How to Setup Google Ads for Boat Rentals?

You have prepared your boat for the booking season. You are pretty sure that in a couple of days, your phone will start ringing with inquiries. The sad part is that it doesn’t happen exactly as you thought. Yes, you do get inquiries and maybe even a few bookings, but they aren’t as many as you’d like them to be.

So, how can you turn the tables in your favor? Simple, by increasing your online visibility in front of your target audience. This is exactly where Google Ads comes in. With Google Ads platforms, businesses can tap into their target market and generate more leads. A strategically set up campaign helps you carve your distinct spot in the eyes of your prospects. 

Keep reading to learn all about leveraging Google Ads to grow your business.  

What are Google Ads for Boat Rentals and How Do They Work?

Google Ads is an online advertising platform that runs on an auction model. It lets boat rental and other businesses create and run various types of ads. These include search ads, YouTube ads, and video ads, among others. You can see a Google Ad at the very top of the search result page as a sponsored result. Besides the search engine, the ad also appears on Google’s partner websites. 

Google Ads works on a pay-per-click (PPC) model. It means that you pay for every click that your ad gets. Now, it does not mean that every click will translate into a conversion. However, you’ll have to pay a specific amount to Google regardless of that. This is why it’s so important to create the campaign strategically. 

Google Ads lets you structure your campaign precisely how you want. You can adjust the settings to get more calls, website traffic, or footfall to your store. Thus, it lets you create an advertising strategy according to the needs of your business.

How to Setup Google Ads Campaign for Boat Rentals?

Setting up an Ads campaign can seem overwhelming to many because there are multiple things involved. However, we have broken it down into stepwise details for easy understanding.

1. Create an Ads Account

Begin by visiting ads.google.com and creating an ads account. You’ll be taken to a place where you must sign in with your business Gmail. Linking an existing Google account will allow for quicker campaign setup. Now, scroll down and tap the link that says Switch to Expert Mode.’ Now, you will set up your campaign.

2. Choose a Campaign Goal and Type

Campaign goal means what you want to achieve with your Ads campaign. Would you like to generate leads for your boat rental, build brand awareness, increase sales, or promote your boat rental app? 

You will see all these options and more listed on the dashboard. Choose one according to your needs. Boat rentals generally choose driving leads and increasing sales.

The next step is to choose the type of campaign you would like to create.

To get the most out of your ad spend, we recommend going for the Search campaign. Shopping and Discovery campaigns are fine but with them, your chances of getting high-quality leads are reduced. Search campaigns are much more effective at helping you drive more clicks and conversions. A Search campaign shows your text boat rental ads on Google’s search engine results pages. They appear when your target audience searches for something related to your services, such as ‘boat rental near me’ or ‘boat rental Chicago.’ We recommend opting for a search campaign because it makes your ads appear in front of those actively looking for your services. These people are not passively exposed to your boat rental ad, which is the case with display ads. 

Once you select your campaign, you’ll be asked to choose a result you want from it. Your options include phone calls, site visits, and app downloads. For the time being, we recommend leaving this option blank.

3. Adjust Campaign Settings

Campaign settings consist of two major elements.

General Settings

Through these settings, you choose the network where you want your ads to appear. As you might already know by now, we are going with a search campaign. So, check the Search box. Uncheck the other one (Network). That’s all you need to do for now. 

Geo-Targeting

Geo-targeting means targeting those within or closer to the areas where you offer your boat rentals. Location targeting makes your ad appear only in places where people need or want them. Thus, by not making the ads show up for places outside of your service zone, you increase the chances of acquiring more leads. 

Depending on your business, you can target an entire country or specific zip code. After choosing the relevant places, tap the Locations options. Now, you’ll see three more targeting options. Tap the one saying ‘People in or regularly in your targeted locations.’ Keep the exclude section as is. 

When it comes to geo-targeting, one of our favorites is radius targeting. This lets you target those in a highly specific location, for example, between 10 – 20 miles radius of your business location. If you want to geo-target in this manner, you must have an active Google My Business account.  

Once location targeting is complete, add the language of your ad. Your ad will be shown to people who speak this language.

Budget Setting

The next step is to set your budget. We recommend allotting a smaller budget if you are just beginning with Google Ads. When you’ve finalized the amount to invest in your campaign, divide it by how many days you will run your campaign. That’s the amount you’ll be spending each day.

Bidding

Now you set up your bidding strategy. There are two options here. You can choose the default recommended choices by Google, which will set your bids automatically. The other option is to choose a bid strategy yourself. If you want greater control over your campaign, we recommend going ahead with the latter. 

To do so, tap ‘Select a bid strategy directly.’ A menu will appear, showing you a list of bidding strategies. Scroll down to find the ‘Manual CPC’ option and tap it. Now, tap the option to show more settings. You will see various options related to ad settings. Let’s go over them one by one here.

