How today's guests book

The role of portals, Google & homepage on the way to a booking should not be underestimated. Only those who know what makes guests tick when they search for a vacation on the Internet can prepare themselves optimally and be present in the right places. Here are a few explanations and tips for your internet presence.

The variety of information on the Internet does not make the search any easier for the guest. And for the landlord, the dependency on internet portals increases, as you should appear in as many places as possible. What's more, guests search using computers, tablets and smartphones - so you should also have adapted your own homepage technically (responsive design).

Once guests have completed their rough planning, they are primarily interested in the benefits, prices and availability of the accommodation. How do most guests proceed here?

• Homepage of the tourism association (www.wipptal.at) ---> in most cases further click to the homepage of the host, if available 
• Marketing connections e.g. Urlaub am Bauernhof, private landlord association, mountaineering villages,... ---> here, too, the guest can click through to your own homepage, if possible
• Booking.com ---> offers are checked - the availabilities on Booking.com also have an influence on the Google search, the rating platforms such as Holiday Check, Trip Advisor - only if availabilities are activated, you will be displayed in the search with date
• Review platforms ---> in addition to Booking.com, the guest also checks review platforms such as Holiday Check, Trip Advisor, Zoover (Netherlands),... for the reviews of a business
• Google search ---> search often geographically via Google Maps or with special keywords e.g. vacation with dog (Booking.com cannot filter this) - important is a "company profile entry" on Google (free of charge), where the guest can already see pictures, contact details and location ---> further click on your own homepage, if available

"Small landlords can't be present everywhere."

Cost and time limit the options for most people. Nevertheless, there are a few points WITHOUT which the Internet is NOT possible:

1. Own convincing homepage - when searching for a vacation, guests ALWAYS visit the homepage. Provide 3 to 5 arguments why a guest should book exactly at this accommodation and for which vacationers the house is perfect (e.g. transients, families, couples,...). In addition, up-to-date images and an enquiry/booking option so that the guest can check availability and prices straight away. Good directions (car, train, bus, plane) and service information (e.g. ski equipment rental points if you have a lot of skiers) are also important.
2. Perfect presence & bookability on the TVB Wipptal website (Feratel) - with a short text description, current images (min. 10 images), prices and availability (min. 80% in the content score)
3. Perfect presence on the portal of your own offer group - Urlaub am Bauernhof, Privatvermieterverband, Bergsteigerdörfer, etc.
4. Google business profile (free) - entry in Google Maps with pictures, contact details etc., all you need is a Google Mail address. Set up a Google business profile here
5. Holiday Check entry (free) - entry on this rating platform often already exists (first search for it in Google) and then claim entry for yourself (connection with house after registration) and add pictures, contact details, description - you will also receive an e-mail when there is a new review and you can reply to reviews. Set up Holiday Check here
6. Trip Advisor entry (free) - entry is often already available (search for it first) and then claim it for yourself or create a new entry with pictures, contact details, descriptions etc. Set up Trip Advisor here