How LiveRez Gets You More Bookings
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.
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.
Public Relations as an SEO Strategy
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.
Could Adding a Google +1 Button Help Your SEO Efforts?
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.
A Look at Conversion with LiveRez-Powered Websites
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.
Are You Ready for Social Search?
Social Search is coming. Microsoft looks like it could be getting in the game. It "accidentally" released this page to the public in July, and then promptly removed it, just in time for speculators to spread the hype.
Every day, business experts around the world tell us how important SEO is. In the same breath, they tell us how not to ignore social media. And, for the most part, we think of these two as separate entities.
But as major search engines actively toy with the idea of social searching, we may need to start looking at SEO and Social Media more as a pair than as individuals.
The Big Idea Behind Social Search
The main idea behind social search is that a search engine will leverage your social networks to create custom search results for you. An oversimplified example would be if you “liked” LiveRez on Facebook, when you searched for vacation rental software in Bing, LiveRez would appear higher up in your search results.
Adding Your Blog to Directories
Submitting your blog to blog directories is a great way to increase readership of your blog, and it can even help with search engine optimization.
One way to increase readership of your blog is to submit your blog to various blog directories. Blog directories allow readers from across the internet to find you and your blog, and start following your posts. One of the foremost directories to have your blog listed on is Technorati. According to its website, Technorati is the leading blog search engine and directory, indexing more than 1 million blogs.
Claiming a blog on Technorati is relatively easy. First, you need to start a free account. Once that is established, you simply go to your profile, scroll down and enter your blog URL under claim blog. You'll fill out some more information on the next page, and then Technorati will send you an e-mail with your claim token. The token will likely be a 12-character code (like this NPXV3YVFM2AB), and you'll need to list it on one of your blog posts to prove to Technorati that you write for that blog.
Submitting to blog directories is generally free and takes only minutes of your time. It's a great way to increase the visibility of your blog, and it even helps with search engine optimization. You can find a list of free blog directories by doing a simple Google search. It's really that easy.
SEO Case Study: Cocoa Beach Best Condominium Rentals
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.
Why SEO Should Matter to You
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.
Been Dreaming about Multiple Websites Linked to One Reservation System?
At LiveRez.com, we can link multiple websites to one reservation system.
As a vacation rental manager, we’ve probably dreamed about having the ability of bilocation (you know, the ability to be in two places at the same time). Just think how efficient you could be?
Unfortunately, we don’t know magic. And we’re not allowed to clone you – even if we could. But we can make you additional websites (and link them all to your reservation system), so your business can exist in multiple consumer spaces at the same time.
Here are some reasons why you might want multiple websites:
- You manage properties in different locations. You might offer mountain cabins and waterfront beach condos, or you might have properties in both Florida and Mexico.
- You manage properties in different resorts. Although they may all be in the same general vicinity, different resorts offer different things and attract different guests.
- You want more search engine visibility. Of course you can set up different landing pages on one website, but there are a number of advantages of having separate, focused sites with branded URLs.
Multiple websites are a great way to reach more consumers and also attract more property owners. In a nutshell, it makes it easier for consumers to find your properties, and – as you know – owners like that, too.
Interested? For more information click here or call our professional services department at 800-343-2891, Option 4.
Not a LiveRez.com partner yet? Learn more about us at our website or call our sales department (same number, option 1) to take a guided demo. And for timely news from LiveRez.com, check back here or find us on Facebook and Twitter.
Sign Up for Updates
You can now get blog updates by e-mail. Just enter your e-mail below and click Go.
Connect with Us
About Our Blog
Who’s Doing It Right Online:
Recent Posts
- Switching Software Providers Doesn’t Have to be a Hassle
- New Reality Show on Vacation Rentals Now Airing on PBS
- Vacation Rental Software: Why ROI Should Trump Price
- Fight Tax Season Fear: Get LiveRez’s QuickBooks Accounting Integration
- Yet Another Reason to Rent from Professional Vacation Rental Managers
Categories
- In the News
- Industry Trends
- LiveRez News
- LiveRez Partners
- LiveRez.com Features
- Online Bookings
- Online Marketing
- Search Marketing
- Social Media
- Uncategorized
- vacation home rental
- Vacation Marketing
- Website
Tags
Archives
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- January 2010
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
Blogroll
- Blizzard Marketing Blog
- Central Florida VRMA
- Discover Vacation Homes
- elliot.org
- Flipkey Blog
- Florida VRMA
- LiveRez
- NC VRMA
- Slow Travel Blog
- Time Away Exchange
- Travel Babel
- Trusted Travel Blogs
- Vacation Rental Managers Assoc (VRMA)
- Vacation Rentals Blog Catalog
- Vacation Rentals Community Site
- Vacationrentals.org Blog
Recent Comments
- Public Relations as an SEO Strategy « LiveRez Inc. | BENCH PR | Scoop.it on Public Relations as an SEO Strategy
- Social Media Experts | Google Alert - seo strategy on Public Relations as an SEO Strategy
- Crucial Resources On Search Engine Optimisation – The Bit By Bit Approach – Informational Resource SEO Blog | Online SEO Blogger | Basic Seo Tips | Advanced Seo Tips | Seo Busines on Public Relations as an SEO Strategy
- Military Medals on New President…..New Vacation Planning
- Brent on Only 5% of Vacation Rentals Booked Online
How Commenting on Blogs and News Articles Can Help with SEO
Most blogs and news articles have a place at bottom where you can comment. This USA Today article uses a social plugin from Facebook that actually lets you comment on the article from your Facebook account. Make sure to include a link back to your website when you comment on blogs and news articles. It can help your SEO efforts.
Adding comments to news articles (and blogs) related to your industry is a quick and easy way to give a boost to your SEO strategy and create awareness about your company. Commenting on these articles will help you create back links (links back to your website) for both SEO and marketing purposes.
You can find these articles through searches or just keep tabs on them through a comprehensive Web monitoring strategy. Once you find the article, scroll down to the bottom. Many news articles will have a place where readers can leave comments. They might request that you sign in and create an account. Once you’re approved, draft a comment that is related to the story and make sure to include a link back to your website.
But make sure your comment is adding value to the conversation or else your post might come across as comment spam (and the moderator might not approve your comment).
This strategy works equally well for commenting in a forum. Just make sure you include a link back to your website in your signature.