Travel Industry Knowledge Center

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Target the right audience

Tips to help you zero in on your potential customers.


In this tips section we'll cover:


Spotlight on CTR: Improve your ad performance

Your clickthrough rate (CTR) is the number of clicks your ad receives divided by the number of times your ad is shown (impressions). A high CTR indicates that your ad is getting clicked on because users find it compelling and relevant to what they're searching for. You'll want to keep a close eye on a keyword's CTR to help gauge how it's performing.

CTR also helps to determine your keyword's Quality Score, which in turn factors into your required minimum bid. If your CTR is strong, your ads could place higher on the page than the ads of competitors bidding just as much or more per click.

To learn more about Quality Score, watch this video.

Ad appeal: Write effective ad text

Some ads are more effective than others, and often it can come down to style and strategy. Think about your own online experiences. Have you ever clicked on a sponsored link? If so, what drew you to that particular ad? Perhaps you recognized a brand name that convinced you of the particular seller's quality. Or maybe a well-crafted ad that read "official website" gave you enough confidence to click the mouse and explore a new site.

Here are some tips to boost your ad's appeal:

Capitalize the first letter of each word
Avoid excessive punctuation and incoherent abbreviations
Intercapitalize the Display URL (AdWordsExample.com rather than adwordsexample.com)
Highlight free offers such as seasonal discount codes or package deals
Include a specific call-to-action like "Get All Inclusive Golf Deals Today"
Send visitors directly to the page featuring the product or service you describe in your ad

For each ad group, include the keyword with the highest number of clicks and impressions in your ad title or text. Users will be more likely to click on your ad if it contains the word or phrase they just typed into the search box. Remember that any keywords you include in any part of your ad text are automatically highlighted in bold type when a user enters them as part of their search query, drawing even more attention to your ad.

Potential customer searches for:

Potential customer sees:



For more guidance, review the AdWords Editorial & Format Policies.

Ad testing: Take ad variations for a spin

Not sure what messages will appeal most to your targeted audience? Test multiple versions of ad text for each ad group. For example, try testing out several different titles or call-to-action phrases. AdWords will automatically rotate your ads to determine which variations perform best. We'll then show your top-performing ads more often, in order to bring you more clicks.

Learn more about ad serving in the AdWords Help Center.

Google's content network: Go beyond search

Expand your reach while still promoting your travel services to a targeted audience with Google's content network. The content network is made up of high-quality news pages, industry-specific websites, and blogs, and reaches over 75 percent of US internet users. It's a cost-effective way to show your ads on a wide variety of sites that business travelers, backpackers, and vacationers visit each day. By showing your ads on both search and content pages, you'll reach consumers at all points of the buying cycle, from creating awareness of your services to closing the cycle with a conversion.

And with the range of available ad formats in text, image, Flash, and video, you can appeal to potential customers in a unique and eye-catching way:

Create a separate, content network-only campaign for the ads you want to show on the content network. This way, you can allocate your budget with more precision and test out new ideas without affecting your search campaigns. AdWords looks at the overall theme of your ad group to determine if your ad relates to a particular site, so be sure that each of your content network ad groups focuses on a specific topic and audience.

Get more optimization tips for the content network.

Placement targeting: Handpick websites for your ads


If you're already showing your ads on Google's content network, consider creating a placement-targeted campaign. This allows you to choose specific sites in the content network to display your ads. You can reach travelers throughout their research and buying process while they browse websites, read news, compare deals, and look at user-generated content like ratings and reviews. Try showing your ads on related travel websites such as these content partners:



Find other travel-related sites available in Google's content network. Learn more about placement targeting on the content network site.

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