Google Things to Do – Operator Booking Module
Google Operator Booking Module
Google launched its Operator Booking Module (OBM) in 2023, providing a new way for tour operators to display their products on their own Google Business Profile entry. Alongside the tour operator products, tours provided by this operator via different online travel agencies (OTAs) are also displayed.
Eligibility for Google Operator Booking Module
To be eligible for the OBM, tour operators must have a Google Business Profile and be listed on Google Maps. If your business is not there, you should register a Google Business Profile and fill out the required information.
To add your business profile on Google, please follow the instructions in this Google article: How to add or claim your Business Profile on Google
Benefits of using the Google Operator Booking Module
There are several benefits to using the Google Operator Booking Module:
- It is a free and easy way to promote your tour operator business on Google.
- It allows users to book reservations directly from your Google Business Profile entry, which can help to increase your conversion rate.
- It helps to improve your brand awareness and visibility on Google.
- It allows you to compete with other tour operators that are listed on Google Things to Do.
How to participate in the Google Operator Booking Module with ExperienceBank
To participate in the Google Operator Booking Module, you can distribute your inventory with one of Google’s existing Things to do partners, such as TrekkSoft/ExperienceBank. This means that you can use ExperienceBank to display your products on Google under your business profile entry.
Benefits of using ExperienceBank for the Google Operator Booking Module:
- Increased visibility: ExperienceBank is a leading Things to do partner, so your products will be seen by a large audience of potential customers.
- More bookings: ExperienceBank makes it easy for customers to book your products directly from Google, which can lead to more bookings for your business.
How to get started with ExperienceBank and the Google Operator Booking Module:
Once you have successfully shared your inventory from your Booking System to ExperienceBank, follow the steps below to list your products on your Google Business entry using ExperienceBank:
Note: You can enhance Your Content on ExperienceBank using the dedicated Content Enrichment Tool of ExperienceBank tailored for Google Things to Do.
Step 1: Access the ExperienceBank Login Page
Begin by navigating to the ExperienceBank login page through the following URL: https://app.experiencebank.io/.
Step 2: Logging In Using Your Supplier Contact Email ID
Upon reaching the login page, input your designated supplier contact Email ID to gain access to your ExperienceBank account. In the event that you have forgotten your password, simply click on the “Forgot password” link to initiate the password recovery process.
“After successfully logging in, you will be automatically redirected to the ExperienceBank dashboard. Cheers! 😃”
Step 3: Requesting Connection for Google Things to Do Integration
Requesting a connection with Google Things to do on ExperienceBank is a crucial step to enable its use. Here’s what you need to do:
- Initiate Connection Request: Request a connection with Google Things to do on ExperienceBank to begin the integration process.
- Product Eligibility Evaluation: Following your connection request, our team will conduct a evaluation of your products to determine their eligibility for Google Things to do. However Point of Interest is not required in Google’s Operator Booking Module.
- Product Eligible: If your product is deemed eligible, we will proceed to accept the connection request on your behalf.
- Product Not Eligible: In the event that your product does not meet the eligibility criteria, you can still benefit from this new feature by utilizing ExperienceBank to enhance your content.
- Content Enrichment: Take advantage of ExperienceBank’s features to enrich your product content and enhance its eligibility for Google Things to do integration.
- Content Updating: Update your product content according to the guidelines provided to improve its eligibility.
By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to effectively integrate and utilize Google Things to do through ExperienceBank.
Step 4: Update your Google Business profile details on ExperienceBank
Once the request has been approved by the ExperienceBank team, you need to follow these steps to update your Google Business Profile details on ExperienceBank for the Google Operator Booking module:
- Click on the Google Business Profile details link in the top right corner of your ExperienceBank account.
- In the window that appears, you can add or update the following details:
- Profile Name: Enter the name of your company, making sure that it matches the name on your Google Business Profile and appear on Google Maps.
- Business Profile ID: To proceed, please ensure you enter your Google Business profile ID. Business owners can obtain this ID directly from their Business Profile advanced settings page, as detailed in the Advanced Profile Settings. This unique identifier distinguishes your business on Google’s platform.
- Google Business Address Place ID: Ideally, the Google Business Place ID will be automatically populated when you enter the correct profile name on ExperienceBank. However, if this is not the case, you can find your Google Business Place ID yourself by clicking on this link.. This is the most preferred option to identify location as it is the most accurate and does not contain any ambiguity as to the point of interest.
- Phone Number: Make sure that the phone number matches the phone number you have in your Google Business Profile.
- Lastly, Click on the SAVE button.
The following GIF animation illustrates the process of updating Google Business profile details at the Product Level.
Note: If you wish to list all products under a single business profile, you need to update the Google Business profile ID and Google Business Address Place ID at the Supplier level. However, if you have different business profiles for different products, you can update this information at the Product level accordingly.
Once you have completed these steps, your products will be eligible to appear in the Google Operator Booking Module and it will take 24-72 hrs to display your product on your Google Business profile entry.
If you have any questions or problems, please contact the ExperienceBank support team for assistance at support@experiencebank.travel.
How to find your Google Business Profile ID:
- Begin by searching for your business name or “my business” on Google Search.
- Open the menu and select the “Business Profile settings” option.
- From there, choose “Advanced settings”.
- Your Google Business Profile ID will be displayed at the top of the page.
Example of a business profile ID:
Your business profile ID may resemble a code such as ‘123456123456123456′. Note that it is solely numeric and does not contain letters or symbols.
How to Find Your Google Business Place ID
There are two ways to find your Google Place ID:
- Use ExperienceBank:
- Log in to your ExperienceBank account.
- Click Go to Mapping for Google Things to Do.
- Click on the “Google Business Profile details” option.
- In the “Find your Business Address on a Map” search bar, enter your business name.
- Locate and click on the name of your business listing.
- Your Google Place ID will be automatically filled in the “Google Business Address Place ID” field.
- Use the Google Place ID Finder:
- Click on the following link: https://developers.google.com/places/place-id
- Enter your business name in the search bar.
- Click on the name of your business listing.
- Your Google Place ID will be displayed in the results.
- Copy the “Place ID” and Paste it on the ExperienceBank under “Google Business Address Place ID”.
Once you have found your Google Place ID, you can use it to connect your ExperienceBank account to your Google Business Profile.
Here are some additional tips:
- Make sure that the name of your company on ExperienceBank and Google Business Profile are exactly the same. This will help to ensure that your product is correctly displayed in the Google Operator Booking module.
- Be sure to enter your Google Business profile ID & Google Business Place ID correctly. If you enter an incorrect ID, your product will not be connected to your Google Business Profile.
If you have any questions or problems, please contact the ExperienceBank support team for assistance at support@experiencebank.travel.