FEATURE ARTICLE
Metasearch : A Winning approach to Direct Booking
An analysis by FASTBOOKING on the various top Metasearch players , providing hoteliers with a clear vision to improve their online performance and to take control of their distribution .
Technology has consistently changed our approach to the ways we manage and do business . As consumers are always connected to their digital channels , their habits are constantly evolving . These constant shifts have challenged the hospitality industry to keep pace with new technology and trends so as to compete in the online community space .
Optimising a hotel ’ s online distribution to drive more direct traffic requires digital marketing strategy and tools to be efficient and effective in their efforts within the online community .
In 2015 , just two years ago , organic traffic counted for 62 %* of the traffic in a hotel website . This figure has reduced to 42 % in 2017 . Undoubtedly , this is still an important source of traffic for hoteliers to leverage on . The apparent reason being is that organic traffic to a hotel ’ s website is nearly FREE . However , this is not sufficient to drive more traffic and conversion to a hotel ’ s website .
To compete effectively in the digital community space , an effective Digital Marketing strategy to drive more qualified traffic and conversion to the hotel ’ s website is pertinent . This plan encompasses Search Engine Marketing ( SEM ), Pre-and Retargeting Display Ads Campaigns , AdWords and the ultimate driver Metasearch .
Since the fourth quarter of 2016 , Metasearch has grown to become the most important advertising channel for hotels outpacing even AdWords . ** This trend is escalating .
In this article , we will analyse the various metasearch players including TripAdvisor , Google Hotel Ads , Trivago , HotelsCombined and their main KPIs in terms of volume , cost , Return on Investment and how they have evolved over the years . We will also share insights on other traffic acquisition services such as Google AdWords and Display Advertising . This report aims to provide hoteliers with a detailed snapshot of the top players in the digital marketing space together with their performance . We hope this will provide a clear vision on the best techniques to improve a hotel ’ s online performance . Our primary objective is to share our ‘ know-how ’ to guide hoteliers and for them to TAKE BACK THE POWER on their distribution .
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