests.

However, this test also proves the value of sitelink extensions. They’re never too far behind promotion extensions in terms of performance and do have the edge when it comes to conversion efficiency. There’s also something to be said for their unique extension properties, such as the ability to add a description with more details on a hotel deal. 

When possible, we highly suggest using both sitelink and promotion extensions to market hotel deals. They both add value to an account, especially for hotels with multiple priority KPIs. A good mix of extensions will create a good mix of results, making a diverse optimization strategy the most effective.

For more hotel marketing tips, check out the rest of our digital marketing blog.

Google Ads Extensions: Hotel Basics

What are Google Ads Extensions?

Google Ads extensions (now known as Associations) are optional add-ons for your hotel’s paid search advertisements. Extensions give you more space to add information about your hotel, often opening up unique messaging opportunities that aren’t available with standard ad copy. 

Google Ads extensions occasionally show alongside the ads in your campaign, their placement dependent on extension type, search query, user history, and other algorithmic factors. There is no guarantee that a given extension will show, nor is there any way to force them to appear. However, they can still be a powerful addition to your hotel’s paid search account. 

There are a number of extension types, and all are a great way to call out highlights of your hotel and entice users to convert. Below, I’ve gone into detail on some of the most common Google Ads extension types for hotels. Google offers more extension options than what I’ve listed, but these are the most relevant and efficient extension types when trying to attract hotel room bookings.

Google Ads Extension Types For Hotels

Each Google Ads extension type serves a different purpose, with unique strengths and limitations. When used right though, every extension type listed here has the potential to boost ad performance and increase key performance indicators. Below, we’ve provided a brief overview on each type with the most potential for hotel paid search, to help you get started with Google Ads extensions.

Sitelink

Sitelink extensions allow you to add multiple page links to your ad, occasionally with a short description of what each page contains.

Strengths

Sitelinks can be a great way to drive traffic to specific pages on your website, since they are prominently displayed with your ads. Sitelinks may also increase clickthrough rate, by offering multiple topic options to provide more relevant information and help users navigate your site quickly.

Restrictions

Character Restrictions

• Link Text: Max 25
• Description line 1: Max 35 
• Description line 2: Max 35

Other Restrictions

• Link Text must be unique from other sitelinks
• URL must be unique from other sitelinks
• URL must match domain of the ad

Appearance

On desktop, sitelinks may display with a 2-line description to add more context. Sitelinks will never appear with just 1 description line.

Callout

Callout extensions are short additions that highlight key features or perks about your hotel.

Strengths

Callouts are a great way to emphasize key benefits of a stay at your hotel, without taking space away from your ad.

Restrictions

Character Restrictions

• Callout Text: Max 25

Appearance

Callouts will display the same way on mobile and desktop, added to the end of your ad and formatted like standard ad copy.

Structured Snippet

Structured snippet extensions consist of a header and a static list of values relating to the header topic.

Strengths

Like callouts, structured snippets are a way to highlight hotel advantages without taking up ad space. However, they have the added benefit of organizing these advantages under a specific topic.

Restrictions

Character Restrictions

• Value Text: Max 25

Relevant Header Types

• Amenities
• Destinations
• Featured Hotels
• Neighborhoods

Other Restrictions

• Up to 10 values per extension
• Headers can repeat, but values can not

Appearance

Structured snippets will show up the same way on mobile and desktop, added to the end of your ad and formatted like standard ad copy. 

When a structured snippet extension does show, all values will show in the same order you choose when setting up the extension.

Call

Call extensions add your phone number to an ad.

Strengths

Calls make it easy for users to contact your hotel, increasing the likelihood that they follow through. This is especially helpful if your hotel’s paid search account tracks phone calls as a conversion. 

Restrictions

Other Restrictions

• Must be verified by Google
• Must be accurate and current

Appearance

Calls will appear differently on mobile and desktop. 

However, the number will always be displayed with whatever formatting you choose at extension setup. In this example, we opted for something other than the traditional (XXX) XXX-XXXX format.

Promotion

Promotion extensions highlight monetary deals at your hotel.

Strengths

Promotions are an easy way to call out exclusive offers and persuade customers to book with you instead of your competition.

Restrictions

Character Restrictions

• Text: Max 20

Format Options

• $ off [text]
• % off [text]
• Up to $ off [text]
• Up to % off [text]

Appearance

Promotions will appear differently on mobile and desktop, but will always follow the ad. 

In this example, “Valet Parking” was the text.

Using Google Ads Extensions

Overall, Google Ads extensions are an efficient way to highlight benefits of your hotel without distracting from your core message. They’re a great way to grab the attention of customers, and can even increase clicks, conversions, and other key performance indicators when used correctly. They’re easy to set up, and don’t take much effort to maintain due to their simplicity. 

