When deciding whether to create your own site page you need to be clear as to what it can and cannot do. There are people out there who will tell you that they can get you ranked on Google’s first page, they can drive traffic to your site, they will tell you that you will need this and that and will create a completely unrealistic picture of what your site can achieve. Let’s look at what they promise:
We can get you ranked on Google’s first page –
Anyone who tells you this is not telling you the whole truth. Think of how you would look for a vacation home in Florida. What search terms would you use? Would it be something like this?
1 Vacation Rental 79,900,000
2 Florida Vacation Rental 34,500,000
3 Disney Vacation Rental 10,600,000
4 Florida Holiday Homes 18,400,000
5 Florida Holiday Homes 41,800,000
Look at the huge numbers of links returned by these search terms and you see that they cannot possibly do what they are claiming. They may cover themselves by getting you listed under some obscure search term that no one is ever likely to enter; you need to think like a potential renter.
We can drive traffic to your site -
There are ways to do this and they are either expensive or frowned on by some search engines. AdWords do work but can be expensive as you pay every time someone clicks on your link and the cost can quickly mount up. Web rings can work also but Google now frowns on these and unless you are very careful it can count against you when it comes to your page rank.
If you are tempted to have your site built and managed by one of these companies make sure that you ask for references. Ask to see other sites they have been involved with then contact the site administrator to find out how they helped.
You should view your web site as an online brochure or a shop window where people can get more information about your property. Having a website that is clear, easy to navigate and has good quality photos can make the difference between someone booking your property rather than another home.
In essence it is a good idea to have your own website as long as you are realistic about what it can achieve.
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