A professional, appealing and functional website should be the only advertising a Bed and Breakfast business ever needs.
By harnessing the power of the Internet it is more than possible to dispense with expensive listings with the Tourist Board, Yellow Pages or commission-hungry agencies.
Today, potential guests prefer to find accommodation online, and to have all their questions on availability, price and facilities answered there and then.
If your website doesn't deliver, it is all too likely that they will move on to one that will.
So how do you ensure your website stays ahead of your competitors'? Follow these 10 guidelines.
1.
Use Professionals DIY business websites are usually a disaster - an amateur site reflects a similarly unprofessional approach to the rest of the business.
Most Bed and Breakfast proprietors will need professional help to achieve the other objectives below.
2.
Easy Navigation If visitors find it difficult to find their way around, they are likely to give up and find a competitor's website that makes it easy.
Keep navigation short, simple and consistent, and ensure the essentials such as price and how to book are readily found.
3.
Visual Appeal Just like any other business website, yours should be pleasing to the eye, with a tastefully coordinated colour scheme which avoids garish and clashing hues and other irritations and distractions such as flashing text, music and intro movies..
4.
Content which Sells Pages showing off the accommodation at its best will be your most important selling tool on the web.
Make sure that text includes not only the basics but also what makes your B&B special.
Pictures must be high quality and appealing - even consider hiring a professional photographer.
5.
Control of Content Ensure that you have control of web page content.
It is vital to keep the site fresh with up to date information and special offers without waiting for your webmaster to get around to the job.
A Content Management System (CMS) is what to look for.
6.
Get Traffic Search Engine Optimisation for B&B websites need not be the daunting and expensive exercise it can be for some businesses.
Because B&B searches tend to focus on location, ensuring adequate keyword density and an entry on Google Maps are often all that is required to obtain good rankings.
7.
Statistics Ensure you know where your visitors come from - a good statistics package will tell you what they search for in Google and so on.
This way you can continually update your keyword content and improve your rankings for the keywords which matter.
8.
Online Payments Often overlooked, taking deposit payments online via a provider such as PayPal can help avoid expensive cancellations and guests who do not bother to turn up.
9.
Availability If a visitor likes the look, location and price of your B&B, his next question is whether you have availability when he wants to stay.
Put this on your website and you are ahead of the competition.
10.
Online Booking Online booking can undoubtedly bring in more business and is popular with clients, but has its downside too - some B&B owners prefer to speak to their guests on the telephone before booking, and it can be expensive.