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How to Improve Ad Relevance

Samuel Edwards
|
April 22, 2023

As an advertiser, getting more ad impressions and clicks is a constant battle. Sure, you can pay your way to the top of sponsored search results, but this can get expensive fast and cause your marketing ROI to suffer.

Another way to improve your ad performance is to work on ad relevance (aka keyword relevance). Search engines like Google and Bing will reward you with higher ad placements if your ads are more relevant to user searches.

In this article, we’ll go over what ad relevance is, why it’s important, and six ways you can start improving ad relevance today.

Let’s get started!

What Is Ad Relevance?

Google defines ad relevance as” how closely your ad matches the intent behind a user’s search.” Bing defines it the same way: “how relevant your ad and landing page are to the customer’s search query or other input.”

Basically, ad relevance is how closely your ad (including keywords and landing pages) matches what users are looking for.

Ad relevance is also one of the three main components of your ad’s Quality Score (along with expected clickthrough rate and landing page experience), which Google uses to give your ads a status of “above average,” “average,” or “below average.”

Google Ad Quality Score

Source: https://help.ads.microsoft.com/apex/index/3/en-us/50813

To measure ad relevance, Google compares your ads to other ads targeting the same keyword over the last 90 days.

Why Is Ad Relevance Important?

Ad relevance is important for a couple of reasons.

For one, it helps you cater your ads to your target audience. The more relevant your ads are, the more likely users are to click on them and turn into leads that ultimately buy your product or service.

But improving ad relevance also helps you indirectly by lowering your ads’ cost per click (CPC). Let me explain.

When you score higher on search engines’ ad relevance (and overall ad quality) metrics, they will favor your ads in their search engine results pages (SERPs). How? By displaying your ads over (or higher than) other ads.

This means your ads will gain more impressions and clicks, and more clicks for the same budget means a lower cost-per-click (CPC) rate. Basically, it’s getting more bang for your buck.

If that sounds like something you want, here’s how to start making your ads more relevant today:

1. Match Ads to User Search Terms

The first step to making your ads more relevant is to match them with search terms.

Think like a customer. If you were searching for a new pair of men’s running shoes, you might type “buy new men’s running shoes” into Google.

As a consumer, you’d be more likely to click on an ad that said, “shop for new men’s running shoes” than one that said, “buy men’s apparel.”

Why? Because the first ad is much more specific to your actual need, whereas the second is broader and more generic and may not be what you want.

Focusing your ads on long-tail keywords (keywords that are longer but more specific) will not only help you target specific types of buyers but will help you gain more qualified leads.

For example, even if you manage to place an ad for the keyword “buy men’s apparel,” you may attract people looking for things you don’t sell (e.g., men’s ties), and that doesn’t help you or them.

So, target specific keywords and place them upfront in your ads. Search engines bold keywords in search queries, so your ad will stand out more if the relevant keyword is displayed in the ad headline, body, URL, and display path fields.

When it comes to search ads, users are telling you what they’re looking for. So, make sure to deliver by targeting relevant keywords.

2. Create Specific Ad Groups

Poor ad relevance usually comes from copying ads from one ad group to another without editing or tailoring them. To ensure your ads stay relevant from one product or service to the next, create multiple tightly themed ad groups. You can create separate ad groups for different products, buyer personas (segregated by gender, age, location, and other demographics), and more.

As a rule of thumb, you should limit ad groups to about 5 to 20 related keywords. Then create different ads based on these different keyword variations while also ensuring strong landing page relevance.

The more specific you can make each ad, the more relevant they will be to users, improving both your ad rank and overall landing page experience. Additionally, optimizing your landing page content will help maintain a seamless connection between the ad and the user’s expectations.

Google Ad Groups

Source: https://www.adzooma.com/blog/how-to-use-ad-groups-to-boost-success/

3. Keep Ads Simple

Once you’ve targeted different search terms and grouped your ads, it’s important to make sure each ad is as simple as can be.

Write ad copy that can be understood by a third grader. Why? You have a very short amount of time to grab readers’ attention with your ads. So, the simpler an ad is to digest, the more likely someone is to stop and read it.

