As we have renovated our property ourselves, to start off with, our whole site was about the property and ourselves - we had no pictures of the finished product to show and I wanted to build the site in plenty of time, so I did it as a kind of renovation diary/life in France type of thing.
Now that the renovation has finished, I have completely redone the site without much reference at all to us and the progress of the work. I have often wondered whether this was wise. At the time I was so fed up with the renovation works to the barn that I didn't want to be reminded of if every time I looked at the site.
Now I have mellowed (enough to start on the next renovation at least!), I am thinking of including some pictures of us and some of the 'work in progress' pictures. A lot of our guests over the summer were very interested in us, why we were in France, how we had done the ceilings, what we had put on the walls etc.
Having said all this, I also worry that photos which encourage some people may put others off. For example, if you live on site and have young children, some people may be concerned about noise and nuisance. We had one lot of guests who really didn't want us around and I'd imagine that they would be the type would be put off by too much personal stuff on the site.
"About Us" - an introduction to the owner
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Alan Knighting
- Posts: 4120
- Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:26 am
- Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France
Sarah,
My personal preference for Websites publicising holiday homes is for those which are focused and to the point.
Having said that, I don't see why a Website should not contain a lot more. Many and varied areas of interest can be separated into their own relevant pages. A logical menu system allows Website visitors to look at what interests them and ignore what does not.
From my point of view, your Website still mixes the property and the property owner. There's nothing wrong with that. Many people would simply regard it as "the personal touch".
I am interested to see that you make "a play" for house-hunters. It's interesting because I have a steady flow of house-hunters, referred to me by all sorts of people, from estate agents to a local hairdresser. A small downside is that once they have bought they are no longer paying guests. The upside is that many have become friends.
Alan
My personal preference for Websites publicising holiday homes is for those which are focused and to the point.
Having said that, I don't see why a Website should not contain a lot more. Many and varied areas of interest can be separated into their own relevant pages. A logical menu system allows Website visitors to look at what interests them and ignore what does not.
From my point of view, your Website still mixes the property and the property owner. There's nothing wrong with that. Many people would simply regard it as "the personal touch".
I am interested to see that you make "a play" for house-hunters. It's interesting because I have a steady flow of house-hunters, referred to me by all sorts of people, from estate agents to a local hairdresser. A small downside is that once they have bought they are no longer paying guests. The upside is that many have become friends.
Alan
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Giddy Goat
- Posts: 9054
- Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:38 am
- Location: UK
- Contact:
Sarah, yes, I agree with Alan: a sequence of shots of the restoration at the various stages, but in a separate section. This then gives a reason for the inclusion of pics of the owners (at work?), and achieves your aim of personalising the site a little at the same time.
I can't imagine browsers being put off and thinking privacy might be an issue because you're on site and have children. There is an advantage to having the owners on site, and you already show that your clients have exclusive use of the pool, plus their own area for eating outdoors.
I can't imagine browsers being put off and thinking privacy might be an issue because you're on site and have children. There is an advantage to having the owners on site, and you already show that your clients have exclusive use of the pool, plus their own area for eating outdoors.
Last edited by Giddy Goat on Sun Dec 11, 2005 10:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
We have an "About us" section because we were royally ripped-off many years ago in Wales by unscrupulous B&B owners... they were always mysterious in their communications and, having skipped town for our visit, we never met them... so I admit that our About us section is intended to say "hey, we are real people." Whether or not we come across as scrupulous, I can't say. 
Someone on the forum once said that North Americans like Guestbooks/Testimonials, but I find that the UKers dig through them regularly, too.
Although the "About us" is not the most visited page on our site people do occasionally find things to comment upon, which helps build that pre-check-in bond.
Basically, it's there if someone wants it. That's the nice thing about websites... you can go where you want and skip what's not of interest.
debk
Someone on the forum once said that North Americans like Guestbooks/Testimonials, but I find that the UKers dig through them regularly, too.
Although the "About us" is not the most visited page on our site people do occasionally find things to comment upon, which helps build that pre-check-in bond.
Basically, it's there if someone wants it. That's the nice thing about websites... you can go where you want and skip what's not of interest.
debk
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Alan Knighting
- Posts: 4120
- Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:26 am
- Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France
Debk,
Thinking about this a little more; since I live on-site maybe people would like to know something about me because they are bound to meet me. Maybe it's a bit different when one has an absent landlord?
Either way, adding "about us" and testimonial pages for those who like them can't do any harm can it?
Alan
Thinking about this a little more; since I live on-site maybe people would like to know something about me because they are bound to meet me. Maybe it's a bit different when one has an absent landlord?
Either way, adding "about us" and testimonial pages for those who like them can't do any harm can it?
Alan
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Giddy Goat
- Posts: 9054
- Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:38 am
- Location: UK
- Contact:
Alan, we're absentee owners, but our caretakers are always telling us how interested the clients are to know about us, too!
Still a bit undecided about this, the worry being that some more 'traditional' thinkers visiting the site may be put off by the very inclusion of such a page. So they skip past not only the page, but your property!
Still a bit undecided about this, the worry being that some more 'traditional' thinkers visiting the site may be put off by the very inclusion of such a page. So they skip past not only the page, but your property!
Last edited by Giddy Goat on Sun Dec 11, 2005 10:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
Jane - I can't imagine someone not renting your property just because you had an "About Us" page.
Er, upon further reflection, I can't imagine wanting such a guest... should they exist. Imagine how picky they will be about everything else!
Like Alan, I don't think it will do any harm. And might even do some good (for wary web-surfers).
debk
Er, upon further reflection, I can't imagine wanting such a guest... should they exist. Imagine how picky they will be about everything else!
Like Alan, I don't think it will do any harm. And might even do some good (for wary web-surfers).
debk