A few years ago talk in the travel trade was of “unpackaging” the Package Holiday. However the Package Holiday has evolved & is fighting back with Package holiday searches increasing by +2% YoY from August 2011 to August 2012. Read our latest white paper which explains this change and how you can make the most of it.

1. A White Paper from Search Star
The Package Holiday Sector
September 2012

2. About Us
Search Star was set up in 2005 as one of the first specialist PPC agencies in the UK.
• We do 100% Pay Per Click (PPC) and we do it extremely well. We do not do SEO. We
do not do affiliate.
• We combine expert knowledge with a passion for sales & leads to deliver unbeatable
PPC to happy clients.
• Results are reported as frequently as required coherently & transparently.
• We’re based in the centre of Bath and work for results driven clients across the UK

3. Package Holiday Search Trends
*Google Insights for Search, Sept 12
This trend is largely
generated by price. 39% of
searches include the
Package holidays keyword ‘cheap’, with a
are rising in large proportion of
searchers using other
popularity once price-related terminology
such as ‘deal’ & ‘bargain’.
again. Searches
‘All inclusive’ package
are up +2% YoY holidays are also popular.
Again, this is thanks to the
from August 2011 all-inclusive price allowing
to August 2012*. searchers to effectively
budget, particularly in the
Euro zone.
Microsoft Advertising Intelligence Data, August 2012

4. Top Terms
The statistics above are
all based on position 1 Go for the mid and long-tail. Build up a
and broad match. Longer search strings tailored, keyword specific
Group similar keywords containing more specifics list of negatives. Use
together in a granular Broad match is brilliant generate a higher CTR (1.9% Google’s keyword tool
campaign and ad group for targeting the ‘16% of vs. 1.6% in this example) for and search query reports
structure. Most package daily queries on Google a much lower CPC (£12.39 (AdWords >> Campaigns
holiday accounts have at that have never been vs. £14.71). Searchers using
mid and long-tail terms are
>> Keywords >> Keyword
least 50 ad groups. Some seen before’*. Include
generally further into the Details) to find irrelevant
have thousands, each the broad match
buying cycle so are more terms. Use -exact, -
one containing just a few modifying +sign before
likely to convert. Google ”phrase” and –[broad]
closely related keywords crucial keywords for also love relevancy, and will matching on your
and highly targeted ads. lower average CPC with reward you with lower CPCs negatives to filter
quality scores equivalent and higher ad positions. effectively.
to exact match.
* Think with Google

5. Top 10 Locations
Spain remains the number 1 Notably, Greek holiday resorts are
Dalaman in Turkey and New York
destination for British holiday missing from the top 10 list this
are both destinations on the rise.
makers. This is thanks to the year. A slash in VAT on holiday
Both provide year-round attraction
number of beds, good weather, a accommodation & ferries may help
with plenty of cheap, last-minute
strong tourist infrastructure and of Greece’s tourism industry to bounce
deals in the market.
course,low cost. back from the debt crisis.

6. Structuring your Account
The top 5 package holiday campaign must-haves:
1. Set up accounts on all search engines - Google, plus the Yahoo! Bing Network.
• The current average CPC for package holiday keywords on the Bing/Yahoo! network is £0.50 compared to
£16.05 on Google!
• The current average CTR for these terms is also much higher on the Bing/Yahoo! Network - 9.16%
compared to just 1.6% on Google.
2. Use geographical targeting to reach the areas that are going to yield the best ROI for
your package holiday company (AdWords >> Campaigns >> Settings).
3. If you’re going to capitalise on the reach of Google’s display network, set up a
completely separate campaign. There are many benefits to be had from
remarketing, contextual and keyword marketing, but they need to be run, managed
and optimised in a completely different way from search network advertising. With
the display network, always use site exclusion. This removes high-click, low yield
partner sites from the display network. Go to networks >> show details and check &
remove all underperforming sites.
4. Do the same for mobile campaigns. Mobile search has grown 400% in the past 12
months* and 15% of UK Smartphone owners have ‘awareness of advertising on
smartphones’*. Copy your mobile campaign, run it separately and keep on top of this
emerging market.
5. Link to the right landing pages - test whether deep or category links work best for
your site. This will reduce bounce rates, increase dwell time and lead to improved
sales.
* Think with Google