It may be tempting to try to make your ad clever because you want it to stand out, but the truth is that this rarely works. People on the internet want instant gratification, so if they have to put in the slightest amount of mental work to understand an ad, they’ll give up and move on.

Instead, make your ads clear and direct. Tell users exactly what it is you’re selling without trying to impress them with your words.

4. Include Clear Calls to Action (CTAs)

Every ad needs a clear call to action (CTA). Without it, your ad isn’t really an ad because it’s not telling people what you want them to do.

CTAs will look different based on what it is you’re advertising. If you want users to buy some men’s running shoes on your website, your CTA might say “buy men’s running shoes now.” If you want users to download your free men’s running ebook, it might read “download free men’s running ebook.”

You get the point. Tell users exactly what you want them to do and exactly what they’ll get by clicking.

5. Optimize Your Landing Pages

Crafting compelling ad copy is half the battle. From there, you also need to make sure the landing page quality is high and that the landing page your ad leads to is relevant.

The job of the landing page is to close the deal. It’s where users actually become leads or customers by signing up for a newsletter or making an online order. As a result, the landing page needs to match whatever the ad promotes. If the ad promotes men’s running shoes, the landing page better be an eCommerce storefront where users can place an order.

If not, you’ll disappoint and lose potential customers because you’re not giving them what they signed up for by clicking the ad, which could result in a low quality score and hurt your ad rank.

Landing pages should contain all the same relevant keywords as the ad and exclude negative keywords and missing ones. It’s also important to design landing pages to be user-friendly.

Good UX design could be the difference between gaining a lead or a customer, ultimately leading to better ad placements and increased conversions.

6. Test Your Ads

Peter Drucker once said, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” And the same goes for improving ad relevance.

To measure how well your ads are performing, conduct A/B tests. This means creating two slightly different versions of an ad and then running both to see which performs better on common ad metrics, such as click-through rate (CTR), ad position, number of impressions, and cost per click (CPC).

You can A/B test different ad copy, keywords, ad channels, and more.

AB Testing

Source: https://www.optimizely.com/optimization-glossary/ab-testing/

If you don’t have a dedicated A/B testing software solution, you can always set up custom experiments on Google’s ad platform.

You can also identify poor-performing ads with the help of Google Ads Scripts.

Whatever you do, constantly reevaluate your ads so you can fine-tune their relevance over time.

Partner with PPC.co

Not sure you have the time or resources to run your own online ad campaigns? No worries. PPC.co is here to help.

We can help you run top-performing ad campaigns on Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and more. You can be involved every step of the way or sit back and relax and let us handle all the hard work. It’s up to you.

Get in touch today for a free proposal. We look forward to chatting!

Author
Recent Posts

Samuel Edwards

Chief Marketing Officer

Throughout his extensive 10+ year journey as a digital marketer, Sam has left an indelible mark on both small businesses and Fortune 500 enterprises alike. His portfolio boasts collaborations with esteemed entities such as NASDAQ OMX, eBay, Duncan Hines, Drew Barrymore, Price Benowitz LLP, a prominent law firm based in Washington, DC, and the esteemed human rights organization Amnesty International. In his role as a technical SEO and digital marketing strategist, Sam takes the helm of all paid and organic operations teams, steering client SEO services, link building initiatives, and white label digital marketing partnerships to unparalleled success. An esteemed thought leader in the industry, Sam is a recurring speaker at the esteemed Search Marketing Expo conference series and has graced the TEDx stage with his insights. Today, he channels his expertise into direct collaboration with high-end clients spanning diverse verticals, where he meticulously crafts strategies to optimize on and off-site SEO ROI through the seamless integration of content marketing and link building.

