Please please check out my website, need suggestions :S

Get some feedback on your site or ad from other rental owners and techies. Also a library of online resources so you can make DIY improvements to your web presence.
seacrest
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Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 9:07 pm

Please please check out my website, need suggestions :S

Post by seacrest »

Hello, I'm new to all this malarky!! Just signed a lease on a B&B in Ireland, it's new for me and my partner and I decided instead of paying a ridiculously overpriced web designer to make us a site, i would give it a go myself. Can anyone who has a minute spare check it out and give me some suggestions? Its only basic, nothing too fancy so don't expect much, but I would honestly appreciate any feedback at all so I can improve it. The season is starting in...about 2 weeks now so I need to make it as attractive as possible to any last minute holiday seekers! thanks in advance

www.theseacrestballybunion.com
:D
lasourcetranquille
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Location: Mouy, Oise
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Post by lasourcetranquille »

I think it's a good start but I wouldn't book anywhere that doesn't show me a picture of the property! You have some nice beach pictures and a couple of each room but nothing of the house itself. You say it's on the beach but a photo showing it in its location is needed.

On your rates page you say "Rates are great value at €33 per person sharing, per night. Single supplement is charged at €49 per night". A supplement is usually in addition to - so does that mean a single person pays 33€ + 49€ supplement? :? Also I would have thought B&B included the B&B bit rather than being charged extra for it...

On the booking page if I give an email I don't necessarily want to give a phone number too.

Just minor things, but hope that helps..
KathyG
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Location: Le Faou, Brittany
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Post by KathyG »

I tried looking at the Gallery but after staring at 'Loading' for 30 seconds I gave up, your prospective guests will too. I was going to say you need loads more pics because all I can see is those of the bedrooms, it would definitely be worth putting pics of the views from the rooms too.
Kathy
Waterfront location in Le Faou
"My goal in life is to become as wonderful as my dog thinks I am."
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La Chouette
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Location: Formerly in the Limousin, Central France

Post by La Chouette »

I like it .. and for a first attempt I think you've done well. There'll be others along skilled in the black arts of coding etc, but from a user point of view, I think you should have a page where you have a map showing your location. I'm a bit geographically challenged and have no idea where you are!

Google maps are relatively easy to plant on a site and above all are free. Go to Google places, sign up for a free account and get going with your maps.

I'm with lasourcetranquille on the clarity of your rates. Even when they seem to be crystal clear on your site, people will ring to ask, and yours could do with being clearer. Not sure about your breakfast either. Is an ordinary breakfast included in the room rate (describe it too) and an full Irish 7€s extra, or how does that work?

Good luck with it all. Get some sleep banked now because when you get going you'll be exhausted!

Jan
seacrest
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Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 9:07 pm

Post by seacrest »

Thanks a mill for the advice, some very obvious things I overlooked :O the single supplement advice...dunno how I missed that, thanks! the extra breakfast rate, totally understand where you are coming from but see, all the other B&Bs locally include it in the price, no discount if you'd rather get some brekkie from the supermarket. My partner and I are 21 and 23, and it is very much a young town, so we were thinking along the lines that if we were just going back for a night out, we would prefer a cheaper room only rate, esp if you mightnt even be up in time for breakfast. We just thought it might give us an edge over our neighbours, that at least we offer something more budget friendly if the customer wants to opt for it.

Changed the phone number to not required too, people might think we're nosey, esp if they're just enquiring! thanks!

the gallery, I changed the layout, added more and put some of the outside in, hope it's loading quicker?? Also put a link in for a map, have absolutely zero idea what coding even is, so that's the best i can do but at least it's a start! Thanks a million for the advice, at least if the B&B is dead, I can start reading up on coding for my next big venture :D

thanks again!
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Jimbo
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Location: Charente Maritime

Post by Jimbo »

I need to make it as attractive as possible to any last minute holiday seekers
1. Given the beauty of your location, I don't think the welcome page photos quite live up to your words. I'd work a little more on these important shots.
2. Not providing links to some (or all) of the attractions highlighted on your 'see and do' page seems a wasted opportunity.
3. I've often used B+Bs in preference to hotels on business trips, but I would be put off by being expected to pay cash. I'd want something traceable on a bank statement for client and tax man. And I'd probably need an early breakfast - would that be possible by arrangement? Note: not everybody seeking a holiday property is on holiday!
4. There's no point in having gallery pictures that open up in another location if they aren't bigger than the originals.
5. I'd lobby to have your town renamed. Ballybunion - sounds painful!

Good luck; it looks a lovely location. I'm sure that you'll do well.

Jim
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CSE
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Location: Galicia

Post by CSE »

Welcome to the forum.
I can see you have already changed some things fast work!
The phone number is with the international code. Do you have to drop off any numbers of the local number like in the U.K. the first zero? If so I would suggest you give both, just in case a prospective guest phones from Ireland.
Google maps can be incorporated into your website. There is some sort of widget around for this. I would also verify your website with Google.

I looked at the photos and I have to say some are quite small. Those cars in the old photo take me back a few years!
There are some tips on this forum about taking photos and one of them is never leave the loo seat up.

Breakfasts; around this way they are also going down the road of charging extra for it. This is to lower the headline price. But if the vacationer is savvy they can work this out. For us we feel it is also a pain to have to ask each day if someone wants breakfast, we keep it simple. Some vacationers are not clear and are never orgaised to know if they want to eat the next morning! Are your competitors really charging €7 each for breakfast?
I do not like the phrase “We request that you pay for your bed and breakfast, on arrival, in cash.” The cash bit I can understand the rest puts me off as I have never stayed anywhere and been asked to pay in advance.
The room rates should read for 2 persons sharing a room and for single occupancy. The way it reads now you charge more for one person.

There are some coding errors on your website; this is for the first page, you may want to look at the others.

http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http: ... bunion.com
The same with the CCS coding.
http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/vali ... FHome.html

Hope some of this helps with the coming season..don't forget get some non internet publicity too. Like printed information triplicates to be put around at local tourist information and bars etc.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
seacrest
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Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 9:07 pm

thanks again

Post by seacrest »

Thanks again, much appreciated feedback! Totally agree with the photos comments, we don't live near the B&B and the lease is only going through this week so we have been relying on pics from the old websites, facebook, etc, hence them being of different quality and sizes. We plan to get decent ones (with the toilets seats down!) in the next few days, just wanted something rather than nothing on the web! must figure out how to link the attractions too, take the hassle out of it for prospective guests! the no cash rule...i'm not sure...we'd be working on sucha small scale that I think paying for a merchant account or terminal plus commission would just eat into our profits...and we don't really aim at business people, the town is all tourists, we don't even have wifi :( there are plenty of fancy hotels in town that we cant compete with on facilities so we just target ourselves purely at tourists...who i don't think would mind paying cash...i hope!

To Ian and Irene, thank you also! the phone number is like England alright, but even if you ring 00353.... from ireland, it just drops the numbers automatically, it works everywhere like but thanks. See I have a godaddy package and didnt pay extra for widgets so I'm stuck with a link...might put a photo of the map in maybe, as well as the link...hmmm.

The breakfasts being extra, we aren't doing it to attract publicity for being cheaper then catching peopel out, we just feel like at least we are offering something cheaper if you would like to opt for it, if you would like b&b it is 40eu, which is still alot lower than most of our competition, I just know personally, sometimes i would rather stay in bed instead of dragging myself up just for breakfast because it's paid for. I don't want guests to think we are trying to hide costs and rip them off, I would just like to be able to offer something very budget friendly if that's what they are looking for. and the €7? in most of Ireland, you pay 6.95 for a mini full irish (paradox? :D) and a full is normally 9.95 :O considering how much it will cost to keep the Irish in supply of tea and soda bread, I think 7 is reasonably fair - nice big portions!!

Do most of you charge on departure?? We would like to, but as there is a separate entrance to the guest rooms, we feel we might get ripped off?? We have a paypal account but we can't take money from their cards after they leave can we? we would get done for scamming?? I would rather take it on departure (tippies :D) but it would break my heart if we got ripped off :( think i'd tear up my lease and pack my bags :( haha.

the coding part? i might sound stupid but i genuinely know nothing of coding other than what i've seen on The Social Network :O my errors, do they affect it's to users?? or what do they mean? is it ok to regular folk, and do only people who know about code notice it or does it affect all guests on my site? Ignorance is bliss perhaps?? :D

We're gone mad and ordered 5000 business cards, have fliers and the while shabang ready to go now! also considering hosting foreign students, any of ye tried it? thanks for the kind messages!

Joanne
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CSE
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Post by CSE »

Reading back I perhaps should have gone into some greater death…The phone number thing It may be simple to most, but it can be confusing to the odd one or two. I get confused when American guest never add any code to their contact details.

The payment thing… Quote from your page “We request that you pay for your bed and breakfast, on arrival, in cash.”
Something a little less brusque could be less intimidating.
I cannot think of one B&B or hotel that has asked me to pay the bill up front. I obviously do not know the layout, but there could some sort of alternative…what did the other owners do? But given your quote “i would rather stay in bed instead of dragging myself up just for breakfast because it's paid for” do you mean you never say goodbye to guests?
Our situations that we do ask for payment when they leave, we need keys returned, drinks, maybe meals to pay for etc. Plus the Spanish law we are ask our guests for ID which is later passed to the Guardia Civil (Police). With this is highly unlikely we get trouble and I hope we never do.

I have fancied visiting Ireland but it sounds expensive you are charges 10€ (all but) for a breakfast.

Some coding errors will affect your listing. It may also make your website look a little odd at times, depends on the browser. That is why there is such thing as a web standard. I think that Go daddies rates are quite expensive given the limits they offer. This the website from my hosting. The most basic package is more than godaddy for a 1€ more per month. (Dinahosting is even cheaper per month if you purchase year(s) at a time)
I am not advocating you use them it is just an example of how poor the offer is. https://en.dinahosting.com/hosting/hosting-personal maybe time to look around then you can use a map widget. Don’t forget to get that website verified.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
seacrest
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Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 9:07 pm

Post by seacrest »

I suppose it probably is worth changing the number so just in case, thanks! I was worried about how to word the payment line alright, the last way I want to come across is rude or pushy, but with the separate exit and alot of our guests being people staying spur of the moment, even if we ask for a credit card, we have no way of checking can it be authorised or if it is a pre-pay one with enough money in it. i'll look through some other B&B's sites and see how they word it...maybe leave it til I send my confirmation email?? Just leave the cash part on the site??

"But given your quote “i would rather stay in bed instead of dragging myself up just for breakfast because it's paid for” do you mean you never say goodbye to guests? " << about that, I didnt mean to come across so rude!! I meant as if I was a paying guest in a B&B!!!!! not the owner of my own! When I am on holidays, i often prefer a late cheap brekkie instead of having to get up at 9 just to have the included breakfast!!

We would still need the keys handed back, as well as any payment for breakfast, unless we were going to charge for that in advacne, or at the breakfast table :O it does seem rude though so maybe we will just start asking for ID "for our files" but really try use it as security? the previous owner just took car reg nums, and would report it with the police if there were any debts or damage, seems it a bit harsh but the ID thing might work if we don't hold CC info?

I feel bad that I am giving a bad opinion of Ireland :( it is very expensive though, we will try bring down our prices but everyone comments overall that we are a very over priced country compared to others. bad public transport, etc. nothing like metro's or anything, a public bus from tralee to killarney, 20mins, is 7euro!! we are trying to be as cheap as we can, 33euro per person, and perhaps send discount emails to previous guests for 20% off in low season, something like that??

Thanks for the advice on the hosting, searched everywhere but I genuinely went into this having no idea how a website is even made! At least I will know when i need to update it. thanks a million for the advice ian and irene
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CSE
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Post by CSE »

No you don't come across as rude, perhaps someone who is new to this game. Nether the less you sound enthusiastic enough and that is what counts.
I was hoping others would chip in by now as all you are getting is my opinion (Ian).
We offer breakfast over a time range. We also like to get up later in the morning! Last order is just 30 mins before chuck out time!
I have always thought of Ireland being one of the cheaper places to visit...maybe I have been number into a scene of security when I can purchase a midday meal here for around 6 to 12 € depending on quality...that is for "normal" restaurants not high class. Coffee is normally around 1€
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
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CSE
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Location: Galicia

Post by CSE »

One last thing Have you read this thread? Theses guys seem to offer a good clean layout with technical support for a small outlay.
Maybe have two websites running to see which is the best performer???
viewtopic.php?p=196848#196848
There is a discount code posted.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
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