Please give any advice on my new website

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Willow500
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2022 8:02 pm

Please give any advice on my new website

Post by Willow500 »

Hi, just started out with holiday rentals and I’ve created my own website. Not sure if there’s too much content or a bit amateurish? Any advice will be greatly appreciated, thank you.

https://whistlestopnorfolk.promotemyplace.com/
e-richard
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Location: Algarve, Portugal
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Re: Please give any advice on my new website

Post by e-richard »

I'm afraid your website is not yet visible. All we see is a "Website under construction" sign.
There should be a button to "publish and be damned" :P
** Richard
PIMS: Holiday Rental Management system
They say we learn from our mistakes. That makes me a genius !
J B
Posts: 137
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 10:56 am
Location: We live in England and have rental properties in N Wales and Paphos, Cyprus
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Re: Please give any advice on my new website

Post by J B »

e-richard wrote: Thu Mar 24, 2022 8:42 pm I'm afraid your website is not yet visible. All we see is a "Website under construction" sign.
Same here

Have you considered purchasing a domain name which would possibly be easier to remember than the long link you have just shown us?
I think I pay Ionos about a tenner a year for mine.
Willow500
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2022 8:02 pm

Re: Please give any advice on my new website

Post by Willow500 »

I think I’ve done it now, sorry :oops:

https://www.whistlestopnorfolk.co.uk/

Hopefully this will work!

Thank you.
J B
Posts: 137
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 10:56 am
Location: We live in England and have rental properties in N Wales and Paphos, Cyprus
Contact:

Re: Please give any advice on my new website

Post by J B »

Willow500 wrote: Sun Mar 27, 2022 10:05 am I think I’ve done it now, sorry :oops:
https://www.whistlestopnorfolk.co.uk/
Hopefully this will work!
Yup - it works!! :lol:

Looks pretty good - well done

I only scanned it but, 'Bunk Bedroom' - no need to advertise it's next to the toilet (or is there?). 'Chest Of Drawers' not 'chester drawers'

:oops: :wink:
newtimber
Posts: 1945
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:57 pm
Location: Brighton
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Re: Please give any advice on my new website

Post by newtimber »

I'm sorry but it didn't really persuade me to want to book and being totally honest, I think it needs a different template, with larger better quality photos and a responsive design. I can see you are using PMP and they have lots of quality templates.

I noticed that when I chose to decline cookies, it put them on my machine anyway. In fact, I cannot see any difference between accepting and declining cookies.

If you are going to have a photo carousel on the front page, then you need to consider the order of the photos. The first I got was a seashell and the second, the garden sheds. I think carousels are past their sell-by date as people zone them out as adverts, but if you are going to use them, then the photos in the carousel need to be the best photos of the property.

Your terms and conditions regarding cancellation policy have to be reasonable and the whole lot is ignored if found to be unreasonable. It is not reasonable to say that you will make a discretionary refund if you manage to re-book (it's mandatory to refund some but not all) and they should not be having to send physical letters to cancel the booking in 2022. You need to know asap by phone/ email if they have to cancel so that you can use your best reasonable efforts to get a replacement booking. I think you need to add the word "reasonable" to your eviction terms rather than say you can evict anyone you think is unsuitable etc. as in "The property owner is entitled to ask the holidaymaker to leave the property without any refund if, in the property owner's REASONABLE opinion, the behaviour of the holidaymaker and/or his/her party is unacceptable."

I would suggest you look at the terms and conditions on https://www.higherwiscombe.com/terms-and-conditions/ which has far more details on what cleaning is expected, cancellation policies etc. so everyone is clear about what is expected and the terms are reasonable.
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CSE
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Joined: Mon Nov 06, 2006 3:34 pm
Location: Galicia

Re: Please give any advice on my new website

Post by CSE »

Google maps:
When opening the link from your site to map it looses you location. If I zoom in whist on your page is shows accommodation called "TILIA HOLIDAYS". Is that you? If so it needs some changes.If not you need to add your location to maps.

I have measured on the map that your property is over 15 mins drive away from Cromer and the coast. I am therefore a little confused as to why there is a emphasis the coast in the photos. You write the side panels "Coast & Country retreat" I personally do not consider a drive of over 15 mins a coastal property.

The form has nothing abut privacy. You perhaps need a GDPR statement. The form has some fields which are required but you can trick those requires to send it. The form needs better controls.
Talking of privacy do you have permission to use the names published in guest reviews on line?

There are some HTML errors. For example the H tags some are missing and some are placed on the page in the wrong order. Also CSS and JavaScript are found in line. You need to check them yourself as there are others dotted throughout the site.

The availability calender is vibrating. I can not read it.On the availability page to write about charging extra for dogs. However, on the side panels you just write that dogs are welcome. Maybe the side panel needs clarification.

