Google Working on Sponsored Rental Car Widget
Google Rental Car Widget will feature an online comparison function
The online battle between car rental companies in the comparison game is about to get a bit more intense with rumors percolating that search engine megacorp Google is working on a feature that profiles all the players in the industry.
It’s an ad-unit widget of sort designed to attract consumers to find the ideal ride for themselves at the best price as well as a feature enabling them to select the most opportune booking dates. Discovered by SEO auditors and digital marketing company SEMRush, a sample of what Google is apparently planning showed up on a Twitter feed, showing ads from a couple of firms. Their adjacent placement indicated the ease in which a user could compare what’s offered in one single glance at the screen.
If indeed a plan for such a widget is in the works, Google is keeping silent. “We’re always testing new ways to improve our experience for our advertisers and users, but don’t have anything specific to announce right now,” said a company spokesperson in a prepared statement.
However, if there’s any truth to the venture, it would mark the third endeavor Google’s undertaken into the travel industry having previously set up comparison widgets for airlines and hotels.
Speculation has it that data feeds will be fueling these comparison ads, offering users the opportunity to take a look at what each car rental company is offering without having to leave a Google page. Additionally, the logic surrounding the addition of a comparison function widget near the top of a page would be far more engaging to users than search results and ads.
Granted, if that logic does result in more traffic among car rental comparison shoppers, that’s bonus for those who get the eyeballs. But it’s one thing to attract customers and another to keep them. That’s where Bluebird’s Erez platform comes in. Designed to keep up to date with changing search engine optimization patterns and rules which change regularly, Erez stays on top of a car rental’s website performance using e-commerce and Google Analytics to tell staff where the action is regarding sales. That way, the business can focus more attention towards more lucrative revenue streams, resulting in more online efficiency and increased sales.
Additional Erez components include greater security measures and opportunities to promote any deals, discounts or other customer incentives. It’s one way to help garner a steady clientele and increase customer loyalty.
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