We wanted to share with everyone what we see on our backend and what you as the owner, can do to help your listing get the most exposure as possible. There are many factors that come into play when promoting your vacation rentals. With everything being very competitive these days you must do everything you can to catch the interest of the traveler and entice them to inquire with you to ultimately get the booking!

Here at ECBYO.COM we work very hard to drive traffic to the site. So many factors go into to increasing the traffic. But that is only half the equation. We can get traffic to the site, but if they do not like what they see, your listings may be getting passed by in favor of more attractive listings.

So what factors come into play and why does one listing get an inquiry when others may not.  We wanted to find out too!

Here are 3 of our top producing listings of all time. Lets take a look at what these owners are doing and see why they may be getting more traffic than others!

ECBYO.COM/730                         Panama City Beach

Inquires to date: 381

This is the number one producing listing on our site. Debbie has been with ECBYO.COM since our launch in Nov of 2016. The first thing you will notice is she leads with a professional photo of the pool and Gulf of Mexico. That will be a theme we see with many successful listings. This is the number one reason prospects come to the Emerald Coast. So leading with a “water” photo is a great idea. Leading with a remodeled kitchen photo is not what the family is hoping to see. Sell the dream, not the kitchen!

730 also has pretty much everything listed she can. Her reviews are numerous with plenty of responses from her. Her rates and calendar are up to date. She has her name and phone number listed. There is also a video in place for more detailed information about this listing.

Great job on this listing Debbie and keep up the great work!

ECBYO.COM/756                          Destin Florida

Inquires to date: 185

The first thing that jumps out with this listing is the professional set of photographs.

Dave also has well written captions with each photo. This is very helpful so the prospect can see everything that is being presented and know what it is. This moves the prospect closer to making a decision as they will have fewer questions and “know” what they are about to book. This helps with closing ratios too. Put your best foot forward and let them make an informed decision.

Dave also has a very complete listing with a great video. He is walking thru the condo in his words explaining what the condo has to offer. This again, helps the guest see what they are booking and removes doubt or questions on details and when they inquire they are that much closer to booking.

Dave also displays his phone number and has some great reviews.

Great work on your Majestic Sun condo Dave!

ECBYO.COM/1498                       Blue Mountain Beach – 30A

Inquires to date: 67                      * only online for 6 weeks.

Rachel has one of the most successful listings in such a short period of time. With only being online with us for just over a month, she has received over 60 inquires! The first things you see are professional photos. These look spectacular!

She also does a great job showing a very complete set of amenities with her photos. The pool, bikes, fire pit are all shown and you quickly see what type of vacation you and your family could have here.

Once again she has a complete listing and is using a video to help promote her property. The video is professional and leaves no question as to the quality of rental this is. In 2 minutes the prospect is sold on this property! This home and the presentation of the amenities make it unique and very attractive to the prospects.

We hope this quick review of some of our successful listings is helpful! We have many inquires going out each day. The traffic on the site is growing each day. There are things you can do to make your listings as attractive as possible and that help attract the prospect to your rental.

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS.  This is the number one thing an owner can do to quickly make a difference.  Listings with blurry photos with time and date stamps from “Dec. 2010” let the prospect know you are not current.  24 professional photos will not only impress the prospect, it allows ECBYO to use your listings in social media post.  That is added exposure and we cannot post photos that are not the best of the best.

Take the time and check your listing score.  Get professional photos if you have already not done that.  Keep your phone number visible.  Make sure your rates and calendar are accurate and up to date.  Be sure to add reviews and FAQ’s as this helps educate the guest and gets them closer to booking with you!  These are only some things that are easily done by the owner to help make your listings successful! 

Try these and keep your listings accurate and current.

Good luck with your rental business!