Latest posts by

Samuel Edwards

 (see more)
Traditional PPC Agencies Are Dead: Stop Buying Clicks and Start Buying Outcomes
-
November 7, 2025
Hospitality PPC Strategies That Actually Convert
-
September 17, 2025
Web Hosting Providers: How to Craft High-Converting PPC Landing Pages
-
September 3, 2025
PPC Ad Trends by Sector & The Impact of AI
-
August 22, 2025

Author

Samuel Edwards

Chief Marketing Officer

Throughout his extensive 10+ year journey as a digital marketer, Sam has left an indelible mark on both small businesses and Fortune 500 enterprises alike. His portfolio boasts collaborations with esteemed entities such as NASDAQ OMX, eBay, Duncan Hines, Drew Barrymore, Price Benowitz LLP, a prominent law firm based in Washington, DC, and the esteemed human rights organization Amnesty International. In his role as a technical SEO and digital marketing strategist, Sam takes the helm of all paid and organic operations teams, steering client SEO services, link building initiatives, and white label digital marketing partnerships to unparalleled success. An esteemed thought leader in the industry, Sam is a recurring speaker at the esteemed Search Marketing Expo conference series and has graced the TEDx stage with his insights. Today, he channels his expertise into direct collaboration with high-end clients spanning diverse verticals, where he meticulously crafts strategies to optimize on and off-site SEO ROI through the seamless integration of content marketing and link building.

Related posts

Samuel Edwards
|
November 7, 2025
Traditional PPC Agencies Are Dead: Stop Buying Clicks and Start Buying Outcomes

The keyword jockey era is officially over. For years, PPC agencies were basically just click machines. You gave them a budget, they bid on keywords, and you got traffic. But that model is fading out. Platforms like Google Ads now handle bidding automatically, and anyone can buy clicks. What separates winners from losers today isn’t the company that spends more – it’s the ones who turn clicks into paying customers.

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PPC ads are still a legitimate way to generate cheap traffic but the end goal is ultimately conversions. Until recently, many PPC agencies have only focused on generating traffic without focusing on customizing strategies to produce profitable outcomes. This requires more than just selecting keywords. It requires testing ad creatives, fine-tuning landing pages, and ruthlessly optimizing funnels. 

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If you’re working with a PPC agency that only talks about CPC while ignoring conversion rates and lifetime customer value (LTV), it’s time to upgrade to an agency that focuses on results measurable in dollars. 

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Automation killed the “bid manager” role

Ad platforms like Google Ads and Meta have made manual bidding almost obsolete. Their algorithms now choose how to get you the best conversion value, not just the cheapest click. That means the old “bid manager” agency model is toast. 

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Smart Bidding and bundled campaign types (like Performance Max) push optimization toward conversion value rather than just clicks. And that’s not a bad thing. It’s an invitation to apply your marketing budget to the things humans do best: messaging, creative strategy, and conversion rate optimization).

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The algorithms do the heavy lifting now. Google’s Performance Max and Smart Bidding automatically find high-converting audiences. The system handles keyword strategy better than humans ever could. And it makes sense that these companies would invest the time and money into perfecting their systems because the better results you get, the more likely you are to keep running ads. 

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With the backend tech handling bidding, your agency’s edge comes from improving elements outside of the algorithm, like your ads and landing pages. The best PPC agencies no longer promise a lower CPC – they promise results.

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That’s the key shift here. Automation didn’t eliminate the need for human marketers, no matter what the fear headlines say. It just readjusted the roles between humans and machines.

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The agencies that survive this shift will be the ones who stop fighting automation and start building it into their workflows. Rather than wasting time micromanaging bids, cutting-edge agencies are using those hours to test headlines, improve page experience, and analyze conversion data to find out what’s really working. 

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Automation can never tell you why people click, bounce, or buy. That’s where humans are and always will be needed. When you understand your customer’s motivation better than the competition, you can write better ad copy and design better landing pages.

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At the end of the day, automation leveled the playing field for media buying. What was once a technical advantage is now table stakes. Anyone can run their own ads. The agencies leading this new PPC era are competing on conversions, not the simple ability to run ads.

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Creative is the new keyword

In the old days, you could buy the right keyword and call it a day. That isn’t how it works anymore. Two ads that target the same keyword can perform completely differently based on how they look, sound, and feel. Your ad creatives drive results when they’re optimized and waste your ad spend when they’re not. 

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Although all elements are important, the majority of an ad’s performance comes from creative quality, not targeting or bids. The best bidding strategy and perfect keyword targeting won’t get people to click on an ad that isn’t enticing.

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The best PPC agencies continually test images, headlines, and even video styles to find out what converts best. That’s where the most notable performance gains come from. At the end of the day, keywords get you visibility but good creatives get you customers.