The images are not given titles. I do not know where they are taken when they are not of the cottage. I can see that some images of local attractions are "stock" images taken from other websites. That is a bit unprofessional.

What is an "Electric log burner"?

I eventually found the T&Cs. A small pop-up. It was made harder to find because of the above mentioned vibration. Questions form that.
The cancellation has to be done my snail mail?
To quote" The maximum number of people entitled to stay at this property is 6 and furthermore, only those people named on the booking form are entitled to stay. " However, the form only has space for one person there are no additional spaces for extras party members and no part does it ask for the amount of persons staying.
Can you write "his/her" these days? ;-)

I obviously have not gone on to make a reservation. But I do not see how from completing the form that the site is secure to take CC details. Can you confirm how that happens?
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
J B
Posts: 137
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 10:56 am
Location: We live in England and have rental properties in N Wales and Paphos, Cyprus
Contact:

Re: Please give any advice on my new website

Post by J B »

CSE wrote: Mon Mar 28, 2022 6:45 am The availability calender is vibrating. I can not read it.
Indeed it is - wasn't like that yesterday. :?
Drax
Posts: 185
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 4:36 pm
Location: Yorkshire Dales

Re: Please give any advice on my new website

Post by Drax »

Hi willow,
I have sent you a PM with some thoughts, if you want to view it?
Keep your powder dry.
Willow500
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2022 8:02 pm

Re: Please give any advice on my new website

Post by Willow500 »

newtimber wrote: Sun Mar 27, 2022 4:26 pm I'm sorry but it didn't really persuade me to want to book and being totally honest, I think it needs a different template, with larger better quality photos and a responsive design. I can see you are using PMP and they have lots of quality templates.

I noticed that when I chose to decline cookies, it put them on my machine anyway. In fact, I cannot see any difference between accepting and declining cookies.

If you are going to have a photo carousel on the front page, then you need to consider the order of the photos. The first I got was a seashell and the second, the garden sheds. I think carousels are past their sell-by date as people zone them out as adverts, but if you are going to use them, then the photos in the carousel need to be the best photos of the property.

Your terms and conditions regarding cancellation policy have to be reasonable and the whole lot is ignored if found to be unreasonable. It is not reasonable to say that you will make a discretionary refund if you manage to re-book (it's mandatory to refund some but not all) and they should not be having to send physical letters to cancel the booking in 2022. You need to know asap by phone/ email if they have to cancel so that you can use your best reasonable efforts to get a replacement booking. I think you need to add the word "reasonable" to your eviction terms rather than say you can evict anyone you think is unsuitable etc. as in "The property owner is entitled to ask the holidaymaker to leave the property without any refund if, in the property owner's REASONABLE opinion, the behaviour of the holidaymaker and/or his/her party is unacceptable."

I would suggest you look at the terms and conditions on https://www.higherwiscombe.com/terms-and-conditions/ which has far more details on what cleaning is expected, cancellation policies etc. so everyone is clear about what is expected and the terms are reasonable.
Thanks so much for your comments newtimber. The terms and conditions are copied from Bookalet, the booking system that i use for the calendar. You have a 'tick' option to use their own and i must admit i skimmed over it and didn't really read it properly so you are absolutely right in mentioning how rubbish is! I will complete my own, i just need a little time in between the kids but thanks for mentioning it. I have used another template from PMP, do you think it's better? I'm not a huge fan on any of the templates and tried to do a wordpress website but got myself all confused so went back to PMP. Its a lot easier for me as i have absolutely no experience with doing anything like this so i'll have to stick with what they offer.

The pictures of the property are my own but when i try to use them in the header they get stretched and blurry so im struggling to use them. I'll try and take some more next time i go to the property and try again. Thanks for taking the time to look at my website. It's definately WIP!!!
Willow500
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2022 8:02 pm

Re: Please give any advice on my new website

Post by Willow500 »

CSE wrote: Mon Mar 28, 2022 6:45 am Google maps:
When opening the link from your site to map it looses you location. If I zoom in whist on your page is shows accommodation called "TILIA HOLIDAYS". Is that you? If so it needs some changes.If not you need to add your location to maps.

I have measured on the map that your property is over 15 mins drive away from Cromer and the coast. I am therefore a little confused as to why there is a emphasis the coast in the photos. You write the side panels "Coast & Country retreat" I personally do not consider a drive of over 15 mins a coastal property.

The form has nothing abut privacy. You perhaps need a GDPR statement. The form has some fields which are required but you can trick those requires to send it. The form needs better controls.
Talking of privacy do you have permission to use the names published in guest reviews on line?

There are some HTML errors. For example the H tags some are missing and some are placed on the page in the wrong order. Also CSS and JavaScript are found in line. You need to check them yourself as there are others dotted throughout the site.

