LiveRez is designed to help professional vacation rental managers increase their bookings.

One of the key selling points of LiveRez’s vacation rental software platform is its ability to get professional vacation rental managers more bookings. Here are some of the ways LiveRez helps managers increase their bookings:

Rank Higher – LiveRez-powered websites are specifically designed to help you rank higher in search engine results. Simply put, ranking higher in your desired searches means more travelers visit your website.

• Read “Why SEO Should Matter to You”

Convert More Often – LiveRez-powered websites are designed to offer travelers the fastest and easiest way to book a property online. Through our 3-click booking process, travelers can search, shop and book a property – all in just three clicks. This proven process helps create extremely high conversion rates on all LiveRez-powered websites.

• Read “A Look at Conversion with LiveRez-Powered Websites”

Book Online – Travelers want the convenience and security of booking their vacation online, anytime day or night. With a LiveRez-powered website, you can ensure that visitors to your website have the ability to close the deal online. It’s a common fact: once someone books, they stop shopping. LiveRez ensures that you never lose a customer because they couldn’t book online.

• Read “Online Booking: Top 6 Reasons Why It’s So Important”

Attract More Properties – Owners in the area will take notice of your LiveRez-powered website. They’ll fall in love with the design and envy the results you’re getting for your current owners. And once they find out about our special Owner Logons, which let them make their own reservations online and view key reports about their property, they’ll be hooked.

• Read “How to Attract More Owners and Grow Properties Under Management”

Affiliate Marketing Channels – Have your properties found in more places with our ability to list your properties on a variety of notable directory websites.

In summary, LiveRez’s formula for getting you more bookings is fairly simple:
1.) Increase the amount of properties you manage
2.) Get those properties seen by more visitors
3.) Ensure more of those visitors actually book

As a professional vacation rental manager, you may have fielded this question once or twice: “Where is the property located?” Sound familiar? By embedding a Google map of each property on its respective property listing, you can give your guests exactly what they are looking for. We’ve outlined the steps for doing this below.

Step 1: Go to Google.com  and type in the property’s full address (i.e. 6206 N. Discovery Way, Boise, ID 83713). This should bring up a map.

Step 2: Click on the map. This should pull up a new page.

Step 3: Just under the search bar, to the right of “Get directions” and “My places,” will be a small box with a link icon (see the picture below). Click on that link icon.

Step 4: Clicking on the link icon should bring up two lines of code. To embed this map on your property page, copy the code in the box under “Paste HTML to embed in website.” NOTE: If you want to customize how the map looks, click on “Customize and preview embedded map.”

Step 5: Locate that specific property’s listing on your website. Next you’re going to want to paste the embed code into the html for that listing. This may or may not be a simple process, depending on who does your website. All LiveRez users have control over property listings through an easy-to-use content management system (so, performing this process should be relatively simple). They’ll just need to paste the code to whatever section they want the map to appear.

Now the map should appear on your property listing. From there travelers can then modify the map to fit their needs.

Step 6: You may also want to post a link to the map on Google below the embedded map on your website. To do that, insert this line of code:

<a href="URL" target="blank">View this Map on Google</a>

But before you do that you’ll need to customize this line of code. You’ll want to replace URL with the actual URL of the map. How to you get that URL? Remember where you got the embed code? The box above the embed code should have the full URL you’ll need.

Advanced Users

If you’d like to go above and beyond and give your website visitors a listing of all of your properties, with some additional information at each property point on the map, you should check out BatchGeo.com.

The heat map in this picture shows where visitor clicks are concentrated. Look at how most of the clicks are focused on the search box.

Getting travelers to your website is just half the battle. Getting their business once they arrive is just as important. At LiveRez, we pay special attention to how well our websites perform when it comes to conversion.

Wikpedia defines conversion rate as: “The ratio of visitors who convert casual content views or website visits into desired actions based on subtle or direct requests from marketers, advertisers and content creators.”

