google booking link visibility

Google Visibility

Your Free Google Booking Link Isn’t Getting the Visibility It Could

It’s great that your property is already using Google Free Booking Links. But you could still be losing direct bookings to the OTAs.

With Free Booking Links, your property is visible on Google Search, Maps, Travel and your Google Business Profile. Potential guests can see your live rates and availability, ready for them to click and book direct.

OTAs are also on your Google listing however, competing with you to win the booking. If your direct booking link isn’t always visible, you risk losing bookings to the OTAs.

See how to fix it →

Your Direct Booking Link Always Needs to Be Visible

The problem is that your Free Booking Link isn’t as prominent as the paid booking links.

The OTAs, of course, have paid to sit prominently at the top in the “paid ads” section. This makes it easier for them to win the booking, as guests often click on the most visible option.

Having a Free Booking Link alone means you’ll:

  • Feature less frequently in searches
  • Appear below the paid ads section
  • Lose out on direct bookings to the OTAs
  • Pay commission fees for the exact same stay
What it looks like

This is what guests see
when you only use a Free Booking Link:

Compared to using a paid booking link, which gives you much more visibility:

A free booking link
A paid booking link
The Fix

Get More Visibility with a Google Paid Link

As the name suggests, a Google paid link displays your property in the paid ads section, alongside the OTAs. This gives you more visibility and more direct bookings.

Paid ads

On average, properties that upgrade get 50% more bookings than those relying on a Free Booking Link alone!

If you’ve added an OTA surcharge, your direct price can also be lower than the OTA price, giving guests an even clearer reason to book direct.

With our version, Google Hotel Ads, you pay a 7% advertising fee per Google booking, much cheaper than the OTAs. We’ll also give you a Free Booking Link (Google Zero), lowering the average charge to around 5%.

Set up Google Hotel Ads →
What You'll Gain

Upgrading from a free booking link
to a paid version gives you:

  • Better visibility – your direct rate is right next to the OTAs in the paid ads section
  • Control of your guest relationship and contact details 
  • More direct bookings 
  • Less commission compared to the OTAs
  • More loyal guests and fewer cancellations 

You can track your Google connection and see exactly how many direct bookings it’s generating.

Get More Visibility and More Direct Bookings 

Upgrade to a paid Google link to compete with the OTAs and win more direct bookings.

Get your property on Google →

Book a freetobook demo →