The availability calender is vibrating. I can not read it.On the availability page to write about charging extra for dogs. However, on the side panels you just write that dogs are welcome. Maybe the side panel needs clarification.

The images are not given titles. I do not know where they are taken when they are not of the cottage. I can see that some images of local attractions are "stock" images taken from other websites. That is a bit unprofessional.

What is an "Electric log burner"?

I eventually found the T&Cs. A small pop-up. It was made harder to find because of the above mentioned vibration. Questions form that.
The cancellation has to be done my snail mail?
To quote" The maximum number of people entitled to stay at this property is 6 and furthermore, only those people named on the booking form are entitled to stay. " However, the form only has space for one person there are no additional spaces for extras party members and no part does it ask for the amount of persons staying.
Can you write "his/her" these days? ;-)

I obviously have not gone on to make a reservation. But I do not see how from completing the form that the site is secure to take CC details. Can you confirm how that happens?
Hi CSE, thanks for taking the time to look at my website. As i mentioned above, the Terms i will definately rewrite. The privacy policy i need to add, i'm not very good with IT so struggling a bit to see where it all goes. I'll get that sorted. I had thought i'd added my address correctly for google maps so i'll take another look at that thank you.

The emphasis on the coast in the photos is although we are 15min from the beach, we are still very much classed as a coastal property, i don't think people mind driving 15min to spend a day on the beach. All my guests to date have commented on how well the property is located. You are in the country with woodland walks on your doorstep yet only a short drive to the coast or broads. From that perspective, the location doesn't bother me and i want to show people that although we are in village, they can still enjoy a day by the sea. I am struggling with my header photo. The photos of the property do not sit well as they are being stretched for some reason and they look blurry. I have added a temp photo that i have paid in the meantime so that i can try and take some more pictures when i go up this weekend.

I have no idea why the calendar is vibrating!! I have had a look and i can't see it doing it at the moment. i'll look into this further!

"There are some HTML errors. For example the H tags some are missing and some are placed on the page in the wrong order. Also CSS and JavaScript are found in line. You need to check them yourself as there are others dotted throughout the site."" Im so sorry but i have absolutely no idea what this means. I don't even know what CSS means!! I'll see if anyone i know with a bit more computer knowledge can help me with this but thank you for mentioning it.

Payments are made through bookalet and i have added stripe which is a secure payment method. Does this answer your question? I have also added Paypal so i may need to add this to the booking page.

Thanks again for your comments. I have perhaps been premature in asking for reviews as i feel the website is totally rubbish and i'll start again!
Willow500
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2022 8:02 pm

Re: Please give any advice on my new website

Post by Willow500 »

J B wrote: Sun Mar 27, 2022 3:39 pm
Willow500 wrote: Sun Mar 27, 2022 10:05 am I think I’ve done it now, sorry :oops:
https://www.whistlestopnorfolk.co.uk/
Hopefully this will work!
Yup - it works!! :lol:

Looks pretty good - well done

I only scanned it but, 'Bunk Bedroom' - no need to advertise it's next to the toilet (or is there?). 'Chest Of Drawers' not 'chester drawers'

:oops: :wink:
Hi J B, thank you so much for your comments, i have made the amendments as you pointed out so thank you for mentioning them.
Willow500
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2022 8:02 pm

Re: Please give any advice on my new website

Post by Willow500 »

Drax wrote: Mon Mar 28, 2022 10:32 am Hi willow,
I have sent you a PM with some thoughts, if you want to view it?
Hi Drax, yes absolutely! Thanks for taking the time to do this. I feel i am totally out of my depth with this and may need a professional to pick it all up but any advice you can offer will be brilliant thank you. I'll take a look at your PM after i pick the kids up thank you.
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paolo
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Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2004 1:18 pm
Location: Provence, France
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Re: Please give any advice on my new website

Post by paolo »

I think it looks alright, it has all the information needed to get someone to book, and there's a book button on every page (could be more prominent).

I wouldn't agree that a carousel is old hat for showing the highlights of a house, especially on a phone where you can quickly swipe through right at the top to get an impression of whether a house is right for you. If it wasn't effective, airbnb etc wouldn't be doing it. That said, the carousel has gone, replaced by a pic of beach houses. This is certainly your sexiest pic, but is it misleading? One would not expect a lead picture to be of a nearish attraction, unless it was right on the doorstep. Maybe you can get a better picture of your house from across the village green?

The calendar is not vibrating for me on Chrome.
Paolo
Lay My Hat
Willow500
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2022 8:02 pm

Re: Please give any advice on my new website

Post by Willow500 »

Hi Paolo, thank you so much for your comments and taking time to look at my website. I have amended the header picture for now until i can get some better shots when i next go to the property. I'm not sure why the calendar was vibrating but I can't see it either so hopefully it was a one time blip! Thanks again.
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