In terms of a vacation rental management company’s website, the end goal (most desirable requested action) is for a visitor to book a property. With LiveRez-powered websites, this process takes only three clicks, with the first click being especially important because it launches the potential guest into the booking channel.

The image to the right demonstrates just how good LiveRez-powered websites are at invoking website visitors to enter the booking channel. As you can see by this heat map (typical of LiveRez-powered websites), visitor clicks are highly concentrated on the search box on the front page. Combine this with excellent average bounce rates, which greatly outperform industry standards, and you have the makings of a high-conversion website.

As evidenced by our partners’ success stories (and through our own tracking statistics), LiveRez-powered websites have been shown to greatly increase web bookings through a combination of increased website conversion and higher search engine placement (as a result of better SEO optimization).

If you’re looking to expand your presence online and increase your web bookings, make sure you check out LiveRez. To learn more about LiveRez-powered websites, visit our websites page or call us now at 800-343-2891.

Does your website take online bookings? The ability to take online bookings (or web bookings) is an especially powerful tool for vacation rental managers.

One of the key things that sets LiveRez apart from its competition is that it offers a complete dynamic website with an online booking engine that is completed integrated with the back office (reservation system and trust accounting). One of the major inspirations behind LiveRez was to make vacation rental managers fully operational online and give them the ability to take online bookings (just like hotels).

We all know that online bookings are important and can help take a vacation rental business to the next level. But, it’s easy to forget the specific reasons that make online bookings especially important. Following are the top 6 reasons why the ability to take online bookings is so important.

1. Convenience – With online booking, travelers can shop AND buy right there online. With sites that do not take online bookings, travelers have to contact the management company to make the final purchase – an added inconvenience that in some cases can detour travelers from booking.

2.  Available 24-7 – Because your website is up online all the time, travelers can make reservations at any point during the day, especially outside of your normal business hours. You and your staff have to sleep some time, right? Well, your website never does, so giving it the ability to take online bookings means at least one member of your sales team is working around the clock.

• Did you know LiveRez.com’s end-to-end SaaS platform is available 24-7 anywhere there’s an Internet connection? Learn more about web-based software. >>>

3. Saves Labor Hours (and Money) – When a booking comes in over the phone or in person, your reservationist has to manually enter information into the reservation system and possibly answer questions that could have been answered online. Plus, a reservationist is only able to work with one person a time, whereas a website can handle multiple reservations at once. Speaking to a real person is always a great option to give someone, and computers and the Internet will never really replace that. But, if travelers can get all the information they need for their decision from your website, allowing them to book online can create significant cost savings and open up your employees to focus on other tasks.

• Find out how our reservation system can also save you time and money >>>

4. Avoid Awkward Conversations About Fees – Every now and then, a reservationist will get questions about certain fees charged by the management company. While these fees are generally very legitimate and standard practice for many management companies, sometimes explaining them can be awkward. When travelers book online, they tend to be more accepting of those fees – and less conversations are initiated (also saving you time and money).

5. Websites Provide Great Analytics – Knowing more about your guests is paramount to creating successful marketing efforts. When guests book online, it’s easier to track how they came to your website and to monitor their shopping behavior when they get there. Analytics can also help you identify any roadblocks that may be keeping guests from moving through the booking process, so you can take the appropriate action to remove these obstacles.

• Read our blog post on website analytics >>>

6. Travelers Stop Shopping – Perhaps the most important reason to take online bookings is because when travelers book online they stop shopping. This may seem obvious, but consider this scenario: A busy mom is planning her family’s vacation, but can only find time to look into accommodations late at night once the kids go to sleep. She is looking at your website and finds a few properties she likes. She’s ready to book, but it’s outside of your regular business hours and she can’t finalize the reservation. She decides to contact you first thing in the morning, but in the mean time she goes ahead and checks out some of your competitors’ websites. Turns out she finds some other houses that she likes as well. And, guess what? Your competitor can take online bookings, so the traveler decides that she will just go ahead and book with them.

