Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out. I've had a look over the situation with your travel agency's advertising. It sounds like you're doing incredibly well to have gotten this far on your own, so hats off to you for that. It also sounds like you've correctly identified the big problem holding you back from scaling things up even further.
You're right, sending ad traffic directly to affiliate sites is a bit of a nightmare for tracking and optimisation. You're basically flying blind and spending money without knowing what's actually working. I'm happy to give you some of my initial thoughts and a bit of guidance on how I'd approach this. This is the sort of challenge we deal with all the time.
We'll need to sort out your tracking first...
Right, let's get straight to the point. The single biggest issue, as you've spotted, is the lack of tracking. Without your own landing pages, you're giving away all the valuable data to the travel brands. You have no idea which of your Google Ads keywords, ad copy, or campaigns are actually leading to inquiries or bookings. You can't see the conversion rate, the cost per lead, or the return on your ad spend. It's like driving a car with a blindfold on; you might be moving forward, but you dont know where your going or how to get there faster.
This is the first thing any decent agency would fix. The solution, as you mentioned, is to build dedicated landing pages that sit between your ads and the affiliate sites. When a user clicks your ad, they land on your page first. On this page, they can fill out a form to request a quote, call you directly, or click a button to proceed to the affiliate booking site.
Every one of those actions can be tracked as a conversion. Suddenly, you've got data. Gold dust, really. You'll be able to see things like:
-> Which keywords are driving the most quote requests.
-> Which ads get the most clicks and the most conversions.
-> What your actual cost per lead (CPL) is.
-> Which destinations or holiday types are most profitable to advertise.
Once you have this data, you can start making proper decisions. You can pause the keywords that are spending money but not delivering, and put more budget into the ones that are. You can write more ads like the ones that are proven to work. This is how you stop wasting money and start getting a much better return. I remember working with a software client who had a similar issue with tracking. After implementing a proper funnel with trackable conversion points, we managed to reduce their Cost Per User Acquisition (CPA) from £100 to £7 using Meta and Google Ads.
You'll need landing pages that actually convert...
It's not enough to just have a landing page; it needs to be a good landing page. Its sole job is to convince the visitor to take one specific action – contact you. A cluttered or confusing page will just leak visitors and money. Your main website is for browsing; a landing page is for closing.
So, what makes a good one? Simplicity is the main thing. It should be clean, fast-loading, and focused. Here's what I'd be looking at:
A Killer Headline: This needs to match what the user searched for. If they clicked an ad for "luxury holidays in the Maldives," the headline should be something like "Your Unforgettable Luxury Maldives Holiday Starts Here."
Persuasive Copy: You need professional copy that speaks directly to your ideal customer. It should highlight the benefits of booking through you – your expertise, your personal service, the stress you save them. Why should they trust you over a massive, faceless booking site? You need to tell them.
Stunning Visuals: You're selling dreams. Use high-quality, aspirational photos and videos of the destinations. Don't use cheap stock photos.
Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): A big, obvious button that says something like "Get Your Free Quote" or "Plan My Trip". There should also be a phone number that's easy to find, especially for mobile users (a 'click-to-call' button is a must).
Trust Signals: This is huge. People are wary of handing over money online. You need to build trust instantly. This means showing off your ATOL/ABTA memberships, positive customer reviews (with photos if possible!), testimonials, and maybe a bit about you and your team to show there are real people behind the business. Your current setup feels a bit 'smoke and mirrors' because the user lands on a wierd, unfamiliar page. You need to build your own brand trust.
To give you an idea, here's a very basic structure we might consider for a landing page:
| Section | Content & Purpose |
|---|---|
| Hero Section | Compelling headline, stunning background image, and a clear "Get Quote" button above the fold. Phone number prominent. |
| Benefits/Why Us | 3-4 bullet points or icons explaining why a customer should book with you (e.g., "Personalised Itineraries", "24/7 Support", "Expert Knowledge"). |
| Social Proof | A section with your best 3-5 customer testimonials. Real names and photos if possible. Logos of any publications you've been featured in. |
| The Process | A simple 1-2-3 step guide on how it works. E.g., 1. Tell us your dream trip. 2. We build your custom quote. 3. You book and relax. |
| Final CTA | Another clear call-to-action section with the contact form or button, repeating the offer. |
I'd say you need to get your Google Ads organised...
