Google Ads connects ferry operators with travelers looking for transportation - whether it's daily commutes, island getaways or sightseeing tours. When someone searches on the internet for ferry routes, schedules or tickets, your ferry service might appear at the top of the end result - increasing their likelihood of coming to your site or even reserving a trip.

The advantage of Google Ads is you pay only if someone clicks on your ad. It is a less expensive option than traditional advertising (TV, print or radio).

With location targeting (so your Ads appear near ports or tourist hubs), demographic filters and interest-based targeting, Google ads puts your ferry business in front of the right people at the right time - turning curious travelers into passengers.

Google Ads is structured to help businesses manage their advertising campaigns effectively. The key elements are campaigns, ad groups, keywords and ads.

Knowing how these elements work together will enable you to design highly targeted PPC campaigns.

At the highest level, a campaign sets the overall budget and targeting settings. Within each campaign, there are ad groups with related keywords and ads.

Keywords trigger the ads when users search for relevant terms, and ads are the actual text and visual content that appears in search results. Properly structuring your campaigns is crucial for both performance and cost efficiency.

3. Creating Google Ads for Boat Ferry Companies

Click “Start Now” on Ads Google. Log in if you already have a Google ads account, or Sign up.

On your Google ads dashboard, select “+ New campaign”.

3.1 Campaign Settings

Start by selecting the right campaign type.

For Boat Ferry Company, a Search Campaign is the best option because it targets users actively searching for services like yours.

For your Google ads for Boat Ferry Company, select "Goals" and your "Campaign Name"

3.2 Network Settings

Network Settings should be set to include only Google search so that ads appear only on Google's Search results pages for optimal targeting. Campaigns should not target the Display Network or Google search Partners, as these may reduce conversion quality and budget efficiency.

3.3 Locations

Start with demographic targeting in your location settings, to maximize the performance of your Google ads for Boat Ferry Company.

Choose “Enter another location” then enter the location you want your Google ads to target.

Select “Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations” as your target location option. This will ensure that only users who are in your targeted locations will see your Google ads.

3.4 Language Settings

Ensure your ads target the language most commonly spoken by your customers. This setting helps reach the right audience while improving ad relevance and engagement.

3.5 Audience Segments

In your audience segments settings, enter the niche or industry of your business, for instance, “Boat Ferry Company”, and you will see the different industry and in-market segment options you can apply to your campaign.

Select the options you want to include for your ad, for example, “Boat Ferry Company”

In your targeting settings, select “Observation” so that your campaign does not narrow its audience reach by audience segments alone.

3.6 Ad Rotation and Ad Schedule

Choose “Do not optimize” as your ad rotation settings. You want all your ads from your campaign to equally rotate since it can improve the effectiveness of your campaign and increase its reach.

If your Boat Ferry Company only operates during weekdays and your business hours, set your ad schedule to only run during these hours. This is to ensure that you can contact any leads that come from your Google Ads during your business hours.

If you decide to run Google Ads for your Boat Ferry Company during the days your business is not operating, you run the risk of losing business because you won’t be you won’t be able to call back or follow up on that lead until the next business day.

We recommend only running ads during business hours you're available to answer the phone.

4. Ad Groups & Keywords for Boat Ferry Companies

As we mentioned in the Google Ad Structure section, your ad groups are part of your campaign, and these will contain all your keywords.

Consider doing prior keyword research before creating your Google ads for Boat Ferry Company, to make sure that the right keywords will trigger your ad, and to bring you high-quality leads.

When you are done with your keyword research, start by creating your first ad group. Since each ad group should follow one theme for better targeting, consider creating a different ad group for each concrete company you offer.

For example, you could have an ad group for “Boat Ferry Companies" to get keyword suggestions from Google.

Example A:

Ad Group Name: Boat Ferry Companies

Keywords: [Boat Ferry Companies] [Boat Ferry Company Services] [Boat Ferry Company in [Location]]

After entering your ad group name and entering your keywords in the products or services section, select “Get Keyword suggestions”.



The results will show you all the relevant keywords to your keyword research, based on Google’s data.

Make sure that you check each keyword suggestion and remove any keywords that are relevant to your niche or industry, but irrelevant to the specific ad group.

You can also implement keyword bidding strategies depending on their competition level. For instance, consider bidding for lower-intent keywords if your competitors are overpaying for high-intent keywords and vice versa.

5. Google Text Ad for Boat Ferry Companies

5.1 Final URL and Display Path

Ensure your Final URL directs users to a dedicated landing page about your Boat Ferry Company. The display path should reinforce your message, such as /concrete-companies or /free-estimate to increase user confidence.

5.2 Headlines

Create engaging headlines that include high-intent keywords, such as:

• Explore the coast by Ferry
• Daily Ferry Trips
• Book your Ferry Rides

If you struggle to come up with more headlines, click on “More Ideas” and Google will provide you with headline suggestions using the top keywords based on their database, your industry, and the keywords in your ad group.

5.3 Descriptions

Use the descriptions section to include key information or to highlight the best features of your that will encourage potential leads to click on your ad. Your descriptions should also help increase the Click-through rate of your Google ads for Boat Ferry Company.

Here are some descriptions used in this guide, which you can use as a guide or inspiration for your campaign:

• Reserved your spot in just a few clicks
• Safe, comfortable rides with daily departures

5.4 Ad Assets

Enhance your ads with additional links, call extensions, and promotional messages to improve engagement. Adding structured snippets, call buttons, and site links can increase click-through rates and conversions.

Other ad assets we recommend including are callouts. In this section, you want to include short key information about your Boat Ferry Company that will encourage users to click on your ads, such as any features, awards, or other information that will make you stand out from your local competitors. 

