22Dec/110

Compare Your Website to a LiveRez Website

At LiveRez, we are willing to put our websites up against the best in the vacation rental industry. In the blog below, we’ll explain exactly what makes LiveRez websites different and how they can help your business increase its bookings. As you read along, you may want to ask yourself this question: “Does my website do this?”

Website Design
Guests are more likely to book on a website with a professional design. Check out the web designs we’ve done for some of our partners.

10Nov/110

Public Relations as an SEO Strategy

Public Relations

Public relations can yield great results for your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts through cultivating back links.

Public relations is an important component of business development. Getting your company publicity is a great way to connect with new customers and increase brand awareness. But, many businesses fail to realize its importance for search engine optimization (SEO).

Distributing press releases that includes links back to your website can help create back links, one of the most crucial components of how Google and other search engines rank your website in search results. The quality, quantity and relevance of sites linking to your website (called back links) help determine your own site’s authority in the eyes of Google and other major search engines.

News websites tend to have a lot of authority in the eyes of Google. A link to your website from an article on a major news website could give your SEO efforts a big boost. For example, if you’re a vacation rental business and you manage to score a mention in an article in USA Today’s Travel section, the back link you receive from the article would be rated highly by Google in terms of both authority and relevance.

But, getting into major newspapers is not easy. It requires great news judgment, solid news monitoring and the formation of working relationships with journalists. The good news is that you can start doing all of this for free, and get back links in the process.

27Oct/110

Could Adding a Google +1 Button Help Your SEO Efforts?

Google +1 Button

Rumor has it, adding a Google +1 button to your website could help your SEO efforts.

Earlier this year, Google introduced its own social network, Google+ – believed by many to be the company’s answer to Facebook. While Google+ is not yet available for businesses (it’s coming soon, they say), businesses can still take advantage of Google+ right now by utilizing Google’s answer to the Facebook “Like” button.

You may have noticed that little “+1” button next to the results in your Google searches. Clicking that button is roughly the equivalent of liking that page (or result) and recommending it to the people you’re connected with through your Google account. As you +1 pages, your recommendations will be shared with the people you’re connected with via your Google account. The video below explains the concept more fully.

According to rumors in the SEO community, increasing the amount of +1s your website has will help improve your search engine rankings on Google. Therefore, as you seek to grow your vacation rental business, you’ll want to put a +1 button in all the places you would normally put a Facebook like button: on your website, on your blog, etc.

22Aug/110

Resort Harbour Properties: Sunsets, Service, Software…and Success

ResortHarbourProperties.com

Resort Harbour's LiveRez-powered website makes it easy for travelers to find and book properties online.


Resort Harbour Properties

Location: Fort Myers, FL
Website: ResortHarbourProperties.com
Quick Quote: “They’ve taken (our) suggestions and they’ve made some changes. That’s impressive. Not a lot of companies will do that.”

Someone once said “location is everything.”

And while Angelo Celmo of Resort Harbour Properties could probably make a very good case for that statement, he knows location is just one of many facets that have made his business successful.

But when you look at Resort Harbour’s success, location is an undeniable accomplice. You see, Resort Harbour Properties seems to be based at the epicenter of fun, near the intersection of natural beauty and luxury accommodations.

8Aug/110

Carolina Beach Realty: Your Gateway to Pleasure Island

Carolina Beach Realty

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.

4Aug/110

SEO Case Study: Cocoa Beach Best Condominium Rentals

Cocoa Beach Best Website Screen

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.

2Aug/110

Why SEO Should Matter to You

SEO Google Results Heat map

This heat map shows where users are clicking on this search results page. Notice how most of the clicks are concentrated on the top results.

Business isn’t a game of hide and go seek. As a business owner, you want those consumers seeking your products and services to find you – and before they find your competition. In the competitive vacation rentals industry, being found first becomes even more important.

According to some recent statistics released by Optify.com, the top three organic search results receive 58.4 percent of all visits from the search, with the top result garnering a massive 36.4 percent. The remaining items on the front page receive just 9 percent of clicks, and results on the second page receive just 1.5 percent of clicks. These statistics further reinforce the importance of ranking high in organic search results. But moving up the search engine ladder isn’t a walk in the park, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing.

