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

I had the opportunity to deliver a webinar on Email Marketing today.  It was a packed 60min - usually I go about 35-45min, but there was so much material.  (and I did not even get into my 15 Tips for great subject lines)

See a recorded version of the webinar via our site:  http://liverez.com/downloads.asp

LievRez Email Marketing Webinar:  Bookings with Email Marketing 10 Must Do's (Plus - What NOT to put in your Subject Line)

Here is a list of 100 words that you want to avoid in your email subject line:
 

All the best.

Ralf VonSosen
www.LiveRez.com

There are lots of ways to increase conversions on your website. Using the right images, testing different buttons on calls to action, decreasing the number of pages in your booking process. There are tools to help you do this, multivariate and split testing tools.

But one thing you can do before you even get to that point is proper keyword research. Conversions on your site start way back here.

I have seen many people bid on (or worse yet, SEO for) a keyword because it has a lot of searches. Obviously we want traffic to our website, because more traffic = more sales. Well, yes and no, more of the right kind of traffic = more sales.

A good way to do this is to take your internal site search and run some reports. There is a lot of information about how people view and search for your vacations. For example, you may have properties in Southern California.  However, your internal search reports may show that most of your visitors search for "california beaches".

Semantics right? However, if that makes the difference in how people view your offering and influences them to book, then it's obvious what word you should use in your marketing.

The research is worth it, in the long run it will pay off. Instead of trying to fit square pegs into round holes, you can spend your conversion efforts fitting round pegs into round holes.

Ralf

Here is an upcoming webinar I will be hosting, and for obvious reasons, recommend.

		Join us for a Webinar on April 16
		A discussion on how to design your vacation rental website for increased conversion of visitors into booked guests.  See examples of some of the industries best.  Learn how usability, affinity, trust, and analytics play a critical role in driving bookings from your website. Title:   Vacation Rental Website Basics - Turning Lookers into Bookers Date: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 Time: 11:00 PM - 12:00 AM MDT   System Requirements PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista Macintosh®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.3.9 (Panther®) or newer   Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/756835694

Here is a summary of what these rather educated and well-researched folks had to say about what is going on in the travel industry:

The U.S. travel market entered a new era of channel balance in 2007. This was the first year that more travel was purchased online than offline in the U.S. While online travel continues to grow faster than the market as a whole, the maturity of the channel has led to a significant slowdown in growth compared to the torrid pace of the past.

However, the gap between online and offline will continue to widen as more and more travelers shift behavior to online shopping and buying. But the future is less about share shift and more about the realization that consumers will continue to use multiple channels as long as they are available to them and the price differential is acceptable. This price differential, if there is one, will be measured against the convenience of using one channel versus another, various perks, relationships with brand, and the type and complexities of the trip.

While online sales continue to grow, the pace is not the same for certain segments of the market. Depending on the channel (online travel agency or supplier-direct Web site) or the product (point-to-point air, chain hotel, cruise, complex itineraries), online is still in various stages of development.

Consumer marketing is more complex due to search, social media and other Internet outlets that need to be more closely aligned with a holistic marketing program.

Key Findings Include:

• While suppliers are gaining share in most segments (air, car, hotel), online travel agencies are competing via packaging and add-ons, corporate tools, distressed inventory, international expansion in Europe and Asia, independent hotel properties, U.S. chains, and cross-product and provider customer service initiatives.
• Online travel agencies are lagging in integration of Travel 2.0 tools and will need acquisitions or partnerships to catch up even as they labor to develop targeted marketing based on their massive stores of consumer behavior data.
• Alternative monetization of traffic will in the medium term reduce the overall significance of gross bookings to the bottom line for online agencies.
• Search and metasearch continue to work in favor of suppliers as they drive traffic to their Web sites to book after their comparative shopping experience.
• All travel companies must embrace the consumer desire to shift among online and offline channels.
• Packaging components such as air, car, hotel plus local tours, spa treatments, golf, events and other destination services allows hotels and online travel agencies to upsell the customer and combat commoditization. To date, this is best done by online travel agencies, although hotels are increasing their efforts.

Quick Stat: 
According to the results of the BDRC British Hotel Guest Survey, 64% of holidaymakers (that would be British for vacationers) now make hotel bookings on the Internet.  Another trend identified in the survey is that the number of travellers booking through individual hotel website will continue to increase.

Read the full article

Christine Karpinski writes a blog for HomeAway and has related, very eloquently, why every property manager needs a centralized calendar, reservation system, and a website that can take a booking.  A booking!!!  Not an inquiry. 

The most interesting part to me is that Christine seems to be blaming the customer for the poor communication and lack of information.  (I am not saying anyone is at fault, except for the system in place)  As an industry, we cannot think or operate this way.  The customer rules!!!  And we have to create an experience that meets their expectations.

