Maps, Analytics & Co: We give an overview of the most important Google products - Part II

Google Maps

Let's start with Google Maps: First of all, it is important to know that the online map service is closely linked to Google My Business. Therefore, to ensure that potential guests can easily find your hotel on Google Maps, a Google My Business profile is indispensable.

Google Maps offers you the possibility to create your own routes to and from your hotel. You can thus additionally support your users in their travel planning, for example by entering distances to sights or airports.

This measure is particularly advantageous for you if you integrate the entered locations with some information, similar to a travel guide, on your website - Why? Quite simple: this link can again significantly increase the number of visitors to your website.

However, to better understand whether Google Maps is paying off for you, you can see how many of your search queries came from Google Maps in the analytics section of your Google My Business account.

Google Travel-Insights

This is a collection of several easy-to-use tools designed to give you insights into your search volume and where your searches are coming from. You can view this data on both a hotel and destination level. Travel Insights has a two-part structure for this reason. It consists of the Destination Insights and Hotel Insights sections.

Let's look at Destination Insights in detail: This section shows you, among other things, changes in demand by country. In addition, you have the possibility to compare source and destination countries. The product is ideal for discovering untapped markets for your hotel and viewing the demand development of these markets.

Hotel Insights, on the other hand, is used to analyze demand and markets in the immediate vicinity of your hotel. This means that in contrast to Destination Insights, Hotel Insights does not deal with countries, but rather with cities and regions. The goal of these tools is the early perception of changes in the market. So that you are able to align your campaigns with current conditions and make the best possible use of opportunities.

Google Alerts

Let's take a closer look at Google Alerts: As the name suggests, this product is a kind of "alert" in the form of an email notification. Now you are probably wondering what you will be notified about - the answer is quite simple: you decide. 

Based on the selection of search terms you make, you will then always be informed about news relevant to you. So, for example, you could set up a Google Alert for your hotel name, city, region or other search terms that will help you adjust your rates and availabilities according to the market situation. The earlier you are informed about current news events, the better. For example, take advantage of increased interest from events in your area and increase your revenue.

Google-Trends

A Google product that provides insights into the search volume of different search terms and compares them with each other is Google-Trends. You can see how high the search volume for your hotel, your city, different events or similar is. With the help of Google Trends, you can therefore create seasonal or current content, which attracts a particularly high level of interest and thus additionally boosts the traffic of your website. The trend analysis also allows you to draw conclusions about the time when the demand for special offers is particularly high and thus supports you in your time planning.

YouTube

YouTube can also revolutionize your Internet presence. Have you ever thought about giving potential guests insights via short video sequences? Even the cheapest smartphones are equipped with good camera technology these days, so why not take the opportunity and increase your reach for free.

The video platform can become an impactful marketing channel for you, giving your guests another touchpoint to become aware of you. In addition, YouTube has its own advertising system. So you have the additional opportunity to place promotional videos on the platform. The advantage here is that you only pay if your video is viewed or clicked for at least 30 seconds.

Google Analytics

Are you asking yourself what your website is actually capable of? Google also provides you with the right answer to this question: Google Analytics gives you detailed insights into the performance of your website and the usage behavior of your visitors free of charge. 

The tool is extremely powerful and gives you information about which areas of your site are particularly interesting for users or where you might need to make improvements. It's also good to know that Analytics is now compatible with many IBEs and the technical setup is straightforward. However, for in-depth analyses and objectives, you should consult a specialist.

Google Surveys

Last but not least, we would like to give you a Google product that allows you to easily collect feedback from your guests - Google Surveys.

No matter if you need feedback on service, gastronomy or special offers, with Google Surveys you can easily create and send surveys. It allows you to uncover possible areas for improvement or to find out which are the decisive selling points for your hotel. In addition, you receive input for future measures. The use of the tool is completely free of charge.

Summary

As you can see, Google offers you a suitable solution for almost every digital problem, and most of the time it's even free of charge. So what are you waiting for? Don't miss out on this potential and expand your online presence. We are happy to support you in setting up and optimizing the various products.

‍

Summary Part 1

In the first part of our series, we introduced you to some of the most popular products. But Google Ads, Hotel Ads and MyBusiness are only a small part of the possibilities that the search engine offers. 

The world of Google is quite complex. However, we can promise you: the effort is worth it. Correctly coordinated and managed, the interaction of Google tools offers a decisive added value for your internet presence. 

Don't miss out on the reach of the world's largest search engine. We are happy to support you in setting up and optimising the various products. In the second part of our Google series, we will present further valuable tools and products.