There is no denying that mobile shopping and browsing are becoming more popular. It is now more crucial than ever for you as a vacation rental proprietor to optimize your website for mobile usage.
The most recent Travel Insight Report from Criteo estimates that up to 80% of last-minute reservations are made on mobile devices. By the end of 2017, 39% of reservations made through online travel firms were made on smartphones. Comparing this to the same period in 2016, there has been an increase of 61%.
A website that lets visitors use their mobile devices to look for lodging, make travel arrangements, and connect with you can make the process easier and increase conversion rates. However, failing to do so will unquestionably reduce your booking volume. How do you ensure your website is optimized for mobile use without losing rankings? Let’s examine the implications for your vacation rental company.
Make Google aware of your website for vacation rentals.
We can only draw one conclusion from these most current statistics: business owners now need to prioritize mobile-friendliness even more. Mobile-friendliness has been a crucial element for ranking since 2015 (when Google updated its mobile search algorithm to only display listings that could be easily viewed on mobile devices).
Sites with poor load times, improper formatting, blocked CSS and Javascript files, and out-of-date Flash animations are now disqualified by Google’s mobile web guidelines. Any of these problems could prevent your listing from appearing in Google’s mobile search results, costing you the opportunity to book a potential customer.
The final word? Owners of vacation rentals no longer have a choice but to be mobile-friendly. Whether you agree with the statistics or not, it is an absolute necessity. Make sure your vacation rental website is optimized unless you want to risk getting buried in Google’s mobile search results.
How Can You Make Sure Your Website Is Mobile-Friendly?
To establish a website optimized for browsing and making reservations on mobile devices, you must pay close attention to four key areas. We’ll look at what they are now.
1. Use responsive web design
By selecting a responsive website design, you can ensure that your website runs flawlessly on non-desktop devices. Responsive websites will automatically resize and adjust to the user’s device. This implies that all elements, including navigation menus, CTA buttons, photos, and text, adjust to the user’s device. It is very critical that your booking engine is responsive as well. With it, potential visitors will be able to find their preferred dates and book a room on your website, which might cause them to visit a rival.
2. Site Speed
The speed of a website is another important aspect that influences ranking. This is much more important on mobile devices, which often use 3G or 4G internet connections rather than fiber-optic WiFi or broadband. Your visitors will likely leave your site if it doesn’t offer a quick and simple experience with speedy loading times on mobile. Your position in the search results may suffer as a result.
3. Local SEO
Since 2011, Google claims a 3400% increase in “near me” searches. 80% of these are from mobile devices, which is staggering! So if you want your listings to rank well, local SEO is another chore to start working on.
Start by claiming all of your property’s internet business listings. That entails, to mention a few, a TripAdvisor business listing, a Bing business listing, a Facebook profile, and a Google My Business page. This will provide an accurate depiction and confirmation of your rental location online. The more places a guest sees the name of your property, the more faith they will have in it. Make sure to include a link to your vacation rental company website in each list. Additionally, it’s critical to use your company name, address, and phone number consistently and accurately; even minor inaccuracies might result in duplicate listings, which could be better for local SEO.
Additionally, you might collaborate with nearby companies to gain links from their reputable regional websites. You can accomplish the same thing by providing links to them on your “things to do” or “restaurant recommendations” pages of your blog or neighborhood guide for your property. Due to the authority these reciprocal connections give your website in your neighborhood, it will rank higher overall and in mobile search results.
4. Modern Website
Your website serves as a representation of your vacation rental, so keeping it current is essential. It will reassure visitors that both you as the host and your rental are dependable. This involves using a font that is simple to read. Even if using a special font could seem like a creative idea, people will only continue to browse the rest of the page if it’s easy to read. The same is true for photographs; they must be mobile device optimized. Imagine if the photo doesn’t fit on the mobile version, and the text replaces the photos, even if it may look fantastic on a PC.
The website templates from Lodgify are optimized for Google’s exacting design standards and are 100% mobile-friendly. With only a few swipes, smartphone customers can quickly see photographs, check dates for availability, and safely book their holiday thanks to our flexible web design. What does that entail for you, then? So you won’t ever need to update your website or worry about supporting every new smartphone, tablet, or mobile device that comes out. We’ve got you covered when it comes to mobile optimization. With complete peace of mind knowing that your website looks fantastic on your guests’ mobile devices as it does on their computer displays, you can concentrate on managing your vacation rental (from your phone or your workplace).
Always use a mobile device to check your website. Consider the steps a potential visitor might take to find and browse your website. You can ensure that your website is well-suited for mobile devices and will provide a wonderful user experience for your visitors by taking the steps outlined here.
