This article explains what is a metasearch engine, how this is different from advertising via OTAs, and how Cloudbeds offers the metasearch service to boost your property's online visibility.
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What is a Metasearch Engine?
Travelers today seek out metasearch websites to compare flights, search for accommodations and book their trips. A metasearch engine is an online information retrieval tool that uses data of a web search engine (such as Google, for example) to produce its own results for a specific service.
When it comes to the travel market, metasearch engines let travelers compare hotel room rates from various online travel agencies (OTAs) and other booking sites all in one place. The value of using Metasearch is that travelers can search availability and compare prices across the internet, including various OTAs and hotel websites.
Cloudbeds Amplify allows you to showcase your property’s best available rate on Google Hotel Ads, Trivago, and Tripadvisor metasearch engines. Read more here.
The importance of competitive rates for metasearch
Your pricing strategy matters, especially with metasearch. Advertising on metasearch engines gives you the same visibility as some of the largest OTAs. With that amount of exposure, you need to ensure that your direct rates are competitive with your rates on third-party channels. Without rate parity, your ads will not be as effective and the campaign will not provide as great of a return.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Search results: OTAs like Booking.com show listings for various properties, while metasearch engine results include listings of both OTAs and various property direct websites as well.
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Booking route: Metasearch allows travelers book directly through your own website using your booking engine. When a traveler arrives at your website, your booking engine must be modern, user-friendly and inspire confidence so the guest ultimately completes the booking. Booking engines, like the booking engine offered by Cloudbeds, should also be seamlessly integrated with your website. OTA bookings are made directly on the OTAs website vs your booking engine.
- Control Guest Relationship: Metasearch allows you to truly own the guest relationship because you receive their contact information directly. This way, you’re in control of the guest relationship.
