Florida Villas and Vacation Rentals
6 Easy Ways To Improve Your Vacation Listing Today
One of the most frequent misconceptions amongst some holiday rental owners, is that once they have created a listing on a holiday rental website, that is it and there is no more to do. Unfortunately this is not the case as competition is fierce and an up to date listing will without doubt stand out from those which have not benefited from any updates since the advert was created. We appreciate that updates take time, but the reality is that it is time well spent.
1. Update your calendar
More often than not, holidaymakers have a good idea of travel dates when they are searching for a vacation home. Some may have even booked their flights first. It can frustrate both them and you if your calendar isn’t up to date. They’ve spend time narrowing down their search to find their ideal property only to find all their dates are booked and you’ll find yourself wasting time dealing with enquiries for dates already sold. That’s if an empty calendar hasn’t put them off enquiring in the first place. Take a look at 8 good reasons to use your calendar.
2. Promote your late availability.
Try a late deal feature – just £2 for a four week feature on the home page with a direct link to your listing. You choose the wording (up to 150 characters) so it is up to you whether you simply highlight available dates, or offer a discount to entice a quick booking.
3. Refresh your images
This one might take a little longer but well worth the effort. If you’ve been out to visit your home recently, you may well have brand new images. Don’t leave them on your camera for another 6 months. Download them now and update your listing. Especially important if you’ve been updating and decorating the home.
4. Try a new first image
If you don’t have any new shots of your property and interest in your listing has tailed off – try a new first image. This is the one showing on a page of results so it needs to entice people to find out more. Check out similar properties to see what they are showing and try something different. Show off your best or most unique features. You don’t need to stick to the generic ‘front of villa’ view if another gets better page views. Check the results by keeping track of page views in your statistics area and comparing with a similar time last year.
5. Chase new reviews
We all come home full of the thrills of our holiday and say we’re going to send a lovely comment in person to the owner responsible for our great accommodation. But all too soon, work and home life takes over and before you know it a month has passed. Don’t be shy about chasing a response from your past guests. Make it easy for them with an email with a few quick questions, leave a guest book at your home and make arrangements for your property manager to send you the latest comments by email.
Direct Villas Florida can help you and will email your guests directly on their return. All you need to do is let us know about your latest booking or log into your owners area and change the status of the original enquiry in the notes section to ‘Converted to Booking’. Your guest then is then able to add a review from a link in their booking zone. Reviews added this way are unlimited and also get you a star rating on site.
6. Upgrade your listing
Okay…. so this one does have some costs attached but it could be reaping the rewards sooner rather than later! Direct Villas Florida offer a range of optional upgrades designed to increase your exposure on site in the way that best suits your property.
Highlight your location near Disney with a ‘Best for Theme Park’ dedicated directory or how about a ‘Best for Beaches’ for your Gulf Coast home? You can choose to feature your property across multiple pages of the site with our Multi Page Property Focus or pre-book a spot on the home page with a direct link to your listing. Prices of upgrades range from £2 up to £35. Information is available in your Owners Dashboard or contact Sarah or Tracy on +44 (0)333 2400 797 to discuss what will work best for your vacation home.
For help and advice on making the most of your listing page on Direct Villas Florida or to set up a new advert – contact info@directvillasuk.com or call Sarah and Tracy during office hours on +44 (0)333 2400 797.
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