So what are you waiting for?

Learn more about Google Ads extensions by contacting GCommerce Solutions below, and get started today.

[E-Book] A Crash Course To TikTok Ads

Have you been wondering about how to start advertising on TikTok and what your options are?

If so, then our recently released E-Book: A Crash Course To TikTok Ads, is just what you need. Inside, you'll find comprehensive answers to your questions.

View the full Ebook here.

6 Ways Hotels Can Utilize Facebook's Lead Generation Tool in 2023

New year, new ways to utilize Facebook advertising for hotels. When you think of Facebook advertising, most of you probably think about ads aimed at driving awareness, website traffic, or online purchases. What if we told you that Facebook can also serve as a key component to collect first-party data for your hotel in a world where we so desperately need it?

Facebook’s lead generation tool has been around for years, but it’s been getting a “glow-up” in recent months and is now one of the primary ways we drive leads and collect email data for hotel clients at GCommerce. New functionalities continue to release as we enter 2023, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the tool’s ability to put first-party data in our clients’ pockets.

Here are six ways your hotel can utilize Facebook’s lead generation tool in 2023.

Increase Your Hotel’s Email Database

Are you looking for easy ways to increase the size of your hotel’s email database and create cohesive hotel marketing strategies across multiple channels? Utilizing the lead generation tool on Facebook can quickly help you build up your databases with qualified users. 

See It In Action

Prompt users to enter their information with messaging centered around staying up to date with the property, new available offers and promotions, or offer a special incentive to sign up and subscribe. From there you can download the leads directly from the Instant Forms section or utilize a third-party platform like Zapier to send leads straight to your email.

Further Qualify Your Hotel’s Remarketing Audiences

Lead generation isn’t only good for your email marketing, it can also be utilized to bolster your hotel’s remarketing efforts. While you could just re-upload your leads list as a custom audience, you would need to be constantly updating it. Instead, set up a new audience based on Lead Generation data within your remarketing adsets to keep the audiences fresh with any additional work.

See It In Action

Under the custom audiences section, select Lead Form. From there you’ll want to include anyone who opened and submitted a lead within your desired timeframe (we recommend 90 days). Voilà, you will now be incorporating active lead data into your hotel remarketing campaigns.

Pro Tip: If you are going to utilize your leads for multiple purposes, such as Facebook remarketing and adding them into an email list, make sure you disclose this in the lead form settings.

Support and Grow Your Hotel’s Wedding Business

What better way to find real-life engaged couples for your hotel’s wedding space than by reaching them where they already spend large amounts of time each day–social media. Facebook lead generation forms are one of our favorite ways to advertise wedding spaces for our clients at GCommerce because it’s easy and effective. Not only can you directly target engaged people, newly engaged people, and even friends of engaged people, it also allows the couple to fill out a lead form to receive more information or a quote. 

See It In Action

When creating your lead forms, think about the goal of your hotel’s wedding campaigns. Do you want to qualify guests before sending them more information? Use questions such as wedding size, potential wedding dates, and even wedding budget if you have a higher-end wedding space. If the goal is to simply get your wedding venue out there, keep your form questions simple and opt for name, email, and wedding dates.

Increase Business Travel and Showcase Meeting Spaces At Your Hotel

Similar to the wedding business above, using lead generation is also a great way to gather quotes and potential leads for your hotel’s onsite meeting rooms. This strategy is great for hotels also looking to increase their business travel segment in 2023.

See It In Action

While the setup will be similar to wedding lead generation, your form should include questions such as group size, reason for group meeting, and even information about catering. In the targeting section be sure to include specific job titles of people who might be planning these events, small business owners, and/or email lists of past and potential companies.

Drive More Visits to Your Hotel’s Blog and Grow Subscribers

Do you have a blog on your hotel’s website and struggle with growing your subscriber base? Facebook advertising is a great tool to drive both awareness and new readers. Use the on-Facebook forms to intrigue users into joining the subscription list.

See It In Action

This lead form will look similar to our first example for growing your hotel’s email database; keep the form simple with only name and email address. However, instead of reasons to join the email list entice users with excerpts from the latest blog post or offer them exclusive content only available to subscribers. Utilize the link at the end of the form to send users to your most recent blog or top ranking blog from the past year. 

Once leads are created you’ll still need to manually add them into your blog’s subscriber list, but you’ll ultimately be gaining new readers you wouldn’t have had before.

