Paul Henderson is the founder of Summon Digital, an expert in pay-per-click and digital marketing.
The search engine marketing landscape is about to undergo a profound transformation, the impact of which will be particularly felt in the travel industry.
Historically, search worked like a catalog index, where users entered specific, often simplistic, queries to find information. Users learned that if their query got too complex, the results would be poor, so everyone searched accordingly, and that’s how it’s been up until now.
Today, with the integration of artificial intelligence into search engines, we are seeing the beginning of a radical shift in the ability of search engines to answer complex queries. Users are likely to do the same, entering multifaceted queries that will present significant challenges due to the increased complexity and difficulty in identifying search terms.
From catalog to conversation
In the past, a traveler might search for “hotels in London” or “flights to New York.” These searches, similar to searching for a term in an index, expected the search engine to return a simple list of results.
Soon, the nature of queries will change dramatically. A potential traveler might ask, “What are the best boutique hotels in London that have a spa and are pet-friendly?” or “Find me a flight to New York with flexible booking options and more legroom.”
This shift signals a shift from static, keyword-based queries to dynamic, conversational interactions where the consumer expects personalized results that take into account a range of preferences.
For travel companies, this new era of search presents a significant challenge: how to effectively capture and respond to the breadth and depth of user queries. The answer lies in the use of detailed, structured data. By comprehensively structuring data, travel marketers can ensure that every potential preference and feature of their offering is searchable and can be accurately matched by broad, intent-based campaigns delivered on AI search technologies such as Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE).
Improve the relevance of your ad
Structured data allows travel marketers to annotate their content with detailed metadata (additional descriptive text not displayed on the page) that search engines can use to understand the context and specifics of their offerings. This is crucial in an environment where paid search success increasingly depends on matching ads to complex user intent.
Rich and detailed product information: For example, structured data can be used to specify attributes of a travel package, such as destinations, amenities, price ranges, and user reviews. This not only helps align with specific queries, but also improves ad presentation through rich snippets and other advanced SERP features. (SERP features are unique results on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) outside of traditional organic listings.)
Dynamic Personalization and Targeting: With AI-powered tools, structured data can dynamically personalize ads based on a user’s query. If a user is searching for a family vacation in Spain that includes cultural tours, structured data can ensure that your most relevant offers are highlighted.
Continuous optimization: As search queries become increasingly diverse, it becomes essential to continually update and refine structured data. This continuous optimization ensures that new amenities, services, or changes to travel packages are accurately reflected in search results, helping travel companies stay competitive.
Two types of structured data
Website Content Markup: This helps Google better understand the content of pages. This is especially useful when you use automated ad features like Dynamic Search Ads that use landing page information to match searches.
Commercial data: Allows for more effective targeting and personalization of ads. This data can be product, inventory, customer or even performance data.
As search evolves from a simple catalog model to handling complex conversational queries, the strategic use of structured data becomes the cornerstone of travel marketing success. By adopting detailed, structured data, travel marketers can not only cover the wide variety of user preferences, but also improve the accuracy and relevance of their paid search campaigns.
This detailed approach will be essential to thrive in a landscape where user expectations for precise and personalized search experiences continually increase, alongside the increasing ability of search engines to interpret them.