You not only just lost a customer but also lost the investment that it took in getting her to your website. Maybe she came in through paid marketing efforts or a pay-per-click campaign. Or, maybe she came in through an organic search result. Regardless of how she got there, you probably made a big investment in getting her there – no matter what channel she came through.

• Learn how LiveRez.com’s 3-click booking process can increase website conversion and drive more bookings >>>

Learn More

These six points illustrate just how important online bookings are. They help you save time and money, offer your travelers convenience, give you a competitive advantage and help protect the investment you’ve made in getting travelers to visit your website.

Does your website offer online bookings? If not, check out LiveRez.com. We can make your business fully operational online and greatly expand your web presence. Even when switching from other software providers that allow online bookings, our partners generally see dramatic increases in their web bookings. You can learn more by visiting our website, watching our brief demo online or scheduling a guided product tour by calling 800-343-2891.

Carolina Beach Realty's partnership with LiveRez.com has allowed the business to dramatically increase its web presence.

Carolina Beach Realty
Location: Carolina Beach, NC
Website: CarolinaBeachRealty.net
Quick Quote: “In the two years that we’ve been dealing with LiveRez, the rate of growth in our business has doubled and our revenues have increased tremendously. I really attribute a lot of that to the presence LiveRez has given us on the Internet.”

Imagine taking a trip back in time – to a place that’s family friendly, with uncrowded beaches and where a business really hangs its hat on true customer service.

It’s not a dream – it’s called Pleasure Island. And with 45 years of experience in the area, Carolina Beach Realty has the inside track to a wonderful vacation there.

The company offers a wide variety of homes and condos for rent, ranging in size from one to seven bedrooms, with a variety of ocean front and ocean view properties, and at prices that can fit a wide variety of budgets. Its selection of properties is among the largest offered on the small island.

Every week during the summer months, the local chamber hosts a fireworks show. It's just one of the many family-friendly activities that visitors will find on Pleasure Island.

Pleasure Island is only about 8 miles long, but it encompasses both Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and the Fort Fisher Historic Area, the third-most visited historical site in all of North Carolina. All together the island offers a laid-back atmosphere, set amidst beautiful, unspoiled beaches.

“We just don’t have the crowds that you have to fight with,” said Jim Kitts, co-owner of Carolina Beach Realty. “But there are plenty of activities available – so it’s not like a ghost town, either.”

Those activities include, among other things, a fireworks show that takes places every Thursday night at the Carolina Beach Boardwalk during the summer months, and a family movie night at Carolina Beach Lake where families can bring their lawn chairs and blankets, and enjoy a family-appropriate movie projected on a big screen.

“It’s a very family-friendly and family-oriented beach,” said Kitts.“Our local chamber does a great job of providing family-oriented activities.”

Carolina Beach Realty itself is a family-oriented business. Kitts and his wife took over the business seven years ago from her father.  And, today they still offer that same old-school customer service that the business is known for.

One of the many beautiful views visitors can find out the window of their vacation home when they book with Carolina Beach Realty.

“To me that’s the most important thing – to offer that friendly, polite, courteous customer service that, quite frankly, isn’t easy to find these days,” he said.

Kitts said they try to offer people the same respect and same level of service that that they, themselves, would expect.

And, it’s not just service to the many guests that frequent Carolina Beach Realty’s vacation homes – it’s also a high level of service to the owners of these homes.

“It’s our job to make both sides of that transaction happy,” Kitts said.

Kitts said that balancing the needs of customers with owners can be challenging at times, but that his business works hard and, most importantly, tries to be fair at every turn.

“We don’t hit a homerun at every at bat, but we do our best,” said Kitts, a former NFL running back. “We figure if we get enough base hits, we’ll be successful, and that’s what we’ve done.”

One of the many outstanding vacation homes offered by Carolina Beach Realty.

The word “successful,” however, is an understatement when it comes to Kitts and Carolina Beach Realty. The company has experienced growth in every year since the Kitts have taken the reins, even through the recent recession.

