Newbie - Ad review needed please

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.
Carow
Posts: 249
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 12:57 pm
Location: Aude, France but live in South Africa

Newbie - Ad review needed please

Post by Carow »

Hi my name is Carolyn. I have just posted my ad's with HL and OD. (10 days ago) I'd be interested to have comments and criticisms on the HL ad www.holidaylettings.co.uk/55493 .

I have had one enquiry so far - but that was turned down as the client said she would look for something smaller and cheaper. I don't think I am over priced - having stuck to HL prices per regions. In retrospect, should I have replied to the client saying - I will hold the booking for a week for you while you look around and if you don't find anything we can negotiate the price?

Many thanks for this review site
Carolyn
Carow
Posts: 249
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 12:57 pm
Location: Aude, France but live in South Africa

Link to advert

Post by Carow »

If you go to holiday lettings on the link you have to scroll down to property number and then type in 55493.
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Jimbo
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Location: Charente Maritime

Post by Jimbo »

Hi Carolyn

I found your gite interiors photos mixed up with scenery shots a bit confusing - it's hard (for me) to form an impression when I'm dodging about. Might be better to create a coherent narrative with them - sort of a journey through the property and then outside. Some of your pix might be improved. Didn't like the panoramics either - too squashed. Also your text seemed a bit sparse. Did like the 'quiet corner on the terrace' shot and the 'tree lined entrance'.

Don't mean to sound negative - I'm sure you don't need it after all your hard work preparing your property. Welcome to LMH and good luck with the rentals, I'm sure the bookings will come flooding in very soon.

Jim
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

Hi Carow,
I'd agree with what Jimbo said on the photos, the panoramic one of the outside of the house didn't look quite right. Also, although you mention the views from the terrace, it looks like if you are sitting down, you can't actually see them.
One of the things that I noticed that may put people off is the following
"Not suitable for children under 5
Not suitable for elderly or infirm
Smokers welcome"

You are alienating quite a lot of people with those criteria!
I've had a look at Abritel and some other similar properties in the area and your pricing certainly seems in keeping with others, so no worries there. Was the person who enquired French, by any chance?
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Chianti
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Post by Chianti »

Carow

I only looked at the photos and agree with the others about your panoramic shots. They don't generally work well for the exteriors of the property. They work with photos of the countryside, seaside etc.

Your photo of the kitchen shows and open window with a view of what looks like the electricity boxes on the houses opposite. Perhaps a long plant pot in the window full of flowers would make it look picturesque or close the window.

Your photo of the gite shows us a piece of the exterior and the electrical wiring and that's not going to sell your property.

What about some plants on the terrace to break up the starkness and some drinks on the table and a photo of the actual view taken while standing or on a ladder.

What are the names of the tunnel and the river?

I absolutely love the photo of the red geraniums on the window cill.

You have a lovely property and with some work on your photos I'm sure you will start to get enquiries and hopefully bookings.

Good luck

Chianti without the flannel
Carow
Posts: 249
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 12:57 pm
Location: Aude, France but live in South Africa

Newbie ad

Post by Carow »

Funny that you should both say the same things that friends have said about the layout of the photos.

After much deliberation I eventually asked HL to re-configure the photos for me and that was their final layout suggestion. I thought the same thing - that it does not flow with interior/exterior but I went for their advice anyway.

How clever of you - and I say this with much admiration - to pick up that you cannot see those views from the terrace if you are sitting down! Whoo that is what I call experience !
I have two terraces and the photo one is the upstairs view.

There is an upstairs terrace which affords those views. The downstairs terrace is great if you are standing up though.

As far as text goes - I have a friend who is helping me with superlatives.

When I search for properties myself I tend to overlook the text and therefore, thought that less is more as I do not tend to read but buy with "the eye" and price of course. But then I am so new at this and do not know what the rest of the world looks for.

Your time and experience is of great value
Regards
Carolyn
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Jimbo
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Location: Charente Maritime

Post by Jimbo »

Carow wrote:
... I eventually asked HL to re-configure the photos for me and that was their final layout ...
There's a school of thought with picture layout that says choose images with similar structures, place them together and the whole thing will flow. To find these 'pairs', you defocus your eyes and select similar 'blurs'. Try this with the 'views of the mountains' and the 'main bedroom' shots where the dark green sash mimics the tree line and you could (with imagination and several glasses of your favourite tipple) see the bed linen as landscape contours. Or the bedroom and the tunnel pair. You may think I'm joking but I was taught all this stuff.

For me, for gite rental publicity, the four main pix on the front page must be the killer shots - if these four don't sell the property instantly, the viewer will have clicked elsewhere.

Jim
Carow
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Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 12:57 pm
Location: Aude, France but live in South Africa

Newbie website review

Post by Carow »

Jimbo I had to read that twice before I got your point - maybe a few glasses of wine will help.

But..Yes I see exactly what you mean - I will play around with the photo's and take your advice. I have already had 200 hits on the site, but only one enquiry.
Thanks again
Carolyn
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Jimbo
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Post by Jimbo »

Jimbo I had to read that twice before I got your point
Sorry. I've just read it again and it doesn't make sense.

I was trying to say that pictures arranged simply because they resemble each other can make an attractive layout but a bedroom shot arranged next to (say) a road tunnel shot is confusing on a rental publicity site where the owner is trying to provide logically organised and easily digestible information for visitors with itchy mouse fingers.