7. Writing effective PPC ads
Get the basics
right:
Include the If you’re bidding
keyword on shorter tail
Use correct terms, consider
spelling, punct using persuasive
uation, gramm language to
encourage
ar & searchers away
capitalisation Use trust-
Ad scheduling from what they
related thought they
Include as on Google
language, such were looking for
much detail as AdWords
as allows PPC (e.g. ‘cheap
possible Filter out non-
‘experts’, ‘speci advertisers to package
Use calls to Have at least 3 converters by
alists’ & set different holidays’) to you
action ads per ad Cost is king so being as
‘ATOL/ABTA bids for (‘3* package
group. Test include it specific as holidays’)
Include special protected’. different days
different where you can. possible, e.g.
offers This is of the week
messages. More Check prices ‘5 star hotels and different
important in
than 5 ads per are competitive only’. hours of the
today’s
ad group can first. Qualifiers also day. If your
economic
dilute your data. work well for business is
climate with
this. closed on
travel
weekends, you
companies can pause your
susceptible to ads.
collapse.
* Think with Google

8. Tracking
Implement Google AdWords Conversion
Google Analytics has a longer default
Tracking (AdWords >> Tools & Analysis
cookie length of 6 months. Google Analytics
>>Conversions). This piece of code on your
is also the best place to analyse
conversion page will allow analysis of
engagement – you can see page views, time
campaigns, ad groups, keywords, ads and
on site and bounce rate for every single
search queries that resulted in specific
keyword. You may find terms that aren’t
customer actions. The only con is the 30 day
performing well in terms of conversions, but
cookie length, which means that if a
are still generating strong engagement. This
searcher returns to your site after 30
software also allows you to track non-PPC
days, the conversion won’t be attributed to
traffic sources, including social media.
the PPC keyword.

9. Demographics
• The best PPC accounts
target the right audience.
Package holiday searches
are dominated by women
(65.6%).
• The key demographic are
also aged between 35 and
64. These are likely to be
searchers with families and
with a loyalty to traditional
package holidays.
• If your business is targeted
to these
demographics, consider
uplifting bids for this
audience.
Microsoft Advertising Intelligence Data, August 2012

10. Next Steps
A decent PPC campaign takes patience, commitment and time. It’s no
longer profitable to adopt a ‘set it and forget it’ attitude. Return to your
account regularly and optimise, optimise, optimise:
• Run search query reports (AdWords >> Campaigns >> Keywords >> Keyword Details)
to find the phrase and broad matched search queries for your keywords. Add any
relevant ones with decent click levels to your account. Use the irrelevant search
queries as negatives.
• Use Google Insights for Search to find breakout searches – those which have
increased in popularity by at least 40%. These should have low competition and
therefore low CPCs.
• Run an ad group report. Ad groups with large click volumes might need splitting out.
Also analyse ad groups with high CPCs and low CTRs. You may need to rework ads to
boost relevancy.
• Analyse your tracking data regularly. Update everything from landing pages to your
social media to improve conversions and engagement. *Google Insights for Search, August 12
• Keep up-to-date with the latest algorithmic and product updates. Search engines are
constantly striving to provide their audience with better results, and you’ll need to do
the same.
• Be aware of seasonality. January is the key month for travel. Ensure you have enough
budget, seasonal ads and the right keywords to capitalise.
• ‘Two line sitelinks increase click-through rates by more than 30% compared to
standard AdWords ads’*. Sitelinks are brilliant for helping users to quickly navigate
your site. This is an automated process, but Webmaster Tools allows you some
control.
• And lastly, please get in touch with us if you need any further assistance.

11. Contact Us
http://www.search-star.co.uk
info@search-star.co.uk