And, according to Kitts, that growth took a shot in the arm when the company became a LiveRez partner two years ago.

“In the two years that we’ve been dealing with LiveRez, the rate of growth in our business has doubled and our revenues have increased tremendously,” he said. “I really attribute a lot of that to the presence LiveRez has given us on the Internet.”

After switching to LiveRez, Kitts experienced increases in search engine placement, and his website traffic received a considerable boost.

“The hits on our website have probably increased 65 to 70 percent, if not more, since we started using LiveRez,” said Kitts, who also noted a big increase in web bookings.

Kitts said this web presence has not only helped them pick up new customers, but also attract new owners.

“Obviously when people buy property and they’re looking for someone to manage it for them, the first place they’re going to go is the Internet – just like the people that are looking for a vacation,” Kitts said. “When we come up first and show a strong presence online, it gives us good credibility.”

Some of the stunning accommodations offered by Carolina Beach Realty.

According to Kitts, the interest from owners wanting to list their homes through his management company has been almost overwhelming. Right now his business is growing about as fast his infrastructure can handle.

“We’ve grown tremendously in just a short period of time,” he said. “We’ve got to the point where I kind of have to throttle back on the properties that I take on.”

The rush of traffic to CarolinaBeachRealty.net and the rapid growth of the business provide a perfect contrast to the quiet splendor of Pleasure Island.

You see, the most crowded part of Pleasure Island could very likely be Kitts’ LiveRez-powered website.

Cocoa Beach Best Condominium Rentals experienced dramatic increases in search engine placement, website traffic and web bookings in just its first few months with LiveRez.com

When Sheila Hobart of Cocoa Beach Best Condominium Rentals signed up for LiveRez.com’s SEO/SEM service, she had a clear plan in front of her for the customer demographic she wanted to reach – she just wanted a little helping getting her company in front of them.

After working with LiveRez.com SEO/SEM Manager Sam Martin to nail down her target audience, Hobart let LiveRez.com’s SEO/SEM service design and execute a custom plan.

And, in just a matter of weeks, Cocoa Beach Best is starting to see results.

“Our website is hitting its targets, and our numbers look good,” Hobart said.

In just over one month with LiveRez.com’s SEO/SEM service, Cocoa Beach Best’s search engine placement for seven strategic keyword phrases increased by 316 percent. On May 19, Cocoa Beach Best had an average search engine ranking of 75 among those seven keyword phrases. But, as of July 1, its average ranking has increased to 18.

Quick Stats on Cocoa Beach Best's success with the LiveRez SEO/SEM program.

Thank to LiveRez’s efforts, one of those keywords phrases – “Cocoa Beach FL Vacation Condo Rentals” – has moved from a No. 83 placement to a No. 8 placement, essentially skyrocketing the business from an eighth-page placement to a first-page placement in just over one month.

These results have given Cocoa Beach Best some great search engine visibility, and have helped monthly traffic to cocoabeachbest.com more than double.

“We were unknown before, and now we’re on the first page of Google,” she said.

These elevated placements – along a mix of intelligent in-house marketing and the addition of Martin’s Google Adwords campaign – have helped Cocoa Beach Best yield some astonishing increases in online business. From May to June, Cocoa Beach Best’s web bookings exploded, yielding a 2,900 percent increase in bookings and a 3,855 percent increase in nights stayed.

With her online business booming, Hobart couldn’t be happier with the value she’s getting from LiveRez’s SEO/SEM service.

Said Hobart: “Sam has been worth every penny.”

Are you getting the maximum level of efficiency out of your Adwords campaign? On June 29, LiveRez.com SEO/SEM Manager Sam Martin will offer some hints and tricks for maximizing your Adwords campaigns. Martin will provide tips on keyword strategy, ad copy, campaign structure and more.

Interested? Register here.

At last week's VRMA East event, there was a wonderful discussion on Repeat Guests.  In a recent industry study, it was determined that it costs 6x to acquire a new guest vs. booking a repeat guest. 

