70% of travelers buy more online today than they did before the Covid crisis in 2020. Knowing which action levers are relevant to promoting your hotel on the Internet, and how to activate them, has become a bigger challenge than ever before.
NB: This is an article from Cendyn, one of our Expert Partners
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As one of the most popular search engines used by Internet users, Google is working hard to improve the solutions available to hoteliers to help them reach as many travellers as possible. Here, we present some of the best free and paid Google tools to help you reach and convert travellers online.
What are the free Google tools for your hotel?
There are a number of free digital tools that can help increase your visibility at no charge, without being any less effective. With the help of the free tools listed below, you can reach more travellers at no extra cost!
Use Google Free Booking Links
Free Booking Links (FBL) are freely accessible links that display your official rate in the “All Options” category on your Google Business Profile. They are organic links that promote your official website rates on Google and increase your hotel’s visibility.
By clicking on a booking link, the traveler will be automatically redirected to the booking page of the booking engine linked to your website. This alone will have a positive impact on traffic to your official website.
Google has identified a number of best practices you can implement to maximize the effectiveness of Free Booking Links and attract more travellers to your site:
- Make sure you have an attractive, user-friendly landing page that grabs visitors’ attention. Simplify the buying process by clearly displaying prices and the room in question with a rapid-loading website so as not to lose travellers from slow load times.
- Make sure that all your hotel properties are listed in the Free Booking Links, with regularly updated information (prices, availability, features, etc.). Also, check that the prices shown on the FBLs match the prices advertised on your official website.
Create your Google Business Profile
In addition to these free links, your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) can help you gain visibility on the Internet. This is your hotel’s identity card on Google. It brings together all the information that characterizes your hotel, making it visible and accessible in a single click.
By optimizing your Google listing, you can attract up to 38% more interest from travelers. To do this, remember to add all your business information, a link to your website, and list your additional services. The more complete your listing, the more effective it will be.
Having a Google listing also enables you to improve your local visibility by making your establishment(s) appear on Google Maps. Many Internet users search for hotels directly on Maps when doing their research; a complete listing allows you to appear there and increases your chances of being spotted and selected by a traveler.
Last but not least, hotel guests can leave reviews, comments, and photos on your Google Business Profile, generating visitor engagement. Take advantage of this feature and generate even more comments and ratings by replying to these reviews.
