A property page on your website should be as informative as possible, with the aim to convince potential guests that they want to stay. But the description alone shouldn’t contain everything or be too overwhelming. Read on for our top tips and suggestions for creating the best structure and additional content pages for your holiday let.
Be Concise
There is likely a lot of information that you want your guests to see, but avoid pilling every last detail about your property into one large passage of text. Instead, ease your reader in gently. First begin with a condensed summary and then break down the various info into different sections. A good structure is key to retaining their attention and allowing them to easily find what it is that they want. A visitor may be searching for a specific piece of information - so organise everything to make it easy for your guests to navigate and browse.
The Property Description
For starters, you need an overview. An all-encompassing piece that doesn’t go into too much detail, but covers a lot of the preliminary questions. Aim for around 100 to 300 words (approximately 1000 characters) to keep it concise and natural. You can go into further detail on any of the topics, via separate dedicated pages. This blurb should outline why a guest should stay and quickly get across these key points:
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Sleeps - Use the phrase to explain how many can stay, with a breakdown such as “the property sleeps 6 in 3 bedrooms” that clarifies the number of guests you can accommodate.
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Location - State where the property is based and the nearest town/city. If applicable make reference to proximity to the coast, motorway, train station, airport etc.
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Attractions - List what is on your doorstep and the main reasons guests are likely to want to come to your neck of the woods.
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Dog Friendly/Pet Free - It is worth stating early on as many guests will only be interested if they can take their dog with them, whilst others will only want to stay if an allergy free home.
Key Features
Once you’ve introduced your holiday let with its description, it’s time to break down what else your property has to offer. This is an opportunity to promote what you feel sets your property apart from the rest and makes your offering unique. There’s potential for the odd bit of repetition from your property summary, but it gives you an opportunity to reinforce particular points and catch those who just scan read. Plus you can also use this area to include different types of information, such as stating what isn’t accepted or allowed.
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Additional pages
After glancing over your initial description and bullet-pointed features, a viewer will be well enough informed as to the suitability of your accommodation. It’s likely that they'll next have a particular question in mind or are intrigued to find a specific piece of information. So at this crucial stage, you should provide as much supporting content as possible to help convince them to book. (The links below show examples on our demonstration website)
Things to do - Your holiday let only makes up part of the holiday experience. Offer suggestions on where Guests can visit, eat and drink, to help with the planning of their trip. https://demo.scrumpy.co.uk/properties/cider-press-cottage/links
Testimonials - Guests look to other's opinions to get a fair reflection of what they can expect and collating your reviews into a page is a great way of showing off positive feedback. https://demo.scrumpy.co.uk/properties/cider-press-cottage/content/testimonials
Floorplans/Rooms - Help potential visitors visualise in advance by providing images of the layout. This can aid those wanting to choose rooms beforehand, as well as give insight to accessibility. https://demo.scrumpy.co.uk/properties/cider-press-cottage/floorplans
History - If the property has an interesting past, then why not tell its story. Document the property through the ages, with the likes of before and after images, or even newspaper clippings from yesteryear. https://demo.scrumpy.co.uk/properties/cider-press-cottage/content/accommodation
Extras - The personal touch can go a long way. If you, or your suppliers, can offer additional services, then shout about it. Whether it is a private chef at the home, or paddleboarding tuition at the local river. https://demo.scrumpy.co.uk/properties/cider-press-cottage/extras
Pets - If you accept dogs (or other types of companion) go into further detail as to what it is you offer. Will there be a treat waiting upon arrival? A luxury bed? Dedicated space in the house? etc. https://demo.scrumpy.co.uk/properties/cider-press-cottage/content/pets
FAQ’s - By compiling frequently asked questions, you can produce a very informative page that can answer the more mundane queries. Such as “are towels provided” or “how many cars can fit on the drive”. https://demo.scrumpy.co.uk/properties/cider-press-cottage/content/faq-s
Terms & Conditions - Whilst a paying guest would see this prior to booking anyway, some prefer to read through the T's & C's before they get in touch and make contact. https://demo.scrumpy.co.uk/properties/cider-press-cottage/terms
Content is king
The text and images that make up a website are really important. Not only do they inform those that are viewing your site, they also provide the basis for someone to be able to find it in the first instance. Every written sentence on your website has the potential to be searched for via a search engine and the more content that you have - the greater your chances are of being found.
Making sure this content is unique is vital. You can’t just copy and paste from others, or recycle the information that you have on your OTA listings. Search engines will know where it originated and give the original author (or the site it appeared on first) the higher page ranking in search results. So start breathing newness into the world, it’ll benefit your guests, and Google will award you brownie points for it!
Plus an informative website has a significantly higher chance of converting that prospective customer. If you simply have the answer to their question readily available, then you’ll be removing the need for them to leave your website and find it elsewhere! This goes for exploring the local area, recommendations on places to eat and of course actually booking directly with you (and not an OTA).
Want to talk to someone?
At SCRUMPY we help Property Owners and Agencies realise their potential. Whether you're just starting a new self-catering business, or you’ve been running your holiday let for several years, our dedicated team will be more than happy to help.
We even provide a content writing service, so if you’re interested in creating a more informative website and increasing your exposure, we can put you in touch with one of our friendly experts. The service includes a small consultation, where we will research your local area and find out as much as we can about your business. Get in touch to find out more about our services here.