That is some serious money.  I can add from experience, that the multiplier is much higher in the general eCommerce industry.......more like 10-15x.

Holding on to your guests and keeping them coming back is not rocket-science according to the recent discussion at the VRMA conference.  It is about making it a priority, and starting the sales process for the next visit, the moment they book with you for the first visit. 

The guest experience was broken into several stages, with ideas on each stage.

• Pre-Arrival - find out why they are coming, who they are bringing
• Arrival - 'welcome home', let them know how happy you are to see them
• Stay - treat them like family
• Check-out - provide special offers
• Post-Stay - stay in touch with emails, newsletters, offers

In my April Webinar, I will cover each of these areas in detail.  Please join us for this event on Thursday, April 23.  See details and chance to sign-up below.

Webinar:  Repeat Guests - 9 Ways to Make the Most of Guest Relationships

LiveRez.com

HomeAway Offers New Reservation System is not exactly news to those of us who follow the vacation rental industry closely.  But the press announcement is out today and it seems good time to pontificate on what this means.

The Good:
Attention, publicity, and more recognition of our industry.  This enables a large portion of vacation home inventory to potentially be booked online.  This may spur interest in vacation homes across all kinds of travelers.  HomeAway will continue to be a good sales & marketing channel for vacation managers.

The Bad:
Competition - one of the advantages the vacation manager enjoys over the 'rent by owner' has been the ability to offer an online transaction.  A question comes to mind (let me know if you have the answer) - as a vacation manager, how do I synchronize a calendar with HomeAway to allow me to take bookings?  Sounds like you have to use the HomeAway reservation system to be part of theonline bookings on HomeAway.

The Ugly:
Lots of individual, lots of individual home, lots of one-on-one transactions, lots of $$'s, ............ this could create an environment with more fraudulent activity and undermine the credibility and trust we are trying to build into the vacation home rental industry.  Especially as it pertains to online transactions.

A comparison also comes to mind.  A spent several years working fro an eCommerce solution named Infopia.  Infopia provide small online retailers an eCommerce engine that allowed them to sell via their own website and via eBay.  Starting see where I am going?  Vacation managers have a brand (a valuable sign of quality & trust) on their own website, but no identity on directories, such as HomeAway.  Just like online retailers have an online store with a brand, but are just another supplier for an 'I got it on eBay' - even with branding efforts.

Which of these online retailers were most successful ?  The retailers who saw eBay as a sales & marketing channel.

Which of these online retailers were least successful ?  The retailers who saw sales on eBay as their goal - they lost their brand, competed only on price, and could not build their own business.  They became completely dependent on eBay.

An interesting analogy I think.

Ralf
LiveRez

Now this guys looks like he knows his SEO facts.

If you are like me, and most of the vacation home rental managers I talk to on a daily basis, you are always looking for an edge to get visitors to your website.  In the spirit of getting an edge, I ran across a great educational post about walking the fine line of kosher SEO tactics.  Beware the risks.

Dirty SEO tricks you should avoid by Rich Cherecwich

Getting reinstated in the search rankings takes time, and the search giant has a four-step process for getting back on track:

1. Determine what went wrong. In most cases, it's a Google webmaster guideline that has been violated.
2. Solve the problem.In the case of doorway pages related to domain buying, get rid of them. With link buying, it's a much harder and lengthier process. If you purchased links on a blog, you'll have to contact those bloggers, and they in turn will have to remove the links to your website.
3. File a reconsideration request.Within Google's webmaster tools, there are full instructions for a filing a reconsideration request. You'll want to explain what happened, notify them that it's fixed, and tell the search engine that you won't use that deceptive trick again. A team from Google then reviews the request and checks your website to make sure any violations have been cleaned up.
4. Stay away from the tricks."This is probably a given -- don't it again," Lasnik says.

Stay clean and say 'No' to bad SEO practices.  My advice. 

All the best.

Ralf
www.LiveRez.com