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This shift continues to be confirmed over and over. Reports have confirmed that creative quality accounts for 49%-70% of an ad’s success, which outweighs media placement or targeting. In other words, creative isn’t just part of the equation. It’s the final factor. 

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The top performing brands run hundreds of ad variants every month. They’re not guessing. They’re structuring creative experiments and the winning ads are often the ones that break traditional marketing rules. These are the ads that use raw, authentic imagery, short unpolished videos, or headlines that sound like something a real customer would say. Regardless of what you think should work, constant testing uncovers what actually triggers action.

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Conversion rate optimization is an ad spend multiplier

When your landing page converts better, every click becomes more valuable. Improving your conversion rate by even a few percentage points can provide better results than just a few months of ad optimization. And where landing page optimization is concerned, it’s not always about optimizing the offer (although that’s crucial). Sometimes small things make a massive, measurable difference. 

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For example, page load time is critical. Walmart found that for every 1-second improvement in load time, conversions increased by around 2%. And that’s not an anomaly. Plenty of businesses achieve similar increases (and even higher) just by optimizing the time it takes their landing pages to load.

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Other small adjustments can have a profound impact, like adding social proof near your CTA, reducing the number of form fields, and clarifying your headlines.

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When optimizing a landing page, design and clarity matter just as much as speed. Visitors make up their minds within seconds. If your pages are currently cluttered, switching to clean visuals, a clear CTA, and a simple layout can generate more conversions from existing traffic without spending another dollar on ads.

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That’s the secret to all of this. Conversion rate optimization multiplies every dollar you already spend. If your ad campaign is driving 1,000 clicks and your conversion rate doubles from 2% to 4%, you’ve just cut your cost per acquisition in half without spending more money. This improvement comes from the one thing an algorithm can’t fix for you: the user experience after the click.

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Good conversion rate optimization requires understanding the psychology behind what makes your audience hesitate and then eliminating that hesitation one element at a time. Landing page testing is similar to ad creative testing where it’s an ongoing process, not a one-time project. When you can create a seamless path from ad to action, that’s when your ad spend will perform better and it gets easier to scale.

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Stop measuring success in clicks – start measuring in profits

Clicks and your CPC stats won’t tell you if you’re actually making money unless you’re also measuring profits from conversions. The best PPC agencies focus on metrics that get results measurable in dollars, like profit per visitor and customer lifetime value. Today, you won’t win the PPC game by getting cheaper clicks. You need to turn customers into repeat buyers.

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This is the truth many marketers don’t get. Traffic isn’t a KPI if it doesn’t pay off in measurable dollars somewhere down the line. A campaign can drive thousands of clicks with a great CTR and still lose money if those visitors don’t convert or come back. That’s why the best PPC agencies today don’t brag about being able to get cheap traffic. They’re advertising meaningful results.

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But sometimes results can’t be measured by what clicks led to a purchase. For example, a $10 click that becomes a loyal customer who spends $1,000 over time is far better than a $1 click that buys a $25 product. That’s why it’s crucial to account for profit-based metrics like customer lifetime value (LTV), return on ad spend (ROAS), and profit per visitor. 

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PPC success is ultimately measured by how efficiently you can turn paid traffic into long-term profits. That means understanding the customer journey past the initial click. You need to know what they’ll buy next, how often they’ll come back, and what will keep them loyal. Building strategies that account for this increase the value of every customer acquired.

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Each ad is only as good as the page it leads to when clicked

The most amazing ad in the world that generates a 100% click through rate (CTR) can’t save a weak landing page. This applies to sales pages, squeeze pages, blog posts, home pages, and product pages. Wherever visitors are taken after they click on your ad needs to be just as good as your ad to convert.

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On platforms like Amazon and Shopify, your product page is everything. It’s not enough to list your product at a good price. You need high-quality, detailed photos to increase buyer confidence. And it helps to use photos of real products, not mockups. Customers can tell the difference and computer-generated mockups (including AI models) reduce confidence and are a red flag for drop shipping. If you are drop shipping, it’s worth getting professional photos taken of everything you sell.