A good search engine optimization strategy will consist of a competitive analysis of all the search terms that may be used by your target consumers. That analysis will create a comprehensive keyword strategy that will guide optimization tactics. Successful SEO efforts almost always generate dramatic increases in website traffic and, consequently, the amount of business leads received online. So, having an optimized website is one of the single most important things you can do to increase your company’s profitability.

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18Jul/110

Cambria Seaside Getaways: Planning Your Perfect Escape

Cambria Seaside Getaways

Cambria Seaside Getaways' LiveRez-powered website helps visitors find and book their perfect escape.

Cambria Seaside Getaways
Location: Cambria, CA
Website: CambriaSeasideGetaways.com
Quick Quote: “We have been very, very pleased with LiveRez. And with the money that we’re saving, we’re able to advertise. And we weren’t able to advertise with (our previous software provider).”

You could call Lesli Godfrey and the staff at Cambria Seaside Getaways escape artists.

Cambria is the quintessential get-a-way locale, located off the beautiful Central California coast, and Godfrey and the staff at Cambria Seaside Getaways are the artists that can create your perfect escape.

Far removed from the hustles and bustles of modern life, Cambria offers beautiful coastal scenery set in lush, green foliage and outlined by the area’s famous moonstone beaches. It’s located off historic Highway 1– you know, the one in the movies where the protagonist is racing his Porshe around the tight corners that overlook the Pacific Ocean.

14Jun/110

How Did Victoria Smith of Alpenglow Vacation Rentals Get Her Free Time Back with LiveRez.com?

Victoria Smith AlpenGlow Vacation Rentals Canoe Bend

LiveRez.com let Victoria Smith of Alpenglow Vacation Rentals worry less about her day-to-day business and gave her more time to spend enjoying the amazing outdoor activities in Bend, Oregon.

Alpenglow Vacation Rentals
Location: Bend, Oregon
Website: http://www.alpenglowvacationrentals.com/
Quick Quote: “It (LiveRez.com) gave me my life back.”

Time is an important commodity for Victoria Smith of Alpenglow Vacation Rentals in Bend, Oregon.

As a professional vacation property manager, a hair stylist and an outdoor enthusiast in beautiful Central Oregon, Smith doesn’t have a second to waste.

So, as her vacation rental business started to grow, she turned to LiveRez.com.

So far, Smith’s recipe for success is a combination of price, quality, location and customer service. She offers quality homes at competitive prices, and specializes in the west side of Bend, which, she says, is the most desirable location in the area, due to its great scenery and close proximately to both the mountain and the town.

27May/110

Meet Heather Dawson of Tamarron Vacation Rentals in Durango, Colorado

Heather Dawson Tamarron

Heather Dawson, director of the Tamarron Rental Program, enjoys the beauty of Haviland Lake with her husband, Shane, and her son, Kelley.


Tamarron Vacation Rentals

Location: Durango, Colorado
Website: TamarronVacationRentals.com
Quick Quote: “I haven’t come across anything that it (LiveRez) hasn’t been able to do that I’ve asked for. So, I’m really happy with it.”

For Heather Dawson, one of LiveRez.com’s newest partners, honesty is always the best policy.

As Director of the Tamarron Rental Program, she’s found that advertising properties as accurately as possible has always led to more satisfied customers. That includes taking pictures that accurately reflect the property and writing descriptions that best match what the condo offers. And, often it includes talking to guests ahead of time.

“I usually talk to guests before they arrive, so I can determine different activities to do in the area and whether or not the condo is going to be a good fit for them,” she said. “I usually try to have a real personal communication with the guest before they get here.”

But for Dawson, it’s easy being honest when what you’re advertising is as appealing as the vacation condos at Tamarron.

Located just 20 minutes from downtown Durango, Colorado, and just 10 minutes away from ski lifts, the resorts offers outstanding views and amazing opportunities for outdoor adventures.