- Introduction
- Step 1
Preparation - Step 2
Content - Step 3
Offline Advertising - Step 4
Online Classified and Directories - Step 5
Online Listing Sites - Step 6
Search Engines - Step 7
Optimization
Step 2 – Content
From our research with property renters, we have discovered that the three most important parts of an IndependentOwners™.com website are the Home page, the pricing page and the photographs that showcase the property in its full glory.
First impressions are paramount… so make sure your home page is inviting with the best photograph you have and good informative content that directs browsers to view more of your website. Definitive information on costs, fees and deposits are just as important as getting as many photos of your property and the local area on to your site as possible.
This doesn’t mean you can ignore other aspects of your website – it’s just that these two areas need to be as comprehensive as possible to prompt that enquiry. Remember your website is the first impression any potential renter will have and you should bring it alive with text and photos.
For a more information on creating and managing your IndependentOwners.com website please check out the IndependentOwners.com Web Building Guide
How much?
Wherever you decide to display information of costs and fees on your website, ensure that you comprehensively and clearly provide the rates for the different times/seasons of the year, the amounts for any fees for additional services and how much deposit is required.
To help, why not show costs in GB pounds, US Dollars and Euros. It is also important to show the terms and conditions of a booking, detailing cancellation costs and deadlines.
Pictures, Pictures and more Pictures
With the various pages you have available on an IndependentOwners.com website you have over 55 pictures that can be uploaded to your site…use them!!! After all, a picture tells a thousands words. No other service on the net offers such exposure (excuse the pun)!
Follow the tips below to ensure that the property is seen in its best light.
Photographs should always be taken on a sunny day (unless the opposite is a selling point). Usually the best time of day for your camera to come out is during the 'golden light' of early morning or late afternoon
It’s the little things that make the difference: why not position a bottle of wine together with two or more glasses on the terrace table; lay the dining room table; position the sun loungers to ‘invite’ the viewer to take a seat; place flowers on the window ledge; remove the car from the drive; make the beds, position towels in the shower room and please, please, please put the toilet seat down if you must take a photograph of the bathroom!!
If you include people in your photographs then make sure they are ‘in tune’ with the property… ie frolicking around the pool or playing badminton and not your two great aunts standing stiffly on the porch
For interior shots, think about good focal points. Dish washers and TV’s are usually not the most attractive of items. If a bedroom is cramped, show something else; if the terrace is vast, show that. What about standing on a chair to take a photo… this can make a room look bigger. Browsers will look for the good things and fill in the blanks in their minds.
Try to include photographs that show off the benefits of the location of your property. Don’t just show the inside of your holiday home. Remember to photograph the view!! If you promote the property as a ski apartment or the perfect villa for golf then showcase the piste or the 16th fairway in your gallery
Make sure your picture files are as close to 300kb, 480 x 480 pixels in size as is possible. When clicked on they will expand to the optimum size. Too small and the resolution will be poor… too large and the browser may have difficulty opening them if their connection is slow.