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Rising ad costs make conversion strategy essential

It costs more today to acquire a new customer than ever before. Even if your CPC drops one month, your overall ad costs will continue to rise long-term. The only way to win here is to make every click more profitable, and that boils down to conversion rate optimization. You can’t outspend your competitors forever. You need to out-convert them.

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Digital advertising costs have been rising for years. The average customer acquisition cost (CAC) for online retailers is now between $68-$78, which is double what it was in 2013. Every year, it gets more expensive to get your ads in front of your customers. Algorithms are saturated, CPMs fluctuate unpredictably, and privacy updates (thanks, Apple) make it harder to target audiences efficiently. You can no longer buy your way to visibility.

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A strong conversion strategy converts more existing traffic without needing to increase ad spend. This is exactly why the most effective PPC agencies focus on the entire funnel, not just the top. 

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Siloed metrics kill performance

Agencies that optimize per channel (like one for search, social, display, etc.) miss how those channels work together. Most conversions come from multiple touchpoints, but many teams only credit the final click. That can cause misguided budgets and stifle growth. Brands that use cross-channel attribution or marketing mix models see much better optimization. You need a PPC agency that will optimize for whatever will grow your business, not just what looks good on any given platform.

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What the “new” PPC agency model looks like

The agencies that win today are replacing the model that sells traffic with one that sells results. They don’t focus on vanity metrics, but rather, contribution margin, customer lifetime value, etc. They’ll help you with more than just ads. They’ll fix your sales page content, pricing issues, and even your page layouts because they know ads perform best with great landing pages. The new PPC agencies are full funnel growth partners, not just media buyers.

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The New PPC Agency Model

The “New” PPC Agency Model

How modern PPC agencies differ from traditional “click-buyers” — focusing on conversions, customer value, and full-funnel growth.

Aspect Old Model (Traditional PPC) New Model (Modern PPC)
Core Focus
  • Buys and manages clicks.
  • Measures success by CPC or CTR.
  • Optimizes primarily for traffic volume.
  • Focuses on conversions, revenue, and ROI.
  • Optimizes campaigns for business outcomes.
  • Builds long-term profit, not vanity metrics.
Human Role
  • Manual bid management.
  • Relies on keyword adjustments.
  • Little involvement in strategy or creative.
  • Uses automation for bidding and targeting.
  • Humans focus on strategy, creative, and CRO.
  • Analyzes data to understand user behavior.
Performance Measurement
  • Reports clicks, impressions, and cost per click.
  • Short-term reporting cycles.
  • Tracks LTV, ROAS, and profit per visitor.
  • Measures full-funnel performance and growth.
Creative & Strategy
  • Limited testing or optimization of ad creatives.
  • Focuses mostly on keywords and bids.
  • Runs structured creative testing across formats.
  • Refines messaging, visuals, and video ads for results.
Landing Page & Funnel Work
  • Stops optimization at the ad click.
  • Does not assist with landing pages or funnels.
  • Optimizes post-click experience for conversion lift.
  • Improves page design, CTAs, and UX to increase ROI.
Agency Role
  • Acts as a media buyer.
  • Reports on ad metrics only.
  • Acts as a full-funnel growth partner.
  • Advises on pricing, content, and user journey.
  • Aligns marketing with profit-based KPIs.
Outcome
  • High ad spend, low conversion insight.
  • Focus on quantity over quality.
  • Profitable ad spend through conversion optimization.
  • Scalable growth grounded in customer value.

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Conversions, not clicks, build businesses

The future of PPC marketing is no longer about who can spend the most or manually tweak their bids the fastest. It’s about whoever can understand the customer journey and turn traffic into profit. The next generation of PPC agencies don’t sell clicks. That’s the old model. Instead, they sell you outcomes. And that’s exactly what every brand needs to thrive.

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Ready for a full funnel PPC ad strategy? We’d love to help

The age of “set it and forget it” PPC is over. Automation has leveled the playing field and brands chasing cheap clicks will be left behind. Winners understand that profit comes from performance beyond the ad and requires a landing page that builds trust and converts. 