• Ad schedule: Adjust this setting to set the time and days when your ad will appear to the searchers. For the time being, you don’t need to change any settings after it.
• Ad extensions: Set up the three ad extensions explained below.
  • Sitelink extensions: It allows you to link 4 relevant pages related to your ad’s keyword within the ad. 
  • Callout extensions: They are used to highlight things like special offers or your unique selling point(s).
  • Call extensions: With a call extension, you can add your business phone number to your ad, allowing the searcher to call you directly after viewing your ad.

Read Also:- How to Set Manual CPC in Google Ads?

4. Create Ad Groups With Keywords

An ad group links your ads together in a structured group. We recommend organizing your ad groups into particular boat rental services you offer. All ad groups in one campaign have a single goal: To achieve the broader aim of the campaign. That is why choosing keywords for every ad group is so critical. All keywords in one ad group should be related to each other. These keywords also guide you in creating relevant ad copy.

To choose keywords, pick up one of your core services. For example, you may choose ‘boat rental Chicago.’ Then, use the Keyword Planner Tool by Google to build out the keyword list. Some of the keywords the tool may suggest can include:

• Boat rental Chicago river
• Boat rental Chicago Lake Michigan
• Boat rental Chicago with captain
• Boat rental Chicago 4th of July

All of these keywords will be a part of the ad group boat rental Chicago. 

Read Also:- How To Add Keywords To Google Ads?

5. Create an Ad Copy

Getting your ad to appear for targeted keywords is one thing. Making the searchers click on them is another. This is where an effective ad copy comes in. An eye-catching and persuasive copy attracts more clicks. Here are the major parts of Google ad copy.

• Headline: Headline is the first thing that people notice. So, ensure that it is not only engaging but also has your target keywords. It would help if you could also include one of your unique selling points here. With Search ads, you will have an option of using fifteen different headlines with a character limit of 30 characters each. You have to put a minimum of three headlines, however, we would recommend using all fifteen fields, so that Google can combine different headings in your ad copy until it finds the perfect match.
• Display URL: The display URL is the website page link that appears on your ad. This is the path where the searcher will be taken after clicking on your ad. We recommend building a separate landing page for every ad so the viewer gets all the important information aligning with their search.
• Description: You can add up to four descriptions. All of them have a limit of 90 characters. In this section, describe your services in more detail and add a call to action, which is something that your viewer should do after reading your ad.

6. Set up Billing

The last step in setting up your campaign is billing. Use a relevant payment option and enter the necessary information. You can also use a promotional code from Google (if you have one) to reduce your overall expenditure. 

How to Optimize Google Ads for Boat Rentals? 

Optimizing ads helps you increase their reach and impact. Here are some effective strategies to enhance the potential of your ads campaign.

1. Use Negative Keywords

Negative keywords are those for which you do not want your ad to appear. For example, if you are providing boat rental services in Chicago, you wouldn’t want your ad to show up for boat rental in Miami. So, include that in your campaign so your ads only show up for relevant searches.

2. Focus on Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are more specific and less competitive. Thus, your chances of ranking on them increase. We recommend targeting long-tail keywords with intent. An example would be ‘book boat rental near me.’ Here, the word ‘book’ shows the intent of the searcher to book a boat rental rather than just gain information.

3. Focus on Important Metrics

It’s easy to get lost in various metrics while running an ads campaign. However, for effective optimization, you must focus on only the following 4 metrics:

• Conversions: This is the chief objective of your campaign. Conversion can be anything, such as an inquiry, booking, or website traffic.
• Cost per conversion (CPA): It indicates how much you are giving to Google for every conversion. It’s important to keep this figure below the cost of your services. Otherwise, it becomes difficult to sustain the campaign.
• Conversion rate: The conversion rate shows the percentage of clicks that are taking some action. A higher conversion rate is an indicator of your campaign’s effectiveness.
• Return on ad spend (ROAS): ROAS is the revenue generated for every dollar spent on ads. You must aim for a greater ROAS to remain profitable.

4. Link Your Google Ads Account to Google Analytics

Google Analytics (GA4) provides many insights besides standard metrics, which you can use for better targeting. Log in to GA4 and choose the ‘Audience’ tab. Now, go to ‘In-market Segments.’ Create a goal for Google ads conversion and check for audiences with the highest conversion rates. Now, return to your ads account and add these audiences to your campaign.

5. Use Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RSLAs)

RSLAs are a Google feature that lets you add remarketing list audience targeting on your campaigns. When you do this, Google narrows the searches to audiences that have visited your site earlier. This helps you with ad optimization.

Bottom Line

Google Ads is one of the most effective advertising platforms for boat rental businesses. Google itself estimates an 8:1 return for ad users, which is pretty impressive. However, to leverage all the benefits, you must have a good understanding of setting up, managing, and tracking your campaigns. Contact Website Pandas to get highly experienced Google ads experts working on your business’s ads strategy. We have helped several boat rentals in the USA grow their rankings and revenue from search ads. Get in touch today.