Yeah, of course I’d do it. I’d love to do it. But as you say - it poses some issues, like how to get traffic to your website! And that’s a pretty big deal.
That’s why we all use Air - they get traffic to us. (Or at least they used to… in our case).
It’s not that I don’t like airbnb. They have provided me with income where I would have had none. There are a few policy changes I am not happy about, but overall, I have no real issue. I am just curious as I have heard many are starting websites and those who have done are now getting 50-60% or more bookings directly through their site, so I was just interested in the different opinions 
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Fascinating! Thank you for your insight.
Well, that’s the thing, isn’t it? It’s starting to look like airbnb on it’s own isn’t going to cut it, at least in some areas. Many are listing on multiple sites, which has led some to start, or think about starting, their own site. Which led me to ask the question. I am thinking about it, mainly because for me, listing on places like booking dot com is not an option. No vetting of guests there and I need to as my place is in my backyard, so I want to know who is coming. It seems like a lot of work, but I have heard people who have started now getting over 50% of their bookings through their own site. They seem to think it’s worth it, but I am still undecided…
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Oh blimey!
Doesn’t work. Writing for search engines is an art (and science) in itself 
Ahahahahahahahha! Comforters, duvets and quilts! Oh MY!
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Yea, I edit it though by using SEO editors. My main SEO comes from content like pictures and video which are optimized. The bulk of the writing is generic, which would take me too long to write up. Editing it doesn’t take me that long (few hours work for a few hundred hits). 1000 words is the most I will pay for because it is the most many people will read before they move on. The writing is halfway decent for SEO, when I run it through an editor, but just shortening sentences, headings, block quotes, and adding long tail keywords which I have done research on goes the distance. Is it mostly fluff? You bet! Still it seems to drive traffic, and get bookings. I should do it more with the amount of time I spend on the internet.
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Well, you could always give it a try. As @MikeBozeman has described, It will be a lot of work though in constantly coming up with content - but if you set aside a few hours a week to write - you can do it. Also, you’ll have to have a lot of patience and give it some time to know if it’s working.
It’s really hard for me to imagine anyone getting 50% of their bookings from their own website! I mean, it would be awesome! But hard to imagine.
In 2004 I stayed in a place called A Garden in Chelsea that was definitely doing this. I found it by an internet search though I can’t recall the exact search terms I used. Now they are listed on some of the aggregators as well.
In light of my latest experiences with ABB and VRBO customer service, I have become more determined to offer direct bookings, purchase reservation management software, and work on SEO. I have stayed up way too late doing some of this tonight… but like I said I am determined.
My strategy is like this: I am using Square for payment processing, but offer Paypal. Currently, I’m making guests call in their reservation (I’ve been doing that for years) because I don’t get the basic screening from STR platforms. I have added value by offering hiking trips, ghost town tours, and hotspringing, as well as guided fishing. I get a small cut of these, but it is more to draw people to me. I am writing more articles (it’s been years since I focused on my SEO). I am editing and uploading more tourism based UHD 4K drone and steady cam footage which I know will drop people’s jaws. And I have most other tings figured out.
My biggest challenge is software integration into Wordpress, which I learn as I go through YouTube. But even my calendars are SEO optimized. I am trying very hard to wean myself from the tit of ABB and VRBO, and be more reliant on my own skills and website. It’s really hard. But after today, it feels good to get some of this done. I think it has been this forum, and especially this thread which has motivated me to do this.
I hope sometime in the next few weeks I can go live with my changes. I am ready to hire someone at this point to work out any kinks. So far, we show up with one of our rentals on page 1 of Google, from some old SEO that I did in 2016. So I can say it does work… How much of that is due to ABB and VRBO, I have no idea!
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What company provides your insurance? Do the people whose rentals you manage get their own?
I use CBIZ vacation rental insurance. They are based right out of my town, and they have seen explosive growth (partly because I give them referrals all over the place I like to imagine). I cancelled my homeowner’s policy in escrow, as I had a minimum of 25% equity, had owned my home for 2 years or more, and had a few other basic qualifications which allowed me to cancel it.
I have a contract which states that owners should carry their own specific insurance, and then link that clause to an indemnification clause. I can’t force someone to get that insurance. If it was to be purchased separately, it would more than double their bill. I also don’t think I have a client who would qualify to cancel their original homeowner’s policy. I usually go through some closing documents with them, and check their title as a qualification for management, so I know that their mortgage companies could just ‘call their loan’ if they so choose. It’s a slippery slope.
I should add, that I have claimed damages through ABB in the past. I haven’t had to claim anything through my insurance yet… Fingers crossed. If you read through the ABB guarantee, if the damage was accidental, they will most likely to cover it. I have seen this to be true, and have claimed $400 (at most) through them for damages. I like to beat them at their own game when it comes to that. I instruct anyone who works for me to document the damage they encounter, and then ‘make it look like an accident’, and the guest has never fought me against that. I think this is the way to go for everyone. I keep every single receipt for tax purposes, and have coverages on large items through warranties (like leather couches for example). So far so good.
Back to the topic at hand though, my premiums would probably skyrocket, but I’m just guessing based on my experience with other policies in the past if I claimed every little thing. I did a lot of research on insurance. I pay about $1900 for 3 properties. It has rent loss coverage, and a $2M umbrella. Bulletproof.
Interesting. And yeah, I could see that happening in 2004 - for sure! I used to put a listing on Craigslist in the mid-2000s and stayed busy from that. I wish those days would come back. It was all cash too!
Most people searching never go past page one. In fact, 67% of the clicks go to the top five listed on page one.
Academic research indicates that 91% of searchers do not go past page 1 of the search results and over 50% do not go past the first 3 results on page 1.
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