Increasing Impression Share & Top of Page Rate for High-Ticket Travel Ads.
Discover how Mafost Marketing optimized search visibility for a US-based tour operator. We analyze bidding strategies, niche positioning, and how to capture “bucket list” travel leads through strategic Google Ads management.
Executive Summary
- A US-Based Travel Business specializing in all-inclusive, multi-day tours of bucket-list destinations (specifically the Central Asian “5 Stans”) sought to regain market dominance.
- Despite their niche expertise, they were being outpaced in visibility by global powerhouse G Adventures.
- To regain market dominance, the strategy shifted from volume-based bidding to value-based positioning.
- We optimized their search ppc ads to priority top of page rate and impression share resulting high quality leads and more bookings.
Sections in this Case Study
Table of Contents
The Challenge for Luxury Travel
- The client was losing visibility to global competitors like G Adventures. Despite their niche expertise, their ads had lower impression shares and were often displaced from the top of the search results.
“The David vs. Goliath Auction”
In the high-ticket travel space, “Matchback” and attribution are often “black boxes.” We approached this with healthy skepticism, knowing that high Impression Share (IS) doesn’t always equal high ROI, but it is essential for brand authority in the “research” phase of a $7,000+ ticket price per booking.
Maximizing Travel PPC Impression Share & Top of Page Rates
Baseline Auction Data (Last 30 Days)
- The Client: 12.74% Impression Share | 72.82% Top of Page Rate.
- G Adventures: 21.23% Impression Share | 80.02% Top of Page Rate.
| Category | Data Findings | Strategic Insight |
|---|---|---|
| Bidding Strategy | The client used Maximize Clicks; G Adventures likely utilized Target Impression Share or Maximize Conversions with high budgets ($3k–$5k+ monthly). | Maximize Clicks is a “value” play, but it often yields lower-funnel positions. To win “bucket list” queries, we must pivot to value-based bidding that prioritizes the top 4 slots. |
| Competitive Landscape | G Adventures maintains a 2x higher IS on keywords like “Central Asia tour packages” (50% IS vs. Client’s <25%). | Scale is G Adventures’ strength, but relevance is ours. Being a generalist allows them to spend more, but being a specialist allows us to convert at a higher rate. |
| Brand Authority | Competitors leverage high-trust partnerships (e.g., National Geographic). | We cannot out-spend a global giant, but we can out-niche them. Our ad copy must emphasize “Expert-Led” and “Silk Road Specialists” over generic “Adventure” terms. |
The Strategic Pivot to Gain Share of the Ad Auction
To close the 8.49% Impression Share gap, we implemented a three-pillar strategy.
Transition to Impression Share Targets
We shifted away from the “Maximize Clicks” volume play to a Target Impression Share strategy (targeting 85%+ Absolute Top of Page) for high-intent keywords.
Google Ads Budget Re-Allocation
We moved monthly spend from broad “Adventure Travel” terms into niche-specific clusters. Monthly budgets were adjusted to the $3,000–$7,000 range to ensure the daily cap didn’t throttle visibility during peak search hours.
PPC Travel Ads Quality Overhaul
We countered the competitor’s brand trust by utilizing Asset Variations that highlighted the client’s US-based support and 5-star niche specialization. Ads Quality Overhaul for this high-ticket travel campaign should include these four items:
- Highlight US-Based Support: Leverage Asset Variations to emphasize local customer service, countering the perceived distance of global competitors.
- Emphasize Niche Specialization: Update ad copy to focus on specific expertise, such as being “Silk Road Specialists,” rather than using generic adventure travel terms.
- Showcase 5-Star Credentials: Integrate ratings and high-end niche specialization markers to build immediate brand trust within the ad unit.
- Align with Search Intent: Refine headlines to directly mirror high-intent “bucket list” queries, ensuring the 13.31% search interaction rate is maintained or improved.
Results & Next Steps
By shifting the focus from “any click” to the “right impression,” we positioned the client to compete directly with global giants like G Adventures and TourRadar without requiring a million-dollar budget.
- Conversion Costs are down to $80-$140 each, a 50% drop over prior years.
- Booking rates are 50%.
- We maintain top of page rate and ad impression share in stronger positions than much larger competitors like Tour Radar.
Key Takeaways for those Reconsidering their PPC Ads Strategy
The most important takeaway is the high efficiency and dominance of Google search compared to other networks.
While Google search accounts for the vast majority of the budget and conversion value, the breakdown reveals several key insights:
Conversion Value Leader: Google search generates 76.3% of the total conversion value.
Cost Efficiency: Despite driving the most value, Google search consumes 77.2% of the total cost, showing a nearly 1:1 ratio between spend and value.
Highest Cost-Per-Click: At $1.68, Google search has a significantly higher average CPC than Search partners ($0.43), Display ($0.07), or Cross-network ($0.68).
Cross-Network Performance: The “Cross-network” category is the second-best performer, contributing 20.4% of the conversion value from 20.1% of the cost.
Using Interaction Rate Data as a Lead Indicator
We use interaction rates as one of our lead indicators to make adjustments and decisions early in a PPC strategy. For our luxury travel client, here’s how we did it.
Google Search (13.31%) as a Primary Engine: This high interaction rate indicates that the keywords and ad copy are highly relevant to the users’ search intent. In a PPC strategy, this suggests that the search campaign is well-optimized to capture “bucket list” travel leads who are actively researching.
Cross-Network (9.37%) as a Strong Secondary: While lower than search, a near 10% interaction rate across various platforms (like YouTube or Discover) shows strong broad-market interest. This serves as a lead indicator that the visual or contextual creative is resonating even when users aren’t actively searching for a tour.
What Interaction Rates Mean for our Impression Share Objective
Predictive Value for Scaling: Because these rates indicate how well the audience responds to the ads, they act as “lead indicators” for where to increase budget. The high rate for Google Search justifies the strategy mentioned in the case study to shift toward “Target Impression Share” to ensure these high-performing ads stay at the top of the page.
Efficiency Benchmarking: These rates allow the advertiser to compare the “Search Partners” (1.40%) and “Display Network” (1.09%) against the core performers. The vast difference indicates that Google Search and Cross-Network are the most efficient channels for driving the high-ticket bookings desired by the client.
Diagnosing a Drop in Interaction Rates
A dip in interaction is a lead indicator of fading relevance or visibility. To find the bottleneck, triangulate your data across these three areas:
- Visibility Audit: If Impression Share or Top of Page Rate falls alongside interaction, you are losing the Ad Rank battle.
- Conversion Audit: If interaction remains high but bookings drop, the issue is Landing Page Alignment.
- Cost Audit: Rising CPCs during an interaction slump suggest increased competition or a decline in Quality Score.
Strategy for Recovery
Identify and resolve the bottleneck using the following framework:
| Potential Bottleneck | Action Plan |
| Ad Rank & Quality | Audit Quality Scores; push for the 85%+ Absolute Top of Page target. |
| Creative Fatigue | Refresh visuals; a drop in Cross-Network (9.37%) suggests creative is stale. |
| Budget Throttling | Check if the $3k–$7k monthly budget is capping out during peak search hours. |
| Niche Drift | Cut broad terms; re-focus on niche-specific clusters to restore the 13.31% search rate. |
The Best Move: If the drop is sudden, prioritize Ad Rank. Reconfirm your Target Impression Share bidding to ensure you aren’t losing the top-of-page authority essential for high-ticket travel.
Ready to Grow Now?
- Click the button below. There’s a quick form on the other side.
2. Send a custom request. You’ll tell me the basics of your business and goals.
3. We’ll consult with you via email. I, Matt, will chat with you via email.
