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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.
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

TC, the thumbnails are quite small, so I suspect most visitors to the site will click to enlarge anyway - though I agree that if your web man can learn how to sharpen them, a totally polished site would be ideal. The images enlarge extremely crisply and the apartment looks very smart!

As for the reviews, like LV, I'd be inclined only to include the more relevant comments and leave out the bits about Ollie's prescription, mozzie bites and the like. It's nice chatty stuff and makes the feedback look more authentic, but isn't going to persuade people to book, and could well result in readers leaving the page prematurely.

Just a tiny question TC - did you correct any grammar, punctuation or spelling in the comments as you were copying them onto the site - they look unusually "error-free" and though I wasn't looking too carefully, I only spotted one spelling mistake: these days it's rather against the law of averages! :lol: Might appear "too" perfect ie.

I don't date my guestbook comments which is just as well as I haven't got round to adding to them for a couple of years! I should but my long-suffering web man might just give me my marching orders, he's helped me so much of late. 8)
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
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Topcat
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Post by Topcat »

That's interesting GG - yes, I did correct the grammar, though I know there is one spelling error. But you might be right and I should edit out the extraneous info. I debated this with myself, and then thought, well, it gives a bit of colour and hopefully adds to the authenticity! I'm not sure.

But I'm not working tomorrow, so when I've finished my Spanish homework I planned to put together a few amendments to the site that I already had, and I'll give some more thought to the various suggestions here.

One thing that I don't think I'll be able to alter, and that's the heading (other than take out 'brand new'). There was a technical reason why we had so much in the heading - something to do with meta-tags. I can't quite remember now.

But all thoughts are gratefully received.

TC
Debut novelist at http://tinyurl.com/or89jle

http://wivenhoewriters.blogspot.co.uk/
Contributor to anthology 'In a Word: Murder'
e-richard
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Post by e-richard »

Topcat wrote:..There was a technical reason why we had so much in the heading - something to do with meta-tags. I can't quite remember now.
I suspect this arose from the fact that search engines cannot read graphical text, and you needed a major textual title that they could read to enhance your ranking.

:idea: An idea: Instead of "Welcome to Isla Canela", why not take the text from the banner and use it here ? By the way, I'd also use the word "rental" somewhere in that title.

This would resolve the searchability issue and drop one line from the banner.
** Richard
PIMS: Holiday Rental Management system
They say we learn from our mistakes. That makes me a genius !
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Topcat
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Post by Topcat »

Thanks e-Richard. Yes, you're right about the reason, though I couldn't remember it at the time of posting. I'll have a play around this evening.

TC
Debut novelist at http://tinyurl.com/or89jle

http://wivenhoewriters.blogspot.co.uk/
Contributor to anthology 'In a Word: Murder'
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Topcat
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Post by Topcat »

Well, it's taken a little while, but I think I've taken on board at least most of your suggestions.

Interestingly, it does seem to depend on your browser as to just how sharp the images are. At home I use FF, and on that the whole site is slightly squished, with a lot of blue border down the sides. But on IE, as I discovered when looking at it in the office, it covers the screen and the images are sharper, though slightly less vivid (though that last could be down to individual monitors).

Anyway, you can't say I don't listen!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

TC
Debut novelist at http://tinyurl.com/or89jle

http://wivenhoewriters.blogspot.co.uk/
Contributor to anthology 'In a Word: Murder'
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

Looking great TC. (Safari) Couldn't find the guest feedback again though - is it on its way?
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
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Topcat
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Post by Topcat »

GG the guest feedback is there. The link works for me in FF and IE. Try refreshing, and if it doesn't work let me know and I'll see if Chris can do anything with it.

TC
Debut novelist at http://tinyurl.com/or89jle

http://wivenhoewriters.blogspot.co.uk/
Contributor to anthology 'In a Word: Murder'
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

Got it now - thanks TC!
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
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Topcat
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Post by Topcat »

Oh good. You'll see we changed the order of the comments as everyone here suggested. I think you were all right, it does read better like this.

TC
Debut novelist at http://tinyurl.com/or89jle

http://wivenhoewriters.blogspot.co.uk/
Contributor to anthology 'In a Word: Murder'
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Holiday Ray
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Post by Holiday Ray »

TC
I have nothing but praise for your site. I use IE and ALL the photos looked very appealing and enlarged perfectly.

I also go along with the 'most recent comments 1st' school of thought.

No matter how boring the guests comments are, (and to be fair almost all of them have been interesting and different thus far) I always put them on the site 'verbatim' and say so at the top of the page, thus hoping that they will appear as genuine as they actually are. I don't believe in editing out the boring bits, because I think it is a bit obvious when all the comments are glowing.
To try and keep the reader interested, I use a different font for each guests comments and always put the dates that they stayed alongside. The only editing I do is grammar or spelling !

I really do think your pics are fab TC :)
Ray
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Topcat
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Post by Topcat »

Thanks Ray, that's very reassuring.

TC
Debut novelist at http://tinyurl.com/or89jle

http://wivenhoewriters.blogspot.co.uk/
Contributor to anthology 'In a Word: Murder'
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