Here is the post by Christine:

Hi everyone! It was great meeting hundreds of owners at all of the seminars last week. I hope you all learned a lot –I certainly learned some new things.

Thankfully, there are always new issues that arise in my rental life which gives me plenty to write about. Though I would love to have just one week without some sort of drama!

What happened was that while I was on the road I got an email inquiry from a renter asking me if my cabin was open (it was.) So most often if I have dates open, I call the renter, because I know that's my best chance to rent the property. I called her (on both her numbers—home and cell) and left a message telling her my cabin was indeed open, and I also followed up with an email confirming my availability and rates.

Then she emailed back w/more questions, asking me if I knew of tennis courts nearby. I responded to her that I didn't know of any tennis courts (so my assumption: this could be a deal breaker for her.)

The next day she emailed me back to say she wanted to book it.  I called her and left a message and emailed her back asking her to call to solidify the reservations.

As soon as I responded to the lady's email, I called my husband telling him that I have someone who would like to book it.

Remember, I'm responding to the inquiries from the road and my husband is at home.

Now this is where it gets a bit sticky. My husband informed me that he had just gotten off the phone with a different renter. Apparently, in the meantime, another renter (who had emailed us back a few weeks prior) called my husband and booked (paid in full via credit card) for those same exact dates.

Anyhow, I immediately called this lady who I had had the email exchange with to let her know that my husband had booked it just minutes prior.

This lady was mad as all get-up! She expected that from the moment she sent the first inquiry that we should have held that time until she contacted me to tell me that either she did or did not want to book it. While in a perfect world this would be awesome—I would love to hear back from every renter who I respond to, but the reality is I just don't. I only end up booking one out of every 7-9 inquires I get.

Renters are sending multiple inquiries to multiple owners.

Anyhow, I explained to her that until she actually confirms I have no idea whether or not she's interested in booking so I never hold anything until I get a credit card. In her mind when on her original inquiry she said, "I am interested in renting this cabin," I was supposed to interpret it as “I want to book it!” She was so upset and I can't say that I can blame her. But what was I to do?

I offered to email a bunch of other owners on her behalf to see if anyone else had it open (which I did). But in the end she was still steaming mad at me. I really hate it when I cannot appease people.

Right before she hung up the phone, she told me that she was going to report me to the website that she found my home on. I told her she has that right (but I didn't have the heart to tell her I work for the website.)Happy Renting by Owner!

Christine Karpinski

We have all heard much about the 'green vacation' and offering new options to appeal to special interest travelers.  Today I saw an interesting validation of the green theme from Marriott.  Yep, the big boys are getting into the green travel.

The part I found interesting here is that Marriott is starting by cleaning up its vacation club corporate headquarters.  There is something to be learned for your vacation rental business - when starting a green strategy, make sure you start from within.  That will show your commitment to the cause, as well as get your team excited about the direction.

Interesting Statistic - Estimated Styrofoam and Plastic Waste Sent to Landfill Each Year from Marriott Vacation Club Corporate Headquarters:
Styrofoam Plates - 47,000
Plastic Forks - 28,000
Plastic Knives - 16,000
Plastic Spoons - 36,000
Styrofoam Cups - 127,000
Total Sent to Landfill - 254,000  

Read about it.

Alright, I will jump on the Elliot Spitzer (NY Gov implicated in prostitution scandal) bandwagon for a day.  But only because it relates to the point I continually make about online vacation rental booking.  Even a high-ranking official, when engaging in scandalous behavior is taking advantage of online booking. 

US authorities have smashed an online escort service.  The appointments, made through an online booking service, cost between $1076 and $5921 an hour.  Yes, an hour.  Many of us are trying to get that for a week - ok, for very different services.

I am not familiar with the website or online booking process used, but apparantly they accept payment and complete the financial part of the transaction online.

Please do not take my comments the wrong way.  This is a tragic event, but my point remains that all, and I mean all consumers, are being trained more and more every day to use the internet for all their transactions.

 Ralf

There has been a long battle in Hawaii between vacation rental managers and some communities.  This bring up a couple of important issues for us to consider in all the communities in which we operate, and which we call home. 

Read the the full article from Yahoo News.

Leverage:  Take Hawaii as an example where there are roughly 73,000 units for visitor accommodations and only about 5% of these are vacation rentals.  the rest are hotels.  That number includes the high number of illegal short-term rentals.  Leverage is compromised by the importance of hotels vs. vacation rentals, and the high number of illegal rentals do not help our image and bargaining power.

Community Involvement:  As in all areas, movements can be started by a few, even a single, unhappy persons.  We need to ensure our involvement in the community to we have the relationships, and our 'ear to the ground' on what is happening in our destination.  Not just from tourist travel, but within the community.

Being part of a friendly community is a big part of what we offer in vacation rentals.

Aloha.

Ralf