Let’s face it! We live in the digital age and most of our knowledge and information, if not all, come from surfing the Web. Unsurprisingly, the same thing applies to people wanting to make their vacation arrangements. Nowadays, travelers are actively booking their tickets, accommodation, and travel experiences online, and when they don’t, they have already acquired any information they might need from the internet before they actually pick up the phone, or get themselves to an actual travel agency and make their reservations with the customer service representatives. Therefore, the need for a user friendly and engaging website for any travel business is of utmost importance. This is why we've gathered some tips that will help you achieve exactly that.
Tips that will help you before your future customer chooses your website:
In this section, we will talk about certain tips that refer to your website’s promotion on search engines and social media presentation.
- Use High Quality Pictures
- Do not Use phrases that point to Call your customers to Act, such as “Check here, Book Now,” etc.
- Always Base your Propositions to Actual Facts. For example, do not say your rental comes with “an Extraordinary Sea View” when you can barely see from the kitchen window. Don’t laugh, that has happened more than a few times, to let it slide.
- Take advantage of the Google Star Reviews. If you do know even a little bit your way around SEO, then you definitely know this already. If not, make sure you catch up quickly. Google enables website owners through schema.org to display reviews and ratings in search results. It is simply a piece of programming code that you will apply to your site and then reviews have to be submitted from your customers. Be careful, do not use fake or non-customer reviews. For example, a website that takes advantage of this function in an orderly way is kinglikeconcierge.com. Search for "luxury mykonos villas" and you will clearly see that it is the only website with Star Reviews, making kinglikeconcierge.com standing out from the rest.
Tips that will help you when your future customer chooses your accesses you website:
Write Accurate Headlines
Make sure you describe your rentals as accurately as possible starting from your property’s headline. With tons and tons of options available on other websites apart from the ones on your own, it is very important that the visitor gets to scan and locate what he/she is after as quickly as possible. Chances are your potential customer will not have the time to read the description in each and every rental on your website, so making it easy to find what they’re looking for, saves his/her time giving you more chances of gaining a booking. In general, potential customers want to know the type of accommodation (apartment, villa, etc.), amount of bedrooms or beds, the cost per night, and the location. Give them that and you have a very informative headline for your rental.
Highlight the Best Feature of the Rental First
As much as important having an accurate headline that describes your rental is, have in mind that it’s equally important to highlight the feature that makes the property stand out. Mention the best part of it first and gain the attention of your customer as fast as you can, and what better way than to add it to its headline. For example, if your property has a private beach right in front of it, then that is something that should be definitely included in the headline. This way you promote its selling point and you have better chances of engaging your customer the moment he/she sees the listing.
Highlight the Services & Amenities
After knowing the basics, your customer will want to know more about the rental, such as the amenities and services included in the relevant price. A few of them are the exact size, the layout of the property, whether there is a swimming pool, a balcony, air conditioner, dishwasher, coffee maker, cleaning services, etc. Make sure that kind of information is clearly visible and distinct, and if possible invest in the details that will make your rental comfortable and homey for any potential customer.
Spare the Fluff, Focus on Facts
When you’re searching for the perfect accommodation, chances are you will spend more time skimming on the headlines and short descriptions rather than reading an entire essay of possibly unnecessary details to choose the right one for you. In the same way, your customer wants to read only facts about the rental such as 2 bedrooms, sauna, etc. and not fluffy descriptions. Using straight and direct information is a strong ally for you, so make the best of it and avoid descriptive language that will distract your potential customer from what is important. Bullet points and short, easy-to-read details help.
Mention Details about the Place Surrounding your Rental
One of the most important but easy to ignore aspects of your rental, is the surroundings of the property. Having a mention of the kind of neighborhood the rental is located in, gives the prospective customer an accurate picture of what is going to be like in the case of actually renting a certain property. Whether it’s easily accessible, near public transportation and points of interest, or even quiet, or noisy, all of that information matters greatly to the prospective visitor, tourist, and consequently a customer for you.
Make sure your Competitive Price is Easy to Grasp
A lot of rentals happen to be offered at lower prices than usual at their level of accommodation and that is an easy deal for a customer to grasp and try to get. Other rentals however, have benefits that make them stand out from the rest, and even though at a higher rate, they can still be considered a bargain and be even more attractive to the prospective customer. Make sure to highlight why this certain rental is a bargain and you’ll soon see that it’s even more engaging to rent than you might have expected.
Direct viewers with hyperlinks
In case there are similar rentals for the customer to see, or information that might be useful to the visitor on your website, then you should use hyperlinks. They are the easiest and most valuable way to direct your audience where you want to, show them other options and bargains, depending on what they are looking for, and of course keep their attention to your website. Use them consciously though and only when you might want to refer your visitor to a property of similar aspects. Something entirely different will make your website difficult to use and will drive your customer away.
Contact Information is Critical
Although for security and privacy reasons it may not be the best idea to include the exact address of the rental displayed on your website, it’s critical that general contact information, such as the company’s email, is available. There has to be a way for your prospective customer to reach you in case more information or inquiries are required. That way you are able to inspire trust and ensure that you have a customer to accommodate.