Google has introduced a new section in the About Final URL Expansion guide in the Search document, titled “How the landing page logic works for Travel Promotion Ads & Booking Links within Search Campaigns for Travel.” This section clarifies the connection between targeting settings and landing pages, highlighting how final URL expansion relates to them.
According to Google, in Search Campaigns for Travel, the link between targeting options and landing pages is very specific. While features like Final URL expansion and URL rules help identify the right audience, the feed functions as the primary source for the final destination URL for Travel formats, such as Travel promotion ads and booking links.
A key aspect of these campaigns is that landing pages are always sourced directly from the feed, even when using advanced AI Max targeting features. The system defaults to the URLs provided in your travel data:
- Final URL expansion: This feature is active and helps match relevant traffic based on intent, but the actual landing page user sees is the one specified in your feed.
- Targeting vs. Destination: AI Max uses your website data and URL rules to target ads but directs users to the landing pages from the feed items.
Google describes this approach as the “Feed-First” landing page rule.
While standard Search campaign rules can refine your targeting in Travel campaigns, these do not override the feed’s destination logic. The interaction between URL rules and the feed is as follows:
- URL inclusion rules: These help AI understand which sections of your site are pertinent to specific searches, but the final click still lands on the feed-provided URL.
- URL exclusion rules: These prevent AI from targeting certain pages, such as privacy policies or blog pages. If a feed item points to a URL you’ve excluded, the feed item takes precedence. Exclusion rules only prevent AI from using these pages for discovering new search terms.
Google also addressed how interest and brand terms are handled:
- Precision matching: Since Search Campaigns for Travel support location-based interest and brand search terms, the system can directly match a specific intent—like a branded hotel search—to a corresponding feed item.
- Note: Branded search terms are used for both text ads and Travel promotion ads but not for Booking Links, which are solely feed-targeted.
- Dynamic delivery: When a match is made, the feed supplies the exact landing page for the specific property or activity, ensuring users are directed straight to what they searched for without extra navigation.
This update emphasizes the importance of the feed as the core source for destination URLs, with targeting rules serving as supplementary refinements.