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If your agency or in-house team is still talking about CPCs rather than profit, it’s time to upgrade your strategy. At PPC.co, we build campaigns engineered for outcomes over clicks. We optimize for conversions, revenue, and long-term customer value, and turn your ad spend into measurable business growth. Reach out today to learn how our team can transform your PPC performance into real profit.

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Samuel Edwards
|
September 17, 2025
Hospitality PPC Strategies That Actually Convert

Pay-per-click (PPC) ads can generate a steady stream of guests for anyone in the hospitality industry, whether you run a hotel, motel, hostel, vacation rental, or an Airbnb. In terms of marketing strategies, PPC ads convert 50% better than SEO and it’s easier to measure than results from organic search.

But a successful ad campaign isn’t just a matter of getting ads in front of people who are looking to book right now. You can also use PPC ads to find people who are just starting to think about their getaway and those who are comparing options. An effective strategy will reach a variety of people to get bookings now, fill future pipelines, and get repeat guests.

If you’re in the hospitality industry, here’s how paid advertising can help you drive more revenue.

Funnel Stage Keyword Focus Ad Copy & Creatives Key Metrics
Awareness Broad discovery keywords (e.g., “best beaches in Florida”, “top weekend getaways”) Emotional/inspirational messaging: “Unwind by the sea”
Use scenic images and dream-like visuals
Impressions, Click-Through Rate (CTR), Engagement
Consideration Comparative keywords (e.g., “boutique hotel vs Airbnb”, “hotel amenities comparison”) Highlight features, testimonials, reviews: “Free Wi-Fi & Breakfast”
Use photos of amenities and location
CTR, Time on Site, Email Signups
Conversion High-intent branded keywords (e.g., “[hotel name] rooms [dates]”, “book hotel near airport”) Urgent call-to-action: “Book now & save”
Limited-time offers and scarcity language
Bookings, Cost per Acquisition (CPA), ROAS
Loyalty Retargeting & email remarketing keywords (e.g., “return guest discount”, “VIP upgrade”) Personalized offers: “Welcome back!”
Show exclusive perks and upgrades
Repeat Bookings, Lifetime Value (LTV), Referrals
Remarketing Dynamic remarketing keywords
(auto-populated by product/ad platforms)
Show previously viewed rooms/properties
Offer gentle discount nudges or visual reminders
Return Visits, Ad Engagement, Conversion Lift

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First things first – map the guest journey

To run a successful PPC campaign you need to understand the guest journey. Different people are doing different things at different times. For example, some people are researching destinations and others are comparing lodging, all while another group of people are ready to book. If you serve all these people the same ads, you won’t get the best results. 

1. Define your funnel stages

There are four main stages to a hospitality funnel: awareness, consideration, conversion, and loyalty. Reaching leads at each stage requires different messaging and targeting. That’s where audience segmentation comes in.

2. Segment your audience by intent

Since each lead needs to be given a different message, it’s crucial to segment them by intent first. For example, the dreamers are people who search for “things to do in X city,” “best beach getaway,” and “romantic weekend destinations.” 

The comparers search for “hotel vs. motel in X city,” “4-star stays in X city,” and “Airbnb vs. boutique hotel.”

The bookers search for a specific brand + location + dates. 

Each audience segment should be served different ad copy, different offers, and of course – different landing pages.

3. Measure results according to stage

Finally, you need to measure results in several ways, like impressions, click-throughs, content engagement, and email signups. This will give you the bigger picture regarding how your ads are working (or not). For example, to measure the conversion stage, look at bookings, CPA, and revenue per booking. For the loyalty stage, look for repeat stays or referral leads.

Once you know how you’ll segment your audience and track the results, you can allocate your budget smartly. Otherwise, you risk overspending on high-intent leads and ignoring the long-term value of leads in earlier stages of the journey.

Use a varied keyword strategy to cover all funnel levels

If you only bid on keyword phrases like “hotel room booking tonight,” you’ll miss all the people researching and thinking about their vacation. These people can convert, too, even if it doesn’t happen in the moment. They’re worth pursuing. You can capture their email, get them to like your social media pages, and you can also use remarketing to serve them additional ads.

