{"id":3204,"date":"2015-07-03T10:58:41","date_gmt":"2015-07-03T10:58:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pmpazure.co.uk\/blog\/?p=3204"},"modified":"2015-10-02T19:21:47","modified_gmt":"2015-10-02T19:21:47","slug":"how-to-create-an-effective-homepage-for-your-holiday-let-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.promotemyplace.com\/blog\/how-to-create-an-effective-homepage-for-your-holiday-let-website","title":{"rendered":"How to Create an Effective Homepage for Your Holiday Let Website"},"content":{"rendered":"

Think of your homepage as the \u2018grand entrance\u2019 to your holiday rental website.<\/p>\n

You want your visitors to marvel at it.<\/p>\n

In other words, it needs to make an impact – to entice and lure them in.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s generally the first page people will come to when they find your website, so don\u2019t rush it.<\/p>\n

The three key elements an effective homepage should have are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Quality images \u2013 both of the property and<\/em> local area<\/li>\n
  2. Engaging text \u2013 in content, style and formatting<\/li>\n
  3. Direction \u2013 using calls to action<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Step One – Images to give your website that WOW factor.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    What\u2019s the one thing you\u2019re trying to achieve through your website?<\/p>\n

    \u2026. we\u2019re guessing it\u2019s enquiries.<\/p>\n

    And what\u2019s that age old saying \u2026 a picture speaks a thousand words?<\/p>\n

    So be smart with the photos you add to your homepage.<\/p>\n

    The home page acts as the gateway to the rest of your website. The objective is to give your visitors a positive first impression and make them want<\/em> to find out more.<\/p>\n

    The quickest and easiest way to do that is with a selection of high quality photos.<\/p>\n

    If your website has a header image, place a few of your best<\/em> photos here – the more photos you display, the better idea your website visitors will have of the property and its location. If your website doesn\u2019t have slideshow functionality, select the one<\/em> photo that best showcases your accommodation.<\/p>\n

    What makes a good header image?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Something that makes people want to stay at your property.<\/p>\n

    It could be an inviting photo of a private pool, a hot tub on the deck, an idyllic view from your garden, a panoramic of your local beach, or a great photo of the property itself.<\/p>\n

    Try taking a few photos in different locations, at different times of day and of the year, and see what works best.<\/p>\n

    But they need to work hard to \u2018sell\u2019 a holiday. An escape. A time to forget about everyday life. Make them look desirable and you\u2019re half way to getting an enquiry.<\/p>\n

    And remember, all<\/em> computer monitors are in landscape format. So make sure your header photos conform. If not, they will make the header image too tall, forcing your visitors to scroll down the page to see the whole image plus<\/em> the content below.<\/p>\n

    What about the page itself, should you include photos here too?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Ideally, yes.<\/p>\n

    Depending on how your website is formatted, you may have an area that\u2019s perfectly suited to display more photos.<\/p>\n

    These photos should vary – giving an overview of your accommodation and<\/em> the local area.<\/p>\n

    For example, you could display a photo of:<\/p>\n