Expandable Ads Could Disrupt the Hotel Digital Marketing
TLDR:
Several Google searchers recently spotted a new Google search ad unit in the wild. Unlike other sponsored, pay-per-click (PPC) search ads, they arrive collapsed into a single line, with an arrow to expand. These interactive ad types hint at Google trying new approaches to increase user experience and ad engagement. It could also spell challenges for hotel marketing campaigns that have already dialed in on a winning combination of messaging and targeting. We recommend preparation for now.
What Hotels Should Know About Google’s New Paid Ad Format
We’re all used to search ads and how they fit into a hotel marketing strategy. We bid on high-intent keywords. If deemed relevant, the searcher sees our ad. That ad consists of 1–3 headlines, 1–2 longer descriptions, and any number of sitelinks or extensions. They may see a sponsored listing based on Google My Business with an opportunity to book.
All of these ad experiences fit comfortably in the traditional search engine results page. And now, that’s starting to change. AI summaries (and related ads) now occupy search results, with arrows to expand on promising results. And now, Search Engine Land reports that a new format has been spotted, and Google confirms that they are testing different ad experiences.
Like Product Ads, the new experience has interactive elements for browsing options, carousels for example. Unlike Product Ads, the user must click on a promoted result to view the expanded carousel experience, opening up the interactive from a much smaller, more condensed text ad. It’s an interaction similar to expanding Google’s AI summaries, and it could shake up the ways hotels buy and track ad performance.
How Hotel Marketers Could Use Interactive Google Ads
The experimental expandable Google ads suggest evolutions in how Google wants us to search, and behaviors that they believe will increase ad clicks (which, of course, earns Google revenue). Instead of giving the searcher a lot of information, the experimental version displayed only a simple, large headline. Interacting with the ad opens a carousel with shopping ads spanning several stores. Hotels could leverage ads like these in a variety of ways.
Expedia or another OTA could bid aggressively on geographic terms like “hotels in downtown boston,” displaying a carousel of properties under a headline that highlights special deals to encourage clicks. Major brands like Marriott could showcase a range of their own properties in a single ad. Boutique or luxury hotels could strive for a place within larger sets of competitors, or try to stake out niche search terms where they can claim a stronger position. Google could add sub-navigation elements that effectively refine a search. Looking for “luxury hotels in boston”? Upon click, what if users saw “…with Spa Packages” alongside “…with Top-Rated Restaurants” and “…Great for Families”?
The above examples are pure speculation. However, based on what we’ve seen, all adhere to Google’s ongoing effort to increase user control over the relevance and experience of the results they see and the ads they click.
Should Hotels Adapt Their Marketing Strategies Today?
Do these developments represent a wholesale change in the way hotels conduct paid marketing on Google? Not yet. We don’t yet know what the eventual experience will look like, and what control hotel marketers have over appearing in ads like these. Hotels should absolutely think critically about how they could play their strengths in a space like this. What common search queries are you best equipped to answer? What else could you anticipate them seeking out? How do you stack up against competitors? Consider these questions, and talk to your agency. They can advise on messaging and asset groups that could inform ads like these.
The impacts of interactive search ad units extend beyond the ad itself to how we measure performance. If search ads become more bespoke and user-directed, we expect impressions and clicks to drop significantly. Executed well, this could simply mean that only high-intent traffic reaches your site and bookings flourish! Or, it could mean a steep learning curve as hotels struggle to adapt.
Looking for advice on adapting your hotel marketing strategy to curveballs like these?
Reach out to us. We’d be happy to share ideas on how we believe hotels can succeed, no matter what the future brings.