The following are the general types of keywords you want to focus on:

·      Broad/discovery keywords. These keywords will reach people in the awareness stage. Phrases like, “Best beaches in [location],” “Top things to do in [location],” and “Travel inspiration [country].” When you use broad modifiers (like “top,” “best,” “where to stay”) you’ll attract people in the research stage.

·      Middle-funnel comparative keywords. These are phrases like, “Boutique hotel vs. Airbnb in [location],” “Hotel deals vs. motel,” and “Hotel amenities comparison.” With phrases like these, people are narrowing down their choices. The right PPC campaign can help them pick your business.

·      Branded and high-intent booking keywords. These keywords reach people further down the funnel. Phrases like, “[Your hotel name] rooms,” “Hotel in [location] near [landmark],” and “cheap hotel [location][dates].” These phrases typically provide the highest conversion rates but can be competitive, so they may cost more.

·      Negative keywords. To prevent wasted ad spend on irrelevant clicks, you can add certain keywords to your negative keyword list. This ensures your ads won’t show up when people search for these terms. Common negative keywords used in the hospitality industry include, “Free stay” and “Jobs at [hotel].” 

 

Since most hotels and motels stick with keywords that target people ready to book, you can expand your reach by running ads for people in other stages. Just make sure you have a system in place to nurture your leads so they don’t go cold. 

Tailor ad copy and creatives to each funnel stage

What you say matters just as much as when you say it. Copy that works for someone researching won’t work for someone ready to book with you. Every part of your ad needs to match intent, including the imagery, tone, copy, and offers. Here’s how to reach each stage:

·      Awareness stage ads. At this stage, people will respond to emotional and inspirational copy. Phrases like, “Discover tranquil stays in the mountains,” or “Unwind by the sea.” Use imagery to provoke desire. Beautiful views and relaxing room setups work like a charm.

·      Consideration stage ads. These people need more information, so hit ‘em with your amenities (Wi-Fi, breakfast), comparisons, reviews, ratings, and testimonials. Show them visuals of your accommodations and the local area.

·      Booking/conversion stage ads. Urgency works best here. Phrases that get people to click to book now, like “Limited rooms available,” and “Book now and save.” 

·      Loyalty stage ads. Guests who have stayed with you before, even just once, are more cost-effective to convert again compared to chasing down new customers. Create some ads for these people by highlighting perks, upgrades, and exclusive deals they can’t get through other places. For example, you can use lines like:

“Book direct for free late checkout,” “Exclusive returning guest discount,” or “VIP upgrade on your next stay.” It also helps to use personalized copy like, “Welcome back to [your hotel name].” along with imagery of your best amenities.

Loyalty ads drive repeat bookings and increase lifetime value by bringing people back. 

·      Remarketing and nurturing prospects who got away. In addition to targeting people in all funnel stages, you want to bring people back who clicked but never booked or signed up for your email list. Run retargeting ads to show them what they looked at and offer them incentives or discounts. This is a great time to leverage social proof.

By matching your ad content to meet potential leads where they are in their journey, your ads will be more relevant and you’ll get more conversions.

Optimize your landing pages

Having a great ad doesn’t necessarily mean it will drive conversions. If your landing page is confusing or the booking process is clunky, you’ll lose people. That’s why landing page optimization is often where people see the biggest gains.

As a foundation, create a specific landing page for each target audience. You need a dedicated landing page for ads that target each funnel stage. Landing pages should be simple and clear and should be free from all distractions (like links and menus) that invite a user to click away. You want one offer and one call to action.

Social proof is critical in the hospitality industry. Show guest reviews from Tripadvisor, Google, Trustpilot, etc. It also helps to show photos of real guests enjoying their stay (with their permission). Showcasing reviews will reduce anxiety and hesitation, especially for people comparing you with other options. 

If your landing pages show pricing, make sure you’re up front about all fees. Be clear about what’s included, like tax, breakfast, and service fees. People hate hidden fees. If a guest’s experience doesn’t match the impression they get from the page where they booked, they’ll probably leave a bad review.

Talk to your website developer and have them trigger a follow-up email that goes out to people who start filling out a booking form but stop. The email should show them what they left behind and you can sweeten the deal by offering a small discount or other incentive.

Having a smooth flow after a person clicks on your ad can help you convert far more prospects. Everything you can do to reduce friction and increase trust compounds.

