New Study: Vacation Rental Website Guest Expectations

When travelers come to your vacation rental website, what are they expecting to see?

Here are some telling website statistics compiled by HubSpot:

• 39 percent of people will stop engaging with a website if images will not load or take too long to load.
• 38 percent of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive.

Now that many listing sites are adding a traveler's fee for those who book through portal partners, many travelers are reexamining their strategy for online booking.

What does this mean for your vacation rental website? As more travelers opt to skip the traveler's fee and book directly with your vacation rental property management company, it is time to ensure that your website is welcoming, engaging, and designed for conversions in the form of bookings.

Vacation Rental Website Design Factors

What are the lessons from the Hubspot study? These statistics illustrate that your web visitors expect:

• Fast-loading pages
• Easy navigation
• Attractive layout
• Contact information prominently displayed
• Mobile-friendly website design

Add great images to the list of features most appreciated by your web visitors. Kissmetrics' "7 Tips to Boost Your Site's Conversion Rate Using Images" states about the use of high quality images:

"Many people buy (or book) for emotional reasons. If you make them feel just right, they'll take action. The same rule applies when choosing images for your site. A positive image brings out positive emotions ... Emotions are powerful, and they work."

Forbes' "How to Increase Conversion Rates" mentions a few other features that encourage your web visitors to take action, namely, social proof and great headlines. About social proof, the article states:

"Adding social proof, via customer testimonials to your website virtually always increases conversions."

Regarding headlines, the Forbes' article notes:

"The headlines on your website pages are typically the first thing visitors read, and often compel them to read more or exit your site immediately. The right headline could dramatically increase your conversion rate. So test new headlines frequently."

Add to that list well-crafted property listings and an easy way to book your properties, and your website can be considered a high-performing website optimized for instant bookings.

Kigo's Vacation Rental Website Design Options

Since a great web design is one of your most important marketing tools, Kigo provides a variety of design options to meet your needs. From providing a booking widget to your existing website to custom-designing a new branded website for your vacation property management company, Kigo has you covered.

Kigo's high-performing, mobile responsive designs are just one way the Kigo vacation rental software solution works for you. Want to see more? Simply schedule your no-obligation, web-based demo at your convenience.