Once the tracking and landing pages are in place, its time to look at the Google Ads account itself. You mentioned creating twice the work and spend, which usually points to a disorganised account structure. A common mistake is to lump hundreds of different keywords into one ad group and show them all the same generic ad. This is really inefficient.
A better approach is to use tightly themed campaigns and ad groups. For a travel agency, you'd want to seperate things logically. For example:
-> Campaign 1: All-Inclusive Holidays
-> Ad Group A: All-Inclusive Spain (Keywords: "all inclusive holidays spain", "spain all inclusive deals")
-> Ad Group B: All-Inclusive Greece (Keywords: "greece all inclusive resorts", "all inclusive holidays to crete")
-> Campaign 2: Luxury Travel
-> Ad Group A: Luxury Honeymoons (Keywords: "luxury honeymoon packages", "best honeymoon destinations")
-> Ad Group B: Luxury Family Holidays (Keywords: "luxury family resorts", "high end family holidays")
By structuring it this way, you can write super-relevant ads for each ad group. The ad for someone searching for "all inclusive holidays spain" can have a headline that mentions Spain specifically. This makes the user more likely to click because the ad perfectly matches their search. This increases your Click-Through Rate (CTR), which in turn improves your Quality Score and can lower your cost per click (CPC).
Then, inside each ad group, you should be constantly split testing. That means running at least two different ads against each other to see which one performs better. You test headlines, descriptions, calls to action – always trying to beat your best-performing ad. It's this process of continuous, data-led improvement that really makes the difference between a campaign that just 'runs' and one that delivers outstanding results.
You probably should be careful who you hire...
Your last question is the big one: how to find an agency that isn't all smoke. It's a valid concern; there are a lot of cowboys out there. Here's my honest advice on what to look for.
First, look for proof, not promises. Any agency can promise you the world. Ask to see case studies. It's best if they have experience in travel, but experience with any B2C service business where the goal is lead generation is also very relevant. I remember we’re running a campaign for an HVAC company. It's a different industry, but the mechanics are the same: use targeted ads to generate high-quality leads at an acceptable cost. They're seeing leads come in at around $60, which for their contract size is a great return. Ask the agency to walk you through a relevant case study and explain the strategy they used.
Second, book an intro call and grill them. Don't be shy. Ask them specific questions about how they would approach your business. Ask about tracking, landing pages, and reporting. If their answers are vague or full of corporate jargon, it's a red flag. You want to feel that they genuinely understand the problem and have a clear, actionable plan. A good sign is if they offer a free initial consultation or account review, as it shows they're willing to provide value upfront to earn your trust.
Third, look for transparency. How will they report to you? How often will you have calls? You should feel like they are an extension of your team, not a mysterious black box you just send money to each month. Be wary of anyone who guarantees results. You can't guarantee anything in paid advertising; there are too many variables. What you can guarantee is a professional process, robust testing, and a data-driven approach to optimisation. That's what gets results in the long run.
I've put my main recommendations into a table for you to have a quick overview.
| Area of Focus | My Recommendation | Why It's Important |
|---|---|---|
| Tracking & Measurement | Stop sending traffic to affiliate links. Implement dedicated landing pages with conversion tracking (for forms, calls, etc.). | Gives you the data needed to actually optimise campaigns, reduce wasted spend, and measure your true Return on Investment. |
| Landing Pages | Create simple, focused landing pages for each main service/destination. Use professional copy, strong visuals, and clear trust signals. | Maximises the conversion rate of the traffic your paying for. A good page turns more clicks into actual leads. |
| Google Ads Structure | Rebuild the account with tightly themed campaigns and ad groups. Continuously split test ads within each group. | Improves ad relevance, increases CTR, lowers costs, and allows you to scale your budget into what's working best. |
| Agency Selection | Look for proven case studies, transparency, and genuine expertise on an intro call. Avoid anyone promising guaranteed results. | Ensures you partner with a team that has a professional process and can become a genuine growth partner, not just a cost. |
This all might sound like a lot of work, and honestly, it is. Getting a paid advertising engine running this effectively requires expertise, time, and a rigorous process. Doing it yourself can often lead to costly mistakes and a lot of frustration, as your finding out.
This is where working with a specialist can be a massive help. We can get this entire structure built and optimised far more quickly, letting you focus on what you do best – planning amazing trips for your clients. If you'd like to chat through this in more detail and see how we might be able to help you build this out properly, feel free to book in a free, no-obligation consultation with us.
Hope this helps gives you a clear path forward.
Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh
