Who are the best sites for advertising?

[BungleBob]

Hi all

Common question, always lots of answers!

We're running a poll on the biggest and most high profile sites for advertising rentals, results will be published early December.

Please, please, please! go and vote at:
http://www.vacationrentalsdirectory.net/whoisbest

It takes about 1 minute and we've sweetened it with a book giveaway to five voters picked at random. Lots of owners ask this question and nobody has a definitive poll (yet!) so your opinion really does count. The results should be an interesting read...

Many thanks,

Rich

[paolo]

That is quite a US-centric list. Most of the sites people have praised here are not there, so I think your data will be skewed.

[Alan Knighting]

BungleBob,

My properties are in France and most of my visitors come from Europe. I have barely even heard of the sites you list. Any vote by me would be quite pointless - sorry.

Alan

[BungleBob]

We thought long and hard about the list, especially since we've listed 17 out of potentially 100's. However those listed have the highest global profile on the web. These are deliberately the bigger players rather than those who specialise. (For example, our own specialist site for Spain is also not included)

Even if you only have an opinion on just one service - PLEASE VOTE!

The final tallies will be based on overall approval ratings rather than volume of votes, so your opinion will count. We'll also be producing leagues based on geographic area so Euro votes get seperated from US.

It's been a devil to put this together what with the research, book deal, programming and circulation - we'd appreciate some support, guys! Get involved, the service is for owners after all.

Cheers,

Rich

[Alan Knighting]

BungleBob,

I have done as you asked. The only trouble is that I had to click "No Comment" for all bar one. With one exception they are all unknown to me. The one exception is used by a neighbour.

What I use is not on your list but does give me good results - French Connections/Vacances France.

Alan

[BungleBob]

It's no problem you put "no comment" on all bar one. The point is you've logged your opinion on the ones you know about which is exactly what we're after - many thanks.

A couple of the specialist services have already asked how they can get on the poll, I think we may have to do a special vote a little further down the line. Not sure how we're going to tackle that one with so many sites available. Maybe just a best and worst suggestion box? Thoughts welcome!

Thanks again for getting involved,

Rich

[Alan Knighting]

BungleBob,

Thanks again for getting involved.

Isn’t that what this Forum is all about? I want to be involved. I want to share knowledge, experience and information.

Listings sites should be all about getting results and nobody’s choice is either right or wrong. What works for you - works for you. It might not be “pretty�, it might not be “techi�, it might not get Search Engine ratings, but if it produces the results it’s good - for you.

Alan

[Darren]

I think it is difficult to do a poll within the holiday rental industry, they are so many websites out there BUT, if a number of polls are going to be run during the year, maybe the winner of each poll goes in to a grand final at the end of next year? - Just a thought.

I completely agree with Alan in that it doesn't matter if the website has the best technology, its enquiries and bookings which count.

To be fair to Richard though the poll is not about which is the best site, but which one generates the most bookings. I personally, have my own view in that in it is the holiday rental companies responsibility to provide you the owner with enquiries, but it up to the owner to make that enquiry turn into a booking.

The holiday rental company does not know the property better than the owner, the owner in my opinion is responsible for making sure that the enquiry turns into a booking.

It's like advertising in a newspaper and expecting the newspaper to make the enquiry into a booking - internet advertising and marketing works the same way.

Agree?

Darren

p.s. my company is one of the listed websites so it will be interesting reading in December

[Alan Knighting]

Darren,

……..it is the holiday rental companies responsibility to provide you the owner with enquiries, but it up to the owner to make that enquiry turn into a booking

Absolutely! My internet based holiday rental company (French Connections / Vacances France) does a good job in producing enquiries and my wife Joan does a good job in turning enquiries into bookings. Judging by the number of repeats we get Joan and I think we do a good job of ensuring that guests have a good holiday. It’s a team effort. If one doesn’t turn enquiries into bookings and one doesn’t get repeats it’s no good blaming the holiday rental company. The reason lies much closer to home.

Alan

[Ivan]

Does anybody know approximately how many rental listing sites exist? 100, 500, 1000? Since I started listing my property (August this year) every time I enter in the internet I find out new sites..

[paolo]

Welcome to the forum, Ivan!

I think you are our first Bulgarian poster so we're very happy to hear from you.

The number of rental listing sites must number in the thousands. But only a small number are worth considering. The key is finding which ones those are, which is something you will find discussed in this part of the forum.

In the Yahoo directory page on Vacation Rentals, there are 254 companies listed. To be listed on Yahoo you have to pay $300 a year (or a one-time £200 in the UK). This is a bit of a generalisation but if a listing site hasn't dug into its pockets to be listed somewhere on Yahoo, it's not a serious site.

I have a question. Are there Bulgarian rental listing sites, where you book direct from the owner?

[Darren]

In all seriousness what are the advantages of paying £200 a year to a directory which is going to provide zero traffic? The only advantage is you have a nice link from the Yahoo directory, but they are better links from cheaper directories in my opinion.

Sorry I got off topic there but I don't think it really warrants the money when companies can spend it much better elsewhere.

In my opinion

Darren.

Welcome Ivan!

[paolo]

I'm no expert but my understanding is that for a high-traffic site it's worth it for the respect paid to Yahoo by Google and the others.

For those who don't know, Yahoo's directory is edited by people. A search engine like Google isn't. So if you appear in Yahoo's directory, search engines give you a nudge in their rankings because they know you are not a 'bad' site.

There are plenty of directories that are free to be listed on, but they can take an eternity (e.g. DMOZ) to look at your site. And apart from DMOZ, none is as respected by the search engines as Yahoo, or so I read.

For personal websites you can't justify spending that sort of money. But for a business like a rental listing site, it's small change isn't it?

[Darren]

Hi Paolo,

I'd be interested to know how many other owners respect the sites listed in the Yahoo! directory. Personally, I think the directory is very over rated, and not worth £200 for a link which is not as effective as other directories.

The only reason I look to be included in a directory is for SEO purposes, and the likes of www.bluefind.com are paid directories but are structured in a way that it aids the optimising of your website.

I am very surprised if owners respect a company / website more simply because it is listed in the Yahoo! directory - if this is the case I'll sign up tomorrow!

Darren

p.s. what about a section on the forum for advice on optimising websites?

[paolo]

I'd be interested to know how many other owners respect the sites listed in the Yahoo! directory.

I'm sure it is not a consideration for any owners. I was proposing it as a litmus test for a listing site. Does it have the commitment to spend the $300 a year on Yahoo? The corollary of that is that if a cowboy site is just trying to cash in on the growth in internet advertising for rental property, they would be too cheap to pay for Yahoo. Of course that is unfair on those who don't list on Yahoo because they are spending their money on directories that give them better results.