Create a Great Advert
Look at our Top Ten Do's and Don'ts for your holiday home advert
DON'TS
DON'T WRITE EVERYTHING IN CAPITALS - it gives the impression you are shouting! It works well if you want something to STAND OUT in the text.
DON'T exaggerate - holidaymakers will not be impressed if 'house by the sea' turns out to be 20km inland.
DON'T write long lists - an inventory of the property is not necessary in the advert, neither is a full calendar of local events.
DON'T write your e-mail address in the main text - this allows SPAMers to send you junk e-mails, our 'contact owner' forms safeguard against this
DON'T panic - if you are having problems with content or photos get in touch - we are happy to help!
DO'S
DO check your advert for spelling and grammar - perhaps use a word-processor with a spelling checker, then cut and paste the text into your advert.
DO update the advert regularly - including availability/bookings and any new features or great guest book comments.
DO promote your property - write about your holiday home in a way that is interesting and enticing and mention key features.
DO supply the correct contact details -including the correct e-mail address and any phone, fax, or mobile numbers you wish to have displayed.
DO use the best possible photos - even if it means getting someone else to take them for you.
We encourage you to treat your online advert as a mini brochure.
It is the perfect way to show off your property to potential clients and offers a flexibility that printed material cannot give. Whether you are new to Holiday Lettings, or an existing advertiser wanting to make the most of your online advert, we want to help you.
Read on to get detailed help on getting the best from your photos, improving your advert content, and maintaining a great accommodation listing.
Photos
A good first photo can dramatically increase the traffic to your page from the search results pages. Your first photo needs to be eye-catching and clear, and should be landscape orientation (wide) rather than portrait (tall).
Ensure your photos are focused, inviting and present a great all-round view of your property (interior as well as exterior) and the area.
Make use of all the available photo slots. It doesn't cost anything more, and you may win over potential holidaymakers with great shots of the location they could be visiting as well as your beautiful home.
Choose wisely, the first 4 photos are the ones that will be seen as soon as your property is selected.
Make sure that your property is looking it's best when you take photos. Choose a sunny day for exterior shots and remove clutter from rooms before taking interior shots. Take the photos from one corner of the room to fit as much in the frame as possible and ensure the strongest source of lighting is behind you.
Dress up rooms to show visitors what a holiday at your home could be like e.g. Dining area: set the table with a tablecloth and maybe a bottle of wine to make it seem inviting, Bedroom: make the beds and add a vase of fresh flowers to the bedside table.
Content
Think like a holidaymaker when composing your text. Try to imagine which features will grab their interest, what they may be looking for in a holiday property, and how you can really sell your accommodation to prospective renters.
Keep your Home Summary text short, clear and inviting. Remember this and the thumbnail photo can make your advert stand out from a search selection of similar properties on the Search Results page.
Your Home Description should be kept to a couple of paragraphs about the property and a holiday at that property. Paint a broad and enticing picture without going into too much detail; you can do that later in the advert! Keep it short enough that the initial photos still show when visitors are viewing the advert.
Emphasise any features specific to your property and location in the relevant input boxes. Some of these e.g. 'Private pool' appear as tick-box options for you to select. As we haven't yet been able to think of all the possible features each home includes, be sure to add them into your own description - your 14th century fireplace might be exactly what someone is looking for to complete their holiday!
Holidaymakers often type in keywords or a key phrase into search engines (e.g. Yahoo, Google). Search engines will be more likely link to your advert page if they find specific phrases on your page to match a holidaymaker's search. E.g. use "romantic getaway in Paris" or "luxury accommodation in Torrevieja" in your advert - whatever is most appropriate.
Under Location give the name of the most popular nearest town, suburb and region. If you only put in the name of the tiny village your gorgeous villa is situated in, it will only appear for those few specific queries rather than a greater number of more general searches on the better-known region.
Interesting descriptions are the ideal way to tell someone about a country or area they might like to visit. Try to make the region description an introductory paragraph about the area generally in terms of climate, landscape and places of interest. Make the description of the local town/suburb more specific. For instance, mention the abundance of great tapas bars just along the road, the supermarket, amenities on-site etc. Remember to tell your potential renters about sites of interest, places to visit and things to do locally/nearby.
Be sure to mention any extras that you offer. This might be a free pick-up from the airport or a welcome basket of goodies you leave for guests upon their arrival.
We've designed the advert pages so that you can give all the necessary information in one simple page, so an additional personal website is not a priority for those of you who are new to the field of renting out your property. However, you can add a link out to your own website if you feel it has additional important information that visitors might wish to know. You should only detail your link URL in the given field, and we do ask you to give a reciprocal link back to our own site.
Maintain Your Advert
Use the availability calendar! Not only will it help enquirers to check preferred dates easily, but also in date specific search results homes that have an up-to-date calendar will appear higher in the search results.
Regularly update your tariffs as pages that show last years rates are never popular. It is important to be honest with your price quotes - if you have one tariff on your page, and then quote a much higher price on receiving enquiries, you will simply not get the business you are hoping for.
Check other properties advertised in your local area to make sure that you match or better them in terms of amenities and rates. This will ensure that yours is amongst the most attractive to prospective enquirers.
Keep up to date with the easiest and cheapest way to get to your property. You can help holidaymakers see how easy a trip to your place will be by detailing airlines that fly to a nearby airport, or the best car hire company that you have found for your region. Mention any transfer services or other public transport options.
Be proud of your guest book! There is no better way of describing your property in a positive light than using the words of a happy guest. Add a few of these quotes to your advert (with your guest's permission) to give an idea of what a great time others have had at your property.
Offer special deals such as reduced rates for off-peak times or late availability periods - people like a bargain.
Make the best of the edit facility. You have access to edit and update your advert 24/7 so if you have a property that is suitable for ski seasons in winter and a rural mountain break in the summer why not have 2 looks to the advert. Switch your summer and winter photos as appropriate, and change the Home Summary section to suit the holiday type you are advertising at a specific time of year.
Keep your eyes open for new updates on the site that you can take advantage of, we sometimes add new check boxes for property and location details, so it is worth having a quick scan through the input pages when you have time.