Get your bid and budget strategies down

To get conversions, your bidding strategy and budget need to align with a variety of factors, including funnel stage and seasonality.

·      Increase bids for high-intent keywords, use moderate bids for middle-funnel ads, and go lower for awareness and discovery. 

·      Watch for online travel agents (OTAs) and large hotel chains that bid on your property’s name or similar keywords. If they undercut you in rate or bid too aggressively, you could end up with arbitrarily inflated costs per click. Research data shows this can cost around 47% more per click.

·      Adjust your bids and budget during travel seasons, events, and holidays. During off-peak seasons you may want to stick with pushing awareness. 

·      Allocate your budget proportionately across all funnel stages. 

·      Use Google’s automated bidding tool for the conversion stage, but use manual methods for the consideration and awareness stage. 

The right bidding strategy will ensure you don’t overspend for low-intent clicks or underinvest in more profitable funnel stages.

Use multiple channels and ad formats

PPC is more than search. When you use different channels and ad formats you’ll reach people in a variety of places. 

·      Search ads (Google, Bing). Search ads capture high-intent demand users. They’re great for the conversion and compare phases and can make use of extensions like call, location, and reviews.

·      Display and discovery/native ads. Display ads are excellent for the awareness stage. They reach people browsing travel blogs and using apps. With these ads, visuals are everything.

·      Social media ads. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok are great for the awareness and consideration stages. They’re especially powerful for remarketing.

·      Video ads. Short-form videos can stir emotion, show off ambiance, and be used to create a mini virtual tour. These ads are great for top and middle funnel prospects.

·      Email ads. If you’re using email marketing, offer loyalty deals and off-peak discounts.

Paid search on social media converts better in hospitality than it does in other industries.

Leverage local targeting

Location matters in hospitality. Geotargeting can significantly improve your conversions and reduce wasted ad spend. You can use radius bids and location extensions to target people looking for accommodations within a certain radius. 

It pays to bid higher for people in feeder markets and origin cities during the holidays. You can also target departure cities for Arbnbs if that’s relevant to you. 

In your ad copy, include local cues like “Only 30 mins from downtown,” and “15 minutes from airport. If you know your audience well, include the origin city (“Fly in from Seattle & Stay with us just outside Olympia”).

When offered by the ad platform, use local extensions to note your address, phone number, and any other elements offered. This will generate more bookings from mobile users.

Go deep with retargeting

Most people who click your ads or visit your website won’t book right away. Retargeting will help convert these “warm but not ready” leads into guests eventually. 

When you target people who visited your site without converting, show them ads with refreshed offers like a free breakfast or an upgraded view. Visual reminders will help bring them back. 

Show the specific rooms and properties to the prospect so the ad feels personalized. Use tools like Google dynamic remarketing and Facebook Product Ads. 

For guests who did convert, show them additional special offers and upgrades. Keeping them in your funnel will make future conversions easier. 

Monitor ROI, adjust, and scale

It’s crucial to know when to pull back, push forward, test more, or scale. 

·      Define clear ROI goals. Know your target Cost-Per-Acquisition (CPA), Return on Ad Spend (ROAS), and guest Lifetime Value (LTV). If your ad spend yields bookings but loses money, it’s not working. 

·      Perform weekly and monthly audits. Refine keywords, ad creatives, and keep testing.

·      Scale what works. Once you have a campaign producing consistent returns, increase the budget there while watching for diminishing returns.

·      Adjust your offers and pricing. If conversion rates drop or your CPCs rise, start offering special packages like early-bird deals and loyalty perks.

The average travel and hospitality conversion rate for search is 3.55% so if you’re under that, there’s room for improvement. If you’re over that, scale carefully.

Ready to unlock powerful PPC performance?

If you’re ready to transform your PPC campaign into a reliable machine that fills your rooms and builds a solid pipeline for the future, we can help. At PPC.co, we specialize in creating full funnel PPC strategies for hotels, motels, and Airbnbs that convert into bookings, repeat guests, and long-term loyalty. Contact us today and let’s craft a PPC strategy that drives bookings and turns first-time guests into lifelong customers. 

 

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