What Is Metasearch Engine Advertising? Tips for 2020

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In digital marketing and the advertising world in general, new means of reaching clients and customers spring up every day. Among them is one method you ought to try, and that is metasearch engine advertising. This approach can help you make the most of prospective clients on the web.

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Metasearch is a tool that aggregates search results from various search engines—such as Google, Bing, Trip Advisor, Hotel Finder and so on. It then sorts those results into a list, which is generally categorized based on the search engines they came from. With metasearch engine advertising you will drive revenue, attract customers, and expand your digital reach.

For example, businesses in the hospitality and travel industry use metasearch engine advertising when they pay to place their hotel’s website rates conspicuously in the search results on the lists created by online travel agencies (OTAs).

Here Are 4 Things You Should Know About Metasearch Engine Advertising

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Before you venture into using metasearch engine advertising, there are a few things you should know. These factors will help you understand how it works and how you might use it for your business.

1. Metasearch Engine Advertising Is Convenient

In the travel and hospitality industry, metasearch engine advertising is currently one of the hottest topics even though it has been around for a while. This is not surprising since metasearch engine advertising comes in handy in this industry.

This is because clients don’t have to visit numerous search engines to find information about hotel and travel websites. One search engine platform can have all the resources and information they need.

Customers who make plans on the move or have very busy schedules especially appreciate this form of advertising. This is because it helps them plan trips and hotel accommodations faster.

More laid-back customers appreciate it, too. For them, it narrows down results and options so they can plan more carefully.

In short, metasearch engines in the travel and hospitality industry make life easier for anyone who’s planning travel. This holds true whether someone is planning a business trip, a romantic trips, a vacation, or traveling to visit with relatives. Metasearch engines for travel and hospitality make it easy for customers to find exactly what they need easily.

Customers are able to view results in various categories based on their requirements. For example, they can sort by hotel brands, travel budgets, locations, and more. This works great for promoting hotels and travel companies, too, because their brands will be specifically placed to meet prospective clients’ interests and needs.

2. Metasearch Engine Advertising Is Pay-per-Click (PPC)

The chief aim of metasearch engine advertising for businesses in the travel and hospitality industries is to reduce the time it takes for a customer to get to the bookings and rates page on their websites. However, companies in this industry don’t have to pay outrageously to access this digital convenience.

The way metasearch engine advertising works is that the companies who are advertising only pay when a prospective customer clicks on their ad. It works great if the company is on a tight budget because they know that they only have to pay for guaranteed traffic to their site. Of course, a certain percentage of that traffic may eventually convert to sales.

Some search engines such as TripAdvisor and Google Hotel Ads offer hotels the opportunity to include a “book direct” button with their ad. This way, the customer can make a booking directly from the search engine if they like your rates.

This service, however, comes with a commission that’s paid to the search engines. Nonetheless, is that commission is still less expensive than the fee online travel agencies charge.

3. Metasearch Engine Advertising Needs to Be Properly Managed

Metasearch engine advertising is relatively easy to understand and manage. However, to make the most from this form of advertising, it is important you use the right metasearch management tools. The right management tools will help you have a reliable advertisement and promotions channel. Also, you get to properly evaluate the returns the metasearch engine tool is raking in for your company. This is great for accountability. It can also help companies to monitor or even connect with their biggest competitors.

The right tools will help you keep track of your key performance metrics. They also come in handy to track the booking ability of the metasearch engines. This helps to determine if the sites are doing a good job at fueling bookings or not.

4. Prominent Metasearch Engines Serve the Hospitality and Travel Industry

There are many search engines you can take advantage of for promoting businesses in various industries. However, to have the most effect and generate useful feedback, it is wise to make use of metasearch engines that match the category of your business or company.

Companies in the hospitality industry, such as hotels and vacation rental businesses like Airbnbs, have a wide variety of metasearch engines to choose from. For example, there are Google Hotel Ads, HotelsCombined, Hotel Finder, and others.

For hospitality companies looking to expand or establish Airbnbs, vacation rental marketing is important in helping to navigate the world of vacation rentals. Companies in the travel industry may find metasearch engines such as TripAdvisor, Kayak, Trivago, and many others useful for metasearch engine advertising.

Is Metasearch Engine Advertising Worth It?

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How Helpful Would Metasearch Engine Advertising Be to Your Business?

As a business owner, you want to understand how beneficial a service is before you invest in it. This is why we will be looking at the benefits of metasearch engine advertising to decipher whether or not it is worth your investment.

The first consideration is that with metasearch engine advertising, you do not pay as much as you usually would to online travel agencies. In comparison, these charge a lot more commission for advertising your business. On the other hand, the pay-per-click (PPC) option that most metasearch engines offer makes a great deal for business. This is because you only pay for what benefits your business. In other words, you pay only for guaranteed exposure and visibility.

Secondly, many online travel agencies also rely on metasearch engines for advertising. This means you can avoid the heavy charge they place on their services. Instead, working directly with metasearch engines protects your interests. It helps you pay less and still gives you access to contact details for visitors to your site.

With these vital details, such as the visitor’s email address, you can continue the relationship with the guest outside of the search engine. Thereafter, you can offer more of your services through social media or email marketing.

Overall, with metasearch engine advertising, you are assured of a more economical means to reach clients. Additionally, you can retain them for further communications, unlike with online travel agencies. Undoubtedly, it’s a win for your business.

Tips for Successfully Managing a Metasearch Engine Campaign in 2020

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The tips we offer here will help you be one step ahead of the game with your metasearch engine campaign.

1. Stay Ahead of Your Competition

Many metasearch sites do not offer hotels impression data. This makes it difficult to estimate your budgets for campaigns or track your competition. However, with metasearch management tools and a metasearch engine such as Google Hotel Ads, you can lead the game. Use these tools to the fullest to improve your business strategies and stay ahead of competitors.

2. Align Your Rates with the Rest of the Field

This does not mean you should short-change yourself. However, do keep in mind that you might receive fewer clicks or site visitors if your rates are ridiculously higher than those of other businesses that are also using the same metasearch engine. So conduct adequate research to ensure that you are in line with the current prices on the market. You don’t want to scare away potential customers.

3. Be Flexible in Adjusting to Marketing Conditions

One major way you can adjust to changing economic conditions is by giving your metasearch manager access to the back end of your hotel’s booking engine. This will facilitate speedy adjustment of your booking rates on their feed when you feel there is a need to so.

4. Diversify

Before you settle on one metasearch channel, it is ideal that you evaluate your options properly by looking for variances in consumer behavior and conversions. To this end, you might begin with Google Hotel Ads and then try out other available channels as your budget allows.

Conclusion

Metasearch engine advertising is a cheap and efficient way to fuel traffic to your hospitality and travel business, and then convert this traffic to sales. With the right strategies, proper management tools, and sufficient planning, you will start generating returns from your campaigns in no time.

For more great ideas about marketing your business, whatever industry you’re in, be sure to bookmark our site and come back often.