How to get your tour business found on Google
A free 6-lesson course showing tour operators, guides, museums, and attractions exactly how to be discovered on Google — from claiming your Google Business Profile to ranking on Google Things to Do and running Google Travel ads. Each lesson has a Beginner track in plain language and an Advanced track for tech-savvy operators.
Prefer fresh tactical reads on tour marketing instead? Visit the blog — new posts every week.
Who this course is for
If you run a small tour company, lead walking tours, operate a museum or attraction, or sell any kind of bookable experience, this course shows you how to stop relying on OTA commissions and start winning direct bookings straight from Google. No prior SEO or Google Ads experience required for the Beginner tracks.
- • Independent tour operators & guides
- • Museums, galleries & cultural attractions
- • Kayak, boat & outdoor adventure operators
- • Food tour, wine tour & experience hosts
- • Escape rooms, mini-golf & family activities
- • Destination management companies (DMCs)
The 6-lesson learning path
Lessons build on each other. Start at Lesson 1 if you're new, or jump straight to the lesson that matches your current bottleneck.
- 1
Claim & optimize your Google Business Profile
BeginnerAdvancedYour Google Business Profile (GBP) is the single most important free listing on the internet for a local tour or attraction. Everything else — Google Things to Do, the Operator Booking Module, Maps visibility — depends on it.
Start lesson
- 2
Choose a booking system & website
BeginnerAdvancedA great Google presence drives traffic — but if travelers land on a slow page or can't book in 60 seconds, they'll leave for Viator. This lesson covers picking the right tools.
Start lesson
- 3
SEO basics for tours & attractions
BeginnerAdvancedTourism SEO is different from regular SEO — search intent is intense, local, and seasonal. Done right, organic search becomes your cheapest acquisition channel.
Start lesson
- 4
Distribution with Google Things to Do
BeginnerAdvancedGoogle Things to Do (GTTD) is where Google now puts tours, tickets, and experiences directly into Search and Maps results. Done right, it ends your dependency on OTAs.
Start lesson
- 5
Link Google Ads to the Google Things to Do program
BeginnerAdvancedBefore you can run a single Google Things to Do ad, your Google Ads account has to be linked to the Things to Do Center. The link request must originate from the operator's own Google Ads account.
Start lesson
- 6
Launch a Google Travel campaign using the Things to Do program
BeginnerAdvancedOnce your Google Ads account is linked to Things to Do Center (Lesson 5), this lesson walks through creating the Travel campaign click-by-click — with screenshots — so the right activities serve ads at the top of the Things to Do module.
Start lesson
What you'll learn
- ✓ How to claim and optimize a Google Business Profile for a tour or attraction
- ✓ Which booking systems work with Google Things to Do (FareHarbor, Bókun, Rezdy, TicketingHub, Peek Pro, Checkfront)
- ✓ How to rank for "{activity} in {city}" and "best tour" search queries
- ✓ How to earn the Official Site badge on Google Things to Do
- ✓ How to link Google Ads to the Things to Do Center
- ✓ How to launch a Google Travel campaign by Activity ID
Frequently asked questions
Want us to do all of this for you?
$25/month gets your Official Site badge live on Google Things to Do — schema, GBP automation, booking link verification, and ongoing submission to Google. Organic Official Site listing always included.