Guide 3: Google Adwords Advertising (PPC)

In Guide 2 we discussed the art of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and how to ensure your website is highly visible to Google. SEO is free in the sense that, once people find your website in the organic search results using your important keywords, it doesn’t cost you anything.

This guide will discuss how you can leapfrog the organic search process by buying advertising on search engines such as Google.

Timing is Everything

Although highly effective, search engine optimisation is an ongoing process that can take time to be fully functional.

However, all is not lost, and help is at hand with PPC Advertising.

Alongside the organic search engine process, Google also created a system for adverts to appear on search results. These are the small text adverts that appear on the right hand side, or above, Google’s results:

These are instantaneous: as soon as you set them up they begin to appear, but you have to pay for the privilege.

Pay Per Click (PPC)

Google adverts are called Google AdWords, and they operate on a ‘Pay-Per-Click’ basis (PPC).

PPC is based on a simple idea - every time somebody clicks one of your adverts you pay. The system operates on a bid process, so you bid an amount of money per click that you are prepared to pay for someone to visit your website. Google calculates your advert position based on the amount you’re prepared to pay per click. The higher your bid, the closer to the top of the list you will appear.

But there is another key influencing factor: Quality Score. Google calculates how relevant your advert and website are to the keyword search terms that you’re bidding on, which heavily influences the position of your advert and the cost you pay per click.

Every click consumes some of your pre-determined set budget and once the budget is used up your adverts stop appearing.

Categorise and Organise

Firstly, you need to decide what areas of your business you want to advertise. Within your Google AdWords account these top level areas are called Campaigns, and need to be broken down into Ad Groups.

Campaigns are the main sections of your business (see table below) and Ad Groups are the campaigns broken down. Each Ad Group has its own advert that appears on the right hand side of Google search results. For example:

The diagram below shows how a campaign is broken down starting from the top campaign all the way down to keywords for a particular Ad Group:

For each Ad Group you must write a text based advert that will appear when people search for the keywords in that Ad Group. Always make sure the advert is as relevant as possible to the keywords and that the copy emphasises your selling points and encourages clicks.

Your Quality Score is higher if the advert content matches your keyword selections for that advert and also the landing page users who click the advert are directed to. So, for example, if you’re pushing your venue for weddings, you should choose keywords using relevant terms for weddings, then word your advert copy with the same terms.

Keywords are The Key

As explained previously in Guide 2 for SEO, your choice of keywords is the starting point. You must decide on the most relevant and important keywords or phrases that people are likely to be using to find what you provide.

Be specific, match with your location, the type of services you sell and anything unique your hotel offers. For example, as with SEO, for a spa hotel in Oxfordshire near Oxford and the Cotswolds you might include:

• Spa Hotel Oxfordshire
• Luxury Spa Hotel Oxfordshire
• Oxford Spa Hotel
• Cotswold Spa Hotel
• Luxury Wedding Hotel Oxford

It’s important to break down your Campaigns and Ad Groups to the point where you have 10-20 keywords phrases for each Ad Group

Be Precise

A core benefit of PPC search is the ability to select many more keyword phrases to focus on than with organic search. It’s important to detail every precise combination of keywords for each of your Ad Groups that you think potential customers will use.

Google AdWords allows four different keywords matching types so you can be as broad or specific as you wish. Using ‘Cotswold Spa Hotel’ as an example, the four types of keyword matching are:

Broad: Cotswold Spa Hotel
Phrase: “Cotswold Spa Hotel”
Exact: [Cotswold Spa Hotel]
Negative: -Cotswold Spa Hotel

So, using the same example, your advert would appear for the following keyword combinations:

• Broad results could be:

• ‘Cotswold’,
• ‘Spa’,
• ‘Hotel’
• ‘Cotswold Spa Hotel’

And any other searches that contain any of the words in your keyword phrase. It is very broad indeed and we don’t recommend you use these much as it significantly lowers your Click Through Rate (explained below)

• Phrase results could be:

• ‘Best Cotswold Spa Hotel’,
• ‘Cheap Cotswold Spa Hotel’,
• ‘Award winning Cotswold Spa Hotel’

And any other searches that contain the full phrase, in the same order – with words either side.

• Exact results can only be:

• ‘Cotswold Spa Hotel’

This match type generates the best click-through-rates.

• Negative: For phrases you DON’T wish to be found for such as:

• ‘Bad Cotswold Spa Hotel’

At Ignite we recommend you focus your campaigns on Exact and Phrase match types to improve the click-through-rate and Quality Score. The downside is that you must generate large amounts of keyword phrases in every preferable combination, but the investment in set up time saves you considerable cost in the long run.

Increase Your CTR

The Google system allows you to run a number of different advert variations for each Ad Group, so you can see which advert achieves the best results.

A test of effectiveness is called the Click Through Rate (CTR), which is one of the tests that Google uses to determine your Quality Score that, in turn, influences your advert position. The CTR is the percentage rate of advert views or impressions that have resulted in a click of your advert.

So, using the same example, if 10 people see your advert for weddings by searching with the keywords you determined were relevant and five of them clicked on your advert, you would have a CTR of 50%. As this is very high, Google would move your advert to the top of the list for those keywords and you would not need to bid so much for the privilege of being at the top of the list of ads.

By running multiple advert variations you can maximise your Click Through Rate and achieve a higher position for your advert for less cost.

If one advert variation is achieving better results than the other you can cancel the poor performing advert resulting in a thoroughly tested highly effective advert running.

Monitor and Adjust

As the system runs over time it provides statistics on the number of times your advert is displayed, how many clicks it receives and the Quality Score of each keyword phrase within an Ad Group.

You can see where your budget is being used and which adverts are most effective and adjust the system as necessary. Google allows you to set a daily budget so you don’t spend more than you plan to.

Balance PPC with SEO

Pay-Per-Click campaigns are immediate, measurable and adjustable to minimise your cost and maximise your budget, but they do cost money.

A useful strategy is to use AdWords where SEO may not be fully functional yet (remember SEO takes time). Slowly reduce your PPC budget and adjust your campaigns as your SEO techniques begin to work. You don’t need to pay to be seen on search results if you’re appearing in the organic results for free!

Ignite’s 8-Step PPC Process

If you’re attempting to set up a Google AdWords system for your hotel, follow these steps to achieve the best results:

Determine your most relevant keywords.

Generate lists of Exact keyword phrases.

Organise these into Campaigns and Ad Groups of 10-20 keyword phrases that are most relevant together.

Write advert copy for each of these Ad Groups ensuring consistency in the words you use.

Determine which landing pages these adverts should point to, adjusting copy on your website if necessary.

Set your budget.

Monitor your Adverts, CTR and Quality Scores.

Adjust as required.

Follow the suggestions here and you’ll quickly be able to appear in front of relevant searches whilst keeping your budget to a minimum. Remember, search engines are one of the primary sources of visitors for your website and 85% of travellers now use a search engine when looking for a hotel.

Our goal is to help hoteliers succeed online. The Online Distribution Channel is the only growth channel in 2010 and is the cheapest. Smart hoteliers should dedicate increasing proportions of their marketing budgets to internet marketing.

If you would like to work with us to dramatically improve visitors to your website and subsequent online bookings call 020 7275 8682 or email us.