How to improve the content and SEO of your vacation rental website?
Good SEO requires more than competing for keywords used by large booking sites. No doubt, the use of a relevant keyword phrase can improve your vacation rental website rankings in search engines. Still, vacation rental owners need to give more thought on creating content that works, especially because of so much competition from the major OTAs such as Booking.com, Airbnb, or Expedia Group.
Google and other top search engines have grown smarter in choosing websites that utilize the same keywords. When you’re vying for high rankings, it is a must to create relevant, timely, useful, and engaging content—categories of utmost importance to Google and consumers.
In this article we talk about how to create great content for your short-term rental website and blog…
Understand What it Takes to Rank High
Keylimetoolbox reveals that if you rank first for a non-branded keyword, you only have 4% less chance of getting click-through rates than the highest ranked website for a branded keyword.
What is more important is to get people to visit your website, stick around, and book a short-term rental. Your meta description plays a significant role in getting guests to click your site and not the competitors. Another thing, if you want to rank highest on any keyword for that matter, make sure your website is up to speed. 40% of consumers abandon a site that doesn’t load in around three seconds.
Choose the Less Obvious Keywords
Property management companies can get free organic traffic to their booking sites by shifting their focus to variations of a popular keyword. You can rank the first page on Google results by merely tweaking keywords for your vacation rentals.
Keyword Placing
It is essential to incorporate specific and powerful keyword phrases in a natural tone in your vacation rental website. Be cautious of keyword density and avoid stuffing keywords mindlessly throughout your blog post. Once in the headers and the first 100 words of your post is beneficial. Choose two to three keywords and aim for 5% keyword density in your article.
Aim for the Right Length
Online readers have a shorter attention span. They tend to skim more than read through a post. At the same time, longer posts are better at catching the attention of top search engines. As a vacation rentals writer, you want to create the right length of content, which experts say is around 500 to 800 words. This length allows you to incorporate the right amount of keywords and offer valuable content.
Ideas for Content Creation
When it comes to the actual web content, it helps to have go-to blog templates. This strategy eliminates the need for constant brainstorming for new content. Great ideas for vacation home rentals content include:
- FAQs- As a vacation homes owner and a local, you have a wealth of information about your local area. Take time to create a post that answers common questions from your guests. Travel forums are also a right place for link building to your post that answers such questions.
- Reviews- Offer travelers a first-hand account of famous places in your area. Restaurant reviews and raving about a local fave coffee shop should do it.
- Lists- Post your Top 10 list of attractions, activities, festivals, and any other you can think of writing.
- Q&A- Reach out to local experts and ask to feature them in a blog post. The article will provide more exposure for the individual, and you would have the original content.
- Video Posts- Forbes predicts 80% of web traffic will come from videos. Shoot your interviews with an HD camera or show a glimpse of your short-term rental for everyone to see.
- Property Highlights- Get into the personal details of a particular vacation home you have listed including nearby attractions, the history of the building, and favorite features or amenities.
- Itineraries- Be a virtual tour guide and make it easy for tourists to plan their day near your short-term rental apartments. Draft various day plans catered to different interests including food lovers, art lovers, and families with kids.
Schedule Your Content
Maintain top rankings on search engines with regular publishing of new and original content. Aim to publish at least once a week, at most three times every week. Email subscriptions from web visitors can help gain a following.
Promote on Social Media
People often browse through businesses on social media during their free time, and this includes cheap vacation rentals. Your Facebook page is not just for sharing short-term rental apartments that are now vacant. Social media followers can be advocates for your rental business if you post content worth sharing on your vacation rental website.
Conclusion
Maximize your marketing and advertising strategies by utilizing search engine optimization to benefit your vacation rental website. Aim to create useful content like family-friendly local attractions, favorite reviews, and interviews with famous local people. Don’t forget to spread the word on social media and you’ll soon get more bookings for your vacation homes.
