Joel Bennett In the vacation rental market, more and more property owners are choosing to manage their bookings directly, moving away from platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com.
These online platforms make booking easy but also take a big cut of the earnings—between 15% and 25%. They also keep valuable guest information to themselves, preventing owners from contacting guests directly in the future.
Did you know that 72% of travelers prefer booking directly with the property? Direct bookings not only save on commission fees but also allow you to build a direct relationship with your guests.
If you’re a vacation rental owner, you might be wondering how to start getting more of these direct bookings. Creating your own website with a booking engine is a great option. In this guide, we’ll show you simple steps to increase your direct bookings, even if you don’t have your own website yet.
1. Choosing a vacation rental website builder
Creating your own direct booking website might seem challenging due to the required technical skills and potential high costs of hiring experts. However, using a specialized vacation rental website builder like Webready can make this process much easier.
Here’s why Webready is a great choice:
- Ease of Use: Webready is user-friendly, allowing you to set up a website in just two minutes without any technical knowledge.
- Pre-designed Templates: We offer a variety of templates that are pre-designed specifically for vacation rentals. These templates are responsive, ensuring your website looks great on any device.
- Free Direct Booking Engine: With Webready, you get a free booking engine integrated into your site. This means you can start accepting direct bookings immediately without any additional costs. Usually website builders do not have a direct booking engine.
- Increase Your Revenue: With Webready, you can maximize your earnings through upselling opportunities. Offer additional services like airport transfers, local tours, or special packages directly on your website, increasing the overall value of each booking.
- Support and Services: If you need extra help, Webready also offers services to assist you in setting up your site. Our team can guide you through the process, making it even easier.
- Integrations: Enhance your site’s functionality with various integrations available through Webready, adding more features and capabilities to your website. Webready can be used as a stand alone, or property managers can easily integrate it into their channel manager enabling them to synchronize bookings across multiple platforms to avoid double bookings.
Using a vacation rental website builder like Webready not only saves money but also gives you control over your bookings and guest interactions. This helps you maximize your rental’s potential by offering personalized experiences, building customer loyalty, and increasing retention. By connecting with social media, you can easily target your audience and promote your listings effectively.
Whether you’re tech-savvy or new to website creation, Webready provides all the necessary tools to create a professional-looking direct booking website tailored to the needs of vacation rental owners.
Here is what our clients are saying:
Seamless booking experience with Webready
I switched to Webready six months ago, and it has revolutionized my vacation rental management. The setup was effortless thanks to their stunning templates. Now, my guests book directly, saving me significant third-party fees. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to enhance their rental’s online presence. Check more reviews here.
2. Pre-Launch Preparation of Your Vacation Rental Website
Launching a well-designed and optimized website with Webready is straightforward, but for truly outstanding results, thorough pre-launch preparation is a must. This ensures your site is not only functional but also competitive and appealing to your target audience. Here’s what you need to focus on during the pre-launch phase:
Market Research:
Start by deeply analyzing the vacation rental market and identifying your target audience. Explore competitor websites to understand their design, user experience, and content strategies. This research will help you tailor your site to meet specific guest needs and differentiate it from others, ensuring it stands out to your ideal guests.
Need help turning your vacation rental into a successful business? Reach out to our expert team, and we’ll show you the best practices for succeeding in the vacation rental market. Book a call with us today. We’ve helped thousands of property owners grow their businesses.
Domain Registration:
Your domain is the url that allows viewers to access your website. E.g. www.mywebsite.com. Choose a domain name that is short, memorable, and reflective
of your brand. A good domain name can make a significant impact on your brand’s visibility and search engine optimization (SEO).
Do you need help with SEO basics for your vacation rental website? Do not hesitate to reach out to our team, and we will assist you in setting up a professional website for your rentals that drives direct bookings with ease. Book a call here.
Template Selection:
Choose a template for your vacation rental website. Utilize Webready’s pre-designed templates specifically crafted for vacation rentals. These templates are responsive, ensuring your website provides a seamless user experience on desktops, tablets, and smartphones. Select a template that aligns with your brand identity and customize it to fit your unique style and needs.
Content Creation:
Develop compelling content that showcases your properties’ best features. Include high-quality images, engaging descriptions, and highlight amenities that appeal to your target audience. Adding videos can make a significant difference, as users can provide a more immersive view of the rental, attracting more guests. Unlike Airbnb, your website can feature these videos, giving you an edge. Effective content not only attracts visitors but also encourages bookings by providing clear and enticing information about your offerings.
