MYTRAVEL has switched its focus from online search engine pay-per-click advertising to affiliate marketing.
Observers said the company had reduced its pay-per-click advertising and replaced it with the safer commission payment structure of affiliate marketing as it struggles to hit profitability for this financial year.
Pay-per-click advertising means a travel company has to pay every time it receives a click through from a search engine to its website, whether it leads to a booking or not.
Travel Weekly understands MyTravel has met Google to discuss its pay-per-click strategy. Both companies were unavailable for comment.
Instead, MyTravel is working with meta-search affiliate marketing company Henoo, which appears on an array of partners’ websites, and only pays commission when a booking is made.
One online rival described the move to rein in pay-per-click advertising as “bizarre” saying the company will struggle to get the same volumes from affiliate marketing.
Travel technology consultancy Genesys senior partner Paul Richer said MyTravel’s website is “simply not good enough” for a big four travel company.
He said MyTravel’s website is “not among the best” for searching and booking holidays, which would make it harder to convert bookings from search engine click throughs.
“There is no indication about dates and departures for the site’s Star Buys which often lead to a message saying the flights or holiday chosen are no longer available,” Richer said.