HomeAway Summit SEO

Easy and Effective Search Engine Optimization

Increase Traffic to Your Site

WarningThe websites used as examples in this presentation are chosen completely at random. I am not trying to hurt anyone’s feelings.

What is SEO?

Answer A: Manipulating site code, content, and linking structures to rank a site for a specific keyword or keywords.

Answer B: Assisting searchers find the information they seek online by optimizing website structure and content.

A or B?

B

Assisting searchers find the information they seek online by optimizing website structure and content.

DEFINE YOUR GOALS

Bad Goals

Rank #1 for vacation homes

Homeaway has this in the bag. You’ve got better fish to fry.

This is unpersonalized search. Set to national results. All national results.

With personalized search it adds in locations and local results, but still very national as Google doesn’t know where the user wants a vacation home.

Rank #1 for business name

You’ve already done this if you have a unique name and website.

Rank #1 for [location] hotel

Rank #1 for [location] hotel

Good Goals

Increase bookings by 20%

Increase bookings by 20%

Sell out Summer 2012

Helps to have numbers though. Goals are better with numbers.

Increase Profit!

AssetRound Up

HomeAway Property Page

HomeAway Profile Page

Link to YOUR site

Website

Tips for a More

Successful Website

1. Hire a GREAT Photographer

All Homes in the “lower” range.

Alt Text: Key West Vacation Home Exterior

SEO Tip: Alt TagsDescribe this image!• Blind Users• Search Engines• Image Search

Other Use: Pinterest

Pinterest drives traffic not sales.

It’s the images that make people want to go there!

Other Use: Pinterest

The person pinned this page rather than the location page because there is no data on the location page.

2. Great Customer Service

1. Be exceptional.2. Answer questions,

address issues.3. Don’t get mad!.

How does this help SEO?

Reviews influence how your company and brand is perceived. The better

you are, the more people talk about, share, and

link to you.

Stats on Reviews

3XOn average, a restaurant with more than 20 reviews and a 4 star rating on Yelp has three times more page view traffic than a restaurant with more than 20 reviews and a 5 star rating.

Properties with just 3 reviews receive on average 23% more enquiries than those with no reviews.

95% of travelers said that reviews would be extremely helpful in selecting a vacation rental home

“What do I do when someone just emails me a review?”

VacationRentalOwner

AnyDay 12:00 AM

Psst … Put it on your website!

Use the copy on the location page!• Testimonials page isn’t

great for multi-property sites.

• Adding testimonials to the property page adds new content to the page.

(More on this later)

3. Add Tracking Tools

Google Analytics

Good Guide: http://goo.gl/XGryG

Google Webmaster Tools

Bing Webmaster Center

4. Write Different Content

1. One Description of the home for your site.

2. One Description for each vacation home rental site (VRBO, Homeaway, TripAdvisor)

TIP: Get a friend, family member, or past customer to describe it for you.

The idea is to ensure that people searching for your property gets to your property no matter how they get there. The copy can be similar, not the same.

The Number of Keywords on a Page Doesn’t Matter

5. Leave the Ads Alone

Google is going after sites with too many ads.

6. Focus on Your Call to Action

Track those Calls to Action

1. Have a thank you page for each action and know the URL.a) Contact Usb) Completed Reservation

2. Use that URL as a goal in Google Analytics.

a) http://goo.gl/nc89Z

7. Keep Them coming back

Be the Expert – Blog!

Place Resources on Your Site

Give them the information they need to make their stay the best ever!

1. Rules for Stay2. Instructions on Arrival3. Instruction on Departure4. Internet Access Details5. Where to Shop, Eat, Visit6. How to Review You after their Stay

Make Friends and Market!

You: Vacation Rental in South CarolinaNext to You: Vacation Rental in Texas

• Would your clients like to go to Texas? • How about theirs? Is their next

vacation in South Carolina?• What if you worked together?

8. Link Building

Directories are a waste of time.If it’s easy and fast, it’s almost

worthless.

Use Relationships for Links

You: Vacation Rental in South CarolinaNext to You: Vacation Rental in Texas

• Would your clients like to go to Texas?

• How about theirs? Is their next vacation in South Carolina?

• What if you worked together?

COP

YHow do reviews help SEO?Reviews influence how your company and brand is perceived. The better you are, the more people talk about, share, and link to you.COP

Y

Best Links

• Guest Posts• Area Blogs• Travel Sites• Other Home Sites

• Charity/Donation (don’t do it for the link)• News Stories (get to know your local journalists!)

Use who you know, what you know, and get people talking about you!

9. Google Places

1. Claim your business www.google.com/places/

2. Fill in all information• Name - Give it a name, not

“Location Vacation Home” – Stand Out

• Address of Business• Phone number• Website Address (can use

Homeaway or VRBO listing if you want)

• Pictures and Video!3. Get clients to review you!

It’s easy but it HAS to be done by YOU. Google verifies your business, and it’s best if you do it and control it.

Thank You!

Questions?

@katemorris

June 18-19, 2012Advanced actionable SEO training from industry leaders

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