Payment Gateway Integration:
Ensure there is a reliable payment system to process transactions smoothly. This is crucial for building trust with your guests and ensuring a hassle-free booking experience. Implementing security measures like SSL certificates is easy and essential for protecting sensitive information. Test the payment gateway thoroughly to ensure all transactions are secure and efficient, providing peace of mind for both you and your guests.
With Webready’s free direct booking engine, you can accept bookings without additional costs, unlike other platforms like Wix and Boostly. This integrated system not only saves you money but also provides a seamless and secure booking experience, setting Webready apart from the competition.
3. Customizing Your Vacation Rental Website
Creating a vacation rental website that not only looks good but also functions effectively requires thoughtful customization. Here’s how you can ensure your site not only meets but exceeds expectations:
Customize Design Elements
Selecting a website template is just the beginning. Tailoring your site to reflect your brand’s personality and values truly sets it apart. Choose colors, fonts, and layouts that resonate with your target audience to create a cohesive visual experience.
For example, for luxurious and high-end rentals, opt for a sleek, minimalist design with a sophisticated color palette. This isn’t a technical challenge; with the right website builder, you can easily make these customizations with just a few clicks.
SEO Optimization
To increase the visibility of your website on search engines, it’s crucial to implement effective SEO strategies. Start by identifying relevant keywords that potential guests might use to find rentals like yours. Incorporate these keywords naturally into your content, titles, meta descriptions, and image alt texts. Additionally, ensure that your website’s structure is SEO-friendly by using proper header tags.
Legal Compliance
Ensure your website complies with all relevant legal requirements, including data protection laws like GDPR if you’re dealing with European customers. Include privacy policies, terms and conditions, and cookie consents where necessary. These documents should be accessible from every page of your website, often linked in the footer. Legal compliance not only protects you but also builds trust with your guests.
Integrations are key to streamlining your vacation rental website, enhancing both operations and guest experience. Connect your site with essential tools such as API channels for wider property exposure, smart pricing for dynamic rate adjustments, secure payment processors, and channel managers to synchronize bookings across platforms. Including other business tools can also support marketing and customer management, making your service more efficient and boosting guest satisfaction.
4. Testing and Reviewing your Vacation Rental Website
Before launching your vacation rental website, it’s crucial to conduct comprehensive testing and review to ensure everything functions perfectly. Here’s what you need to focus on:
Functionality Testing
Start by thoroughly testing all the interactive elements of your site. Check every link, button, and form to make sure they function as expected. This includes ensuring that navigation links lead to the correct pages, forms submit properly, and buttons trigger the right actions. Catching these issues early prevents guest frustration and helps avoid potential bookings being lost due to technical problems.
Performance Testing
Next, assess how well your website performs under various conditions. Focus on load times, especially, as slow websites can drive potential guests away. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to analyze your site’s performance and identify areas for improvement. Optimizing images, reducing unnecessary scripts, and leveraging browser caching can all help speed up your website.
Feedback Collection
Finally, gather feedback from early users or testers. Ask them about their experience using the site, what they liked, and what could be improved. This feedback is invaluable as it comes from the perspective of your potential guests.
Use this information to make any necessary adjustments to the design, functionality, or content of your website. This not only enhances the site but also shows your commitment to providing the best user experience.
5. Launching your vacation rental website
Launching your vacation rental website is an exciting step, but it requires careful planning and continuous effort to ensure its success. Here’s how to effectively manage the launch and maintain your site:
Prepare Launch Marketing
Begin by planning your marketing activities to create buzz around your new website. Develop a strategic email campaign to alert your current and potential guests about the launch.
Additionally, leverage social media platforms to announce the launch date and share teasers or previews of what users can expect. These efforts will help drive traffic to your site right from the start
Go Live
Before you officially publish your website, conduct a final review to ensure everything is working as it should. Double-check all functionalities, content, and design elements.
Once you’re confident that everything is in place and performing well, it’s time to go live. Announce the launch through your prepared marketing channels to maximize visibility.
Post-Launch Monitoring
After your site goes live, closely monitor its performance to identify any issues or areas for improvement. Use analytics tools to track user behavior, which will help you understand how visitors interact with your site and where they might be encountering problems. Be prepared to quickly address any technical issues to maintain a smooth user experience.
Ongoing Optimization
A successful website requires regular updates and optimizations to keep it relevant and performing well. Continuously update your content to keep it fresh and engaging for return visitors.
Regularly review and optimize your website’s SEO strategy to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results. Staying proactive with these updates ensures your website remains competitive and top of mind for potential guests.