As a short-term rental host, it’s important to find ways to grow your direct booking website. After all, this is the best way to ensure that you are getting the most money for your property.

In this blog post, we will discuss some tips on how to make your direct booking website more successful. We’ll also provide some ideas on how to increase traffic and bookings through your site.

Follow these tips, and you’ll be well on your way to growing your short-term rental business!

Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today! 

Why Short-Term Rental Hosts Should Focus on Growing Their Direct Booking Websites

A direct booking website is the best way to ensure that you generate the most income for your business. You don’t have to give a commission to a booking channel, or pay any other fees.

 It’s also a great way to build a relationship and loyalty with your guests. You can get to know them and their preferences better when you communicate directly with them.

Lastly, having a direct booking website gives you more control over who your calendar and availability. If you use Houfy.com as your direct booking site, Host Tools will easily integrate with your listing to ensure you avoid double bookings and easily automate your daily hosting tasks.

Tips for Making Your Direct Booking Website More Successful

Increase traffic to the site

The first step to making your direct booking website more successful is to increase traffic to the site. You can do this by optimizing your site for search engines and using social media to promote your listing. You can also use paid advertising to reach a wider audience.

A great way to optimize your site for search engines is to become familiar with keyword research. This will help you determine which keywords to target in your website’s content and ads.

Make sure the site is user-friendly

Your website must be easy to navigate and understand. Guests should be able to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. Make sure all of your information is up-to-date and accurate and that your photos are clear and professional.

Work to improve conversion rates

Conversion rates are the number of people who take the desired action on your website. In this case, you want guests to book a stay at your property. There are a few ways to improve conversion rates:

• Providing special offers and discounts.
• Making it easy to contact you.
• Offering a smooth booking process.

Offer incentives for bookings made through the site

One way to encourage guests to book through your direct booking website is to offer incentives. This could be a discount on the nightly rate, a free night’s stay after a certain number of nights booked, or anything else that would entice guests to book through your site over a third-party app.

Familiarize yourself with pay-per-click advertising

Paid advertising is a great way to reach a wider audience and generate more traffic to your site. You can use platforms like Google AdWords or Facebook Ads to create targeted campaigns that will reach potential guests who are interested in booking a stay at your property.

Make your direct booking website mobile-friendly

More and more people are using their mobile devices to book travel accommodations. Therefore, it’s vital that your website is responsive and can be easily viewed on a mobile phone or tablet.

If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, potential guests will likely get frustrated and not return to your site on a desktop to book.

Add a blog to your site

Adding a blog to your site is a great way to attract more visitors. You can write about topics that are relevant to your target audiences, such as travel tips, things to do in the area, and local events. This will not only help attract more guests, but it can also help improve your search engine ranking.

Always use high-quality photos

When it comes to photos, quality is key. Be sure to use clear, high-resolution images that accurately represent your rental property.

Utilize your network

Let your friends, family, and social media followers know that you have a direct booking website. They may be able to help promote your listing and get the word out to potential guests. You can even consider trying out a referral program to folks who encourage people to book with you.

Retarget past guests

If you’ve had guests stay at your property in the past, be sure to reach out and let them know that you now have a direct booking website. You can offer them a discount for their next stay or simply let them know that they can now book directly with you rather than on a third-party platform like Airbnb, Booking.com, or VRBO. Consider even including an informational card in your welcome basket that highlights your direct booking site to guests staying with you who reserved via a third-party.

Note: Don’t encourage guests to book directly from within the Airbnb, Booking.com, or VRBO platform. Instead, if you have their contact information, email them directly.  

Keep Your Site Updated and Accurate

It’s essential to keep your site up-to-date with the latest information about your rental property. Regularly check that your rates, availability calendar, and contact information are all accurate. This will help ensure that potential guests have a positive experience when they visit your site and make a booking. If you choose to use Houfy for your direct booking site and integrate with Host Tools, all your calendars will be seamlessly kept up to date!

Provide helpful and relevant content

Your website should be a valuable resource for potential guests who are looking to book a stay at your rental property. In addition to high-quality photos, you should also provide helpful information about things to do in the area, local attractions, and restaurant recommendations.

Pro tip: Hire an Airbnb Copywriter

Make it easy for guests to contact you

It should be easy for potential guests to get in touch with you if they have any questions about your property or the booking process. Be sure to include your contact information prominently on your website and make sure that your email address and phone number are easily accessible. You can also add a contact form to your site so that guests can quickly get in touch with you.

Final Thoughts

You will see significant growth in your website’s number of direct bookings when you follow these tips. By providing high-quality content, making your site mobile-friendly, and utilizing your network, you can attract more guests and encourage them to book directly with you. Keep your site up-to-date and accurate, make it easy for guests to contact you, and you will see a positive impact on your business. 

If you’re looking for more ways to grow your direct booking website, be sure to check out Host Tools. We offer a variety of features that can help you attract more guests and encourage them to book directly with you. 

Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today!