Last year, Google introduced a way to showcase hotels Free booking link. This month, Google announced the expansion of free pre-order links. These free links are now available on Search and Maps.
The tourism industry has definitely shown signs of recovery since the pandemic,”spring break“Search volumes are close to 2019 levels.
As travel bounces back to pre-pandemic levels, Google has announced new tricks to help hotels connect and reach people preparing to travel.
Book for free on Google
Consumers have multiple ways to search for travel.whether they’re on Google.com or map Apps, hotels and travel partners can now expand their reach with a free booking link.
This update allows users to choose from more options than before. Once users click on the link, they can complete the booking on the hotel or travel partner’s website.
Why change?
Since the introduction of free hotel booking links, travel and hospitality partners have seen significant benefits, including increased user engagement. From individuals and boutique hotels to large travel agencies, everyone sees benefits.
As one of the booking engines, “myhotelshop” saw a 30% increase in bookings in the summer of 2021.
New reports available
New reports are now available as free booking links expand to search and maps.
In your Hotel Center account, you’ll see a report on clicks for free links.
In the future, Google will add other metrics such as:
- Impressions
- booking value
Image source: Blog.google.com, March 2022Other program updates
Google made well-deserved changes to shared rates and availability. Beginning in April 2022, individual hotels can manually enter room rates and availability through their Google Business Profile. This feature has certain eligibility requirements:
- This business is verified by Google
- The site is enabled/available for online booking
This update removes the technical requirements previously required to update the information.
If you want to start using this feature, you must fill out Google’s interest form, which can be found here.
Another benefit of updating rates on your Google Business Profile is to highlight your unique products at the same time. Local posts on Google Places allow you to share real-time updates on some of the topics most important to travelers. Ideas can include:
- Any hotel policy changes or updates due to COVID-19
- Your hotel offers special features that your competitors don’t
- The best pictures and videos showing hotel properties
generalize
Tourism is rapidly returning to pre-pandemic levels. Google has updated the hotel booking experience to benefit both advertisers and travelers.
Because travelers can book directly through your website, it removes an additional barrier to completing a reservation. This also helps increase your conversion rate.
By creating more free booking link space, you can get more competitive bookings for free. If you are not already using this program, please contact Google via their interest form to get started.
resource: Google
Featured Image: sdx15/Shutterstock