For instance, you could use “Licensed, Bonded, Insured”, “15+ years of experience”, “Trusted professionals” and “Request Free Online Quote”.

If you want to add more ad assets to your Google ads for Boat Ferry Company, simply select from the available options, such as promotions, prices, calls, structured snippets, lead forms, and apps.

6. Manual CPC and Bidding

For better control over your budget, consider Manual CPC (Cost-Per-Click) bidding. This allows you to adjust bids based on performance, ensuring your highest-converting keywords receive the most attention. Higher bids on well-performing keywords can improve ad placement and lead quality.

Enter a $50 amount for starters, and once your campaign is up and running, you can adjust this by increasing or lowering the amount.

Don’t try to enter a custom budget amount that is too low, because it won’t provide you with enough measurable data, and it will take longer for your Google ads campaign to produce results.

Once you’ve entered your custom budget, Google will provide you with the estimated data you can expect from your campaign based on your ad budget. These will include an estimate of expected weekly clicks, average CPC, and weekly cost.

Take note that these estimates are only estimates since your Google ads for Boat Ferry Company could perform better than these expected metrics.

For your bidding settings, select “Clicks” as your campaign focus, and skip the Customer Acquisition setting.



Make sure that your customer acquisition option is not selected, to avoid your campaign targeting new customers only.

Review your settings and ensure all the information entered is correct. Once you are happy with your settings, select “Publish campaign” and you’re done!

Congratulations, you’ve just created your first Google ads campaign.

You will also be able to see a preview of what your Google ads for Boat Ferry Company will look like on Google’s search engine results pages. It should include all the features you added whilst creating the ad text, such as the final URL, display path, headlines, descriptions, and any ad assets added.

7.0 Optimize Your Google Ads Campaign For Quality Leads

7.1 Keyword Planner

It uses Google's Keyword Planner to find highly - trafficked, low-competition keywords that are most likely to convert. Utilize this tool to refine your keyword strategy and learn new search terms that potential customers are using.

Click "Discovery New Keywords"

Enter the products or services relevant to your Boat Ferry Company such as “Boat Ferry Company” then click on “Get Results”.

You should now see all the relevant keywords to your search query. You may notice that some keywords are already added to your campaign, by checking under the Account Status column, and seeing if they are labeled as “In Account”.

To add any keywords to your campaign, simply tick the box next to the keywords you want.

Then, click on “More“ and select “Add to account”.

Choose the ad group you want to add these keywords to (in this case, “Boat Ferry Company”), and then select the match type before clicking “Add“.

The keywords we selected from the keyword planner are now added to the campaign. These will now be labeled as “In Account” under Account Status.

7.2 Negative keywords

Add irrelevant or low-converting terms to your negative keywords list to avoid wasting ad spend on searches that don't match your services. This ensures your ads show only for searches that are relevant to your business.

To add negative keywords to your campaign, access your Google ads dashboard, and go to “Campaigns“. Then select “Audiences, keywords, and content” and click “+Negative keywords”.

Select if you want to add negative keywords to your campaign or ad group, then enter all your negative keywords in the text box. For this guide example, we will add them to our campaign:



When you are happy with your negative keywords, click “Save“.

Your negative keywords have now been added to your campaign.

Since you can add keywords to your campaign using keyword planner, you can also add negative keywords using the same tool by following the initial steps shown in the keyword planner section.

Once you’ve selected your keywords, click “More“, then click “Add as negative keywords”.

Make sure you are adding these negative keywords to the right campaign, for example, “Search Campaign – Boat Ferry Company”, then select your match type and click “Add“.

You have now successfully added negative keywords to your campaign using keyword planner.

If you are struggling to find the right negative keywords for your Google ads for Boat Ferry Company, you can use other tools apart from keyword planner, such as Negative Keyword Pro, WordStream, and Semrush.

Boat Ferry Companies Campaign

7.3 Landing Pages

A landing page is usually a standalone page on your website, with the main purpose of converting leads into customers.

Your ad clicks should lead to a well-optimized landing page with:

• Clear contact forms
• Strong call-to-action (e.g., “Get a Free Estimate”)
• Trust signals (e.g., testimonials, service guarantees)
  

A key element the landing page example could also include to support its landing page efforts, is adding a lead form to better understand the needs of its customers.

Just like we recommended creating different ad groups for your Boat Ferry Company, we also recommend creating different landing pages for different Boat Ferry Company.

8. Key Takeaways

Google Ads gives ferry operators a powerful way to reach travelers looking for transport by sea. By targeting ads based on location and search intent, your ferry company can show up right when potential passengers are looking for routes, tickets, or schedules.

Success starts with keyword targeting. Techniques like manual CPC bidding and negative keywords allow you to control spending and get high-intent traffic. That traffic is directed to clear, user-friendly landing pages that convert searches to bookings and repeat riders.

When done right, PPC advertising attracts travelers who need reliable transportation - be it for daily commutes, island getaways or seasonal tourism. Unlike traditional marketing, Google Ads puts your ferry service in front of someone who needs to make travel plans.

With full control of your ad budget, audience targeting and messaging, you can segment campaigns by route, destination, peak travel seasons or rider urgency. Continuous performance monitoring and optimization will ensure consistent bookings and a high return on investment for your ads.

Max Conversion Google Ads Management

Google Ads management for Boat Ferry Companies - Max Conversion. If you require full-service campaign management or a one-off setup to get started, our experts can assist. From keyword research and ad creation to bid management and performance optimization, we get you the most out of your investment.

Get in touch to discover exactly how we can enable you to drive more leads and more jobs through Google Ads!