Most holiday property owners have a website, however we feel that many people could be missing out on potential customers due to lack of functionality or use of old technologies.
We have identified 7 key areas for property owners to consider about their current websites.
- Is your property website mobile friendly?
- Do you have a live availability calendar?
- Can a user book directly via your website?
- Do you have a photo gallery?
- Do you currently integrate with third party property listing sites?
- Are you making the most of social networks?
- Do you have a blog?
If you worry that you could be missing out on potential bookings or are unsure of whether or not you need to invest in a new website, we suggest you take a look at your current website considering the points below.
Is your property website mobile friendly?
Although most people will book their holiday using a desktop computer, over 50% of people will begin researching their holiday from a phone or other mobile device. If your website is difficult to use and doesn’t look nice on a mobile device the user may not even consider further researching your property. First impressions are important therefore, it is extremely important that you give the user an excellent viewing experience regardless of the device they view your website on. Also it is important to consider that as of last year Google began to boost mobile friendly sites above other results in their search pages. If you are unsure whether your website is mobile friendly you can find out here.
Do you have a live availability calendar?
When a customer is interested in booking a stay at a property they want to see if it is available on certain dates and how much it will be for the period of time they would like to stay. If you aren’t showing an availability calendar on your website this can create a barrier for the user. You want to make it as easy as possible for somebody to find what they are looking for and if they can’t see if your property is available when they would like to stay, it is likely that they will go elsewhere.
Can a user book directly via your website?
If a user is looking to book a stay they will often want to book immediately, right there online. If they are unable to book their stay on your website they may go somewhere else where they can secure a booking “right now”. By enabling a user to book their stay you create an additional avenue for you to receive bookings. Although you may have your contact details on your website, the user is likely to want to book their holiday there and then as opposed to waiting for a response via email or if they were browsing late one evening waiting for a suitable time to call.
Do you have a photo gallery?
When a potential customer is looking for a place to stay it is unlikely that they will choose a property that they haven’t seen or have seen very little of. They want to see what it looks like, inside and out. The more high quality images you display to the customer, the more likely they will be to consider your property and convert to a booking.
Do you currently integrate with third party property listing sites?
Do you find yourself having to go and update your calendars on multiple websites each time you get a booking? Did you know your website could integrate with websites such as SuperControl, Ownersdirect, HomeAway and AirBNB and your calendars could automatically update with each booking you recieve? SCRUMPY currently integrates with Super Control, any site that uses iCal (AirBNB, FlipKey, Owners Direct, HomeAway etc.), sleeps12.com and any other SCRUMPY website. We are continuously working on expanding this list to integrate with even more third party channel websites.
Are you making the most of social networks?
Social media is increasingly becoming a major channel for driving traffic to your website. However, we all know that keeping it all up to date can be very time consuming. This doesn’t have to be the case. Your website could automatically populate the various social networks with content from your website. SCRUMPY can automatically share blog articles and create albums on your behalf populated with photos of your properties. You can also simultaneously post to Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest right from your SCRUMPY admin panel!
Do you have a blog?
A blog is a great way of keeping your website up to date with fresh content and news. You can use a blog for posting news and information about your property or events in the local area. You can then link to these articles from your social media. Having fresh content on your website is a key to boosting your position within the natural search engine results.
We can help?
Here at SCRUMPY we think it is important that our property owners get the most out of their website by using the latest technologies and keeping them up to date with new features. All SCRUMPY websites are completely content managed so our owners can keep their own websites current with latest content and pictures. If you are considering a new website for your holiday property or would like to find out more about SCRUMPY, please feel free to contact us or visit our website for our full list of features!