Find and Convert Event Guests For Your Hotel

Facebook lead generation is an effective, and often overlooked, tool to advertise your on-property events and convert potential guests. Not only will you be advertising your hotel’s event to Facebook’s massive audience, you’ll also be ingesting first-party data for interested attendees that you can use for email marketing, Facebook remarketing, and much more.

See It In Action

Set up your hotel’s Facebook ad to introduce your event details before prompting users to sign up for event updates and news. Is your event not open for registration yet? Prompt users to get on the list now and be the first to RSVP when registration opens up. Once your event is over, utilize your list for remarketing future events or to convert event guests into hotel guests.

There you have it, six easy ways to incorporate Facebook’s lead generation tool into your 2023 marketing campaigns. Need help getting started? Reach out to the experts at GCommerce today for all your digital marketing needs.

3 Underutilized Google Ads Optimization Tips For Hotels

The number one rule of search marketing is to never stop testing. You never know where you’ll find the next golden goose, so it’s important to try new things and reach outside of your comfort zone. GCommerce Solutions knows this, and we’re not afraid to experiment with lesser-known optimization methods to make sure we’re achieving the best possible results. 

Below, we’ve compiled test data for 3 often underutilized Google Ads optimization techniques. These tests were conducted over 2-3 months each, using data from 9 boutique hotels spread across the United States. 

Implement A Paid Search Ad Schedule

Consumers don’t interact with your business the same way all the time, so it’s a good idea to tailor your hotel’s paid search ads to your audience’s schedule. 

While the data below measures account-level changes, paid search ad schedules work best when tailored to an individual campaign’s performance. This is how paid search ad schedules were implemented for these 3 hotels: 

Branded Terms:

+10% bid adjustment on days/times with high conversions

-50% bid adjustment on days/times with low clicks and low conversions

0% bid adjustment on all other times, so ads always have the potential to serve

Non-Branded Terms:

+10% bid adjustment on days/times with high clicks/impressions

-50% bid adjustment on days/times with high average CPCs but low clicks and low impressions

0% bid adjustment on all other times, so ads always have the potential to serve

Percent Change By Paid Search KPI:

Account-Level, Period Over Period

Overall Paid Search Ad Schedule Results:

All Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) saw an average increase in performance.

Conclusion:

Regardless of your hotel’s marketing goals, an ad schedule can be a helpful addition to your Google Ads campaigns. If you’re willing to put in the time and effort to create and monitor an ad schedule based on individual campaign performance, this is a great way to give your KPIs a boost.

Keyword Optimize Your Paid Search Ad Paths

Ad paths are an often overlooked part of paid search marketing, but it’s worth taking the extra step to optimize them and make your ads more relevant. 

Paid search ad paths show up as part of the display URL of an ad. In this example, “hotel” is display path 1 and “digital-ads” is display path 2.

This test was performed using single keyword ad groups. Every single ad in the account received optimized ad paths based on the ad group’s associated keyword.

Percent Change By Paid Search KPI:

Account-Level, Period Over Period

Overall Keyword Optimized Paid Search Ad Paths Results:

All KPIs saw an average increase or no significant change in performance.

Conclusion:

This is another helpful optimization tip for various paid search account goals, and requires far less maintenance than an ad schedule. Editing ad paths can be tedious, but it’s worth using every single inch of space you’re given to optimize performance. Just be sure to keep up with paths, adjusting as needed when creating new ads or copying existing assets.

Don’t Neglect Negative Keyword Research

Positive keywords can help you reach new people, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be new customers. Negative keyword research is an effective safeguard to ensure you’re not putting paid search budget towards the wrong audience. 

This test included generalized keywords like “X Rated” and “Apartment,” as well as hotel-specific keywords such as competitor names and inaccurate locations. Every negative keyword was added with an “Exact” match type.

Percent Change By Paid Search KPI:

Account-Level, Period Over Period

Overall Negative Keyword Research Results:

Raw actions and revenue saw an average decrease in performance, but interaction rate and comparative revenue saw an average increase.

Conclusion:

Depending on your goals, well-thought-out negative keyword research can be incredibly effective for paid search campaigns. By design, negative keywords decrease the visibility of your ads, so they can lead to less overall traffic. However, this traffic is often very qualified, and will interact with your business at a higher rate to maximize your account budget. 

Key Takeaways

There are so many available paid search optimization tools, and it’s a shame to see them go to waste. If you’re willing to put in the work, the above Google Ads optimization tips are likely to work in your favor, despite their somewhat uncommon utilization. Results are never guaranteed, but tailoring these changes to specific campaign performance is a great opportunity to push your KPIs in the right direction.

If you’re interested in learning more about paid search for hotels, check out the rest of our digital marketing blog or contact us below.