I think accusations of trolling are a bit harsh however. I did try and be as honest an open as possible in the original post. And is this not one of the better debates on LMH?
So, in defence of the original idea, I was suggesting that there were alternatives to building a website. I was not suggesting that cottage owners should not have a presence on the internet. There are counter arguments of course. I feel Colin put it best.
I hope Colin doesn't mind if I summarise. A personal website will:colinc1234 wrote:A website can take a few years to become established. Naturally it depends upon how much effort you put into the marketing.
Good reasons for a website also include:
1. it should add value when you come to sell the property.
2. It is a real help for return guests. Gives them somewhere to click through to rather than going to OD and so on. Let's say they have lost your email....so they can google the house name and read your contact page.
3. You can never tell whats around the corner. Think of it as a small insurance policy for the day when you decide that OD is just not up to it.
4. I often think people looking at an upmarket house expect it to have its own website. When you are charging £3k for a week - well with that money surely you would wouldn't you?
I also think that good agencies will listen to and work alongside owners. If helping to make the owner happy means that not all the bookings go to the agency then that's life.
So yes a loud yes for websites
Thank you
Colin
1. Add resale value
2. Help returning guests to find you
3. Safety net for the future
4. Add credibility
4. Add credibility. Good argument. A good website definitely adds credibility to any holiday cottage. I might counter that a bad website would have the reverse effect and any credibility is only afforded if guests every get to see your website. But still, a very good point.
1. Add resale value. I can see your point of view but I'm not convinced. Most personal websites I've seen on here would add little to the value of a self catering business.
3. Safety net for the future. Not sure. I think you're asking a lot for a personal website to pick up the pieces if an agency goes horribly wrong. I'd suggest most people would have to turn to another agency, quickly.
2. Help returning guests to find you. I think this is the best argument. I can well imagine guests searching google for a specific cottage they visited a couple of years ago. They wont find your personal website by searching "Self Catering Snowdonia" (for example) but may well have more luck if they can remember specifics, "Chez ColinC1234 Holiday Cottage somewhere near Betws Y Coed I think" (for example).
My honest opinion, if you're rental turnover is less than £25K per annum I remain unconvinced that a personal website is a good investment for non technical cottage owners.