Jim
Carow
Posts: 249
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 12:57 pm
Location: Aude, France but live in South Africa

Post by Carow »

Hi Jim - yes I did get your point with the colours! I have re-arranged the photos - and will keep doing so until it has the right flow.

I have also put a full frontal facade of the house on the pics so that people are aware of what the house looks like without being seduced by the views first. And then getting a shock when they see the facade of the house.

Someone mentioned the electrical wires. Those are the loudspeaker wires for the Mairie to announce what's happening in the village. I find it charming. If I wanted to visit a rural village in France I would be appreciative of those little quirks and would detest a touristy upgraded, cleansed version.

If that puts people off then they will not enjoy the experience in the house or the village. :D

Lots to learn
Carolyn
lasiauve
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Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2008 9:29 pm

Post by lasiauve »

Hi
I was just looking at your advert and tried to look at it as a potential holidaymaker. So that means I would look at the photos first.
The four photos on the main text page wouldnt make me want to look any further. I know some have said that they liked the quiet corner on the terrace but to me it's pointless - why havent you got photos of them beautiful bedrooms on your front page???
The bottom kitchen photo in your gallery is much more inviting to me than the one on the main page.
I think - and I know what its like to have critisism as my site was pulled to peices and put back together last week - that you need to pull back with the camera and take in a wider view of what there is as it looks like you're hiding the room because its so small. I also dont like the photos of the facade.
I think you have a lovely place in a beautiful location and it looks like you've worked really hard to make it special for people but I dont think that you've done it justice yet with the photos.
If I was looking to book somewhere - if I didnt like the look of the photos I wouldnt even bother reading the text. So get that main bedroom photo on the front page!!
Ann
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LaVilleauTady
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Location: Southern Brittany (& Lancashire)
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Re: Newbie - Ad review needed please

Post by LaVilleauTady »

Carow wrote:I don't think I am over priced - having stuck to HL prices per regions.
Carolyn, what are the prices per region that you refer to? Do you have the figures for Brittany, and how do they calculate such things when properties can vary so greatly?

Martin.
catherinedonegal
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Post by catherinedonegal »

carolyn: on your opening page of the ad. my suggestion would be that you put the pic 2 of the main bedroom (the one that is taken from the head of the bed and shows the window) in place of the living room pic.

i think the kitchen/diner pic and the window with the pergoliums (?) go well together. so with the bedroom pic as above, perhaps you could achieve a 'greener' view to substitute the stunning view from terrace pic. i'm not sure i would call that a stunning view sorry. and on the terrace pic on the next page, the tiny bit of view seen looks nicer than the one of the 'stunning view'. also a greener view would tie in well with the cool whites and greens of the bedroom pic.

on the terrace could you put a small table with a bottle of wine and 2 glasses or something? the tiny little table with the lantern makes me feel the terrace is very cramped.
Carow
Posts: 249
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 12:57 pm
Location: Aude, France but live in South Africa

Post by Carow »

Thanks to all of you for your comments. I do appreciate them and will have to do some serious rearraning of the photos.

Only problem is I live in South Africa and I can't get back to the house until September this year. When I took those photos of the views and the Terrace the wind was blowing a gale and I had about 5 minutes to set the scene and take photos. The terrace is actually Huge! And I have two terraces.

The photos do no justice to the size or the "Stunning views" I agree. But I had to get what I could before the furniture was blown away. (I was there in March and the wind was blowing big time as it does in the South)

Regarding the rental survey of prices on HL, I have re-traced my footsteps there, but cannot find the exact page. On the top of the page it says "Holiday Home Rental Matrices 2008". It could have been under "Owner advice guide" once you have logged in.

Does anyone know where to download free pictures for the website? Or do you have to pay for them?

Thanks again
Caro
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LaVilleauTady
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Post by LaVilleauTady »

Hi Caro,

You provided me with enough info for me to be able to trace the average pricing tables on HL, under their Pricing Advice section, thanks. It's here if any one else is interested:
http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/resour ... a-1-31-71/

Re your photos - I wouldn't get too worked up about them. When we started off we had to use photos that we had taken on a wet and windy November day of our cottage-to-be on our property hunting trip. We never had a single internal photo at that time, just external, and no blue sky!
You will do what we all do - improve them over time. I have changed mine many times.

There are some excellent photo tips on Lay My Hat. The Top Tips for Photographing Your Property are here:
http://www.laymyhat.com/newsletters/new ... 1.htm#tips
and these are well worth a read. In particular, you may find that sunset or dawn time is the best for illuminating the front facade of your house, and this might transform the picture.

Your fellow renter in Villeseque-des-Corbieres has illustrated perfectly what can be achieved with a twilight photo taken on their terrace - If the views from a terrace aren't the best feature, highlight something that is. In this instance, the twilight photo on the terrace creates a fantastically inviting and atmospheric shot:
http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rental ... eres/28248

Reference photographs for your web site, I assume you mean of the local area? There are a couple of suggestions here. You could try looking at the local tourism web site and use pictures from there (they are trying to promote tourists to come to the area, which is exactly what you are doing). Another suggestion is to try Flickr. This photo storage/sharing web site contains a massive number of pictures, and the owner can chose what level of copyright to attach to their photographs, from fully copyright to free public use. It's called a Creative Commons licence and all is explained on the web site:
http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/
Many photographers just ask that you attribute the photograph to them.

Alternatively, you can take your own when you're over in September.

Good luck with the bookings,

Martin.
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