FROM CONCEPTION TO LAUNCH

Important Tips For a Successful Vacation Rental Website Build

ALISA HOLMES

15 Years of Experience in Website Development

Webmaster

Support Manager

Project Manager

Sales Consultant

6+ Years in the Vacation Rental Industry

Confused By…

Verbiage

Contract Scopes

Terms & Conditions

Overwhelmed By…

Interviewing Developers

Comparing Proposals

Unprepared for…

Providing proper deliverables

The amount of engagement required

by their own internal resource

Unforeseen changes needed to the

original scope of work

Recipe for…

Bad Partnerships

Higher Development Costs

A Sub-Par Final Product

How do we avoid this?

Strategic Planning Important things to consider upfront

Understanding the Process What does this look like? Some important things to consider during it

Looking Forward What to expect & consider after the site launches

Strategic PlanningEducate Yourself

Learn relevant terminology and how it relates to your website and the

decision making process

Audit Your Existing Efforts Determine what you have vs. what you need

The Proposal Process Outline what you are looking for so developers can provide you with

feedback, a concise scopes of work, and fair estimates

Educate Yourself

3 Terms You Must KnowPMS

(Property Management Software)

Software application used to automate functions like guest bookings

and much more

API (Application Programming Interface)

Feed of information generated by software components to

communicate with each other

CMS (Content Management System)

A computer program that allows publishing, editing, and modifying

content on a website from a central location

ABCs of Online MarketingSEM Search Engine Marketing

SEO Search Engine Optimization

PPC Pay-Per-Click

SMMSocial Media Marketing

Static Pagesvs

Dynamic Pages

Static Web Page http://www.compass-resorts.com/propertymanagement.htm

Delivered to the user

exactly as stored

Displays the same

information for all

users

Dynamic Web Pagehttp://www.booerealty.com/rental/results.html?User=BOO8986&Photos=&Limit=10&Start=1&Avail=20120908&Stay=7&NR=13&msg=

Generated at the

time of access by a

user

Change as a result of

interaction with the

user

Template Sites

vs

Custom Sites

Template SitesPros

Shorter Build Time

Less Expensive

Cons

Limited Branding Options

Customizations May Not Be Available

Competition May Have a Similar Site

May Limit SEO Options

Custom Sites

Pros

Unique to your branding

SEO opportunities abundant

Customizations can be implemented

specific to your business model.

Cons

Higher upfront cost

Longer development time

Maintenance

Mobile Websitevs

Responsive Website

Mobile Websites 2 separate websites

www.mittromney.com

m.mittromney.com

Allows you to customize the experience based on the

device a visitor is using

Responsive Websites 1 website

www.barackobama.com

All content lives under “one roof” Allows users to have the same experience no matter what

device they are using by adjusting the layout or content to

fit the browser window.

Site ArchitectureThe blue print for the navigation scheme of your website

Site Architecture

Responsible for how users move through your site

If structured properly makes it easy to find what users are looking for

Helps emphasize shorter paths to key areas directing users to accomplish the goals of your site

Do an Internal Audit

Property Management

Software The biggest piece of the VRM

website puzzle

Are you taking full advantage of it?

Does it provide an API to 3rd party vendors?

Ask Yourself…

What is and is not currently

working for me?

Functionality Working

Needs improvement

Missing

Consistent complaints or compliments? Design

Structure

Functionality

What is the site traffic like? How do they get there?

How long do they stay?

Where do they go?

What is your visibility

throughout the search

engines?

How is it affecting

internal resources?

What Do I Need?

Functionality

Booking Engine

Lead Capture

Other Helpful Tools &

Widgets

Design

Custom or Template

Mobile Strategy

How do we cater to mobile users?

Goals of your site

What works best for YOUR clientele

What works best for your budget

SEM

Strategy for implementation

How do you protect your current search

visibility?

Who will handle this?

Internal Resource or 3rd Party Consultant

Room to Grow

What changes or additions do your foresee in the future?

Larger inventory

New types of units

New content

Changing industry trends

Internal Resource

The build

Updates & maintenance

Content!!!! What content do I need?

How will my site architecture

support it?

Who will write it?

Who will optimize it?

Who will update it after launch?

Don’t copy from other sites!

The Proposal Process

What’s the best approach?

Write an RFP!

Request For Proposal

A document that invites developers to submit a

proposal on a specific project.

Supports effective communication

Speeds up the decision process

Establishes a common understanding of the outcome

Lower the bottom line

Hire a consultant or write it yourself?

RFP Company Information

Location

Current site

Inventory size and description

What sets you apart from your competition?

Budget

Be upfront

Helps developer write a proposal

RFP

Project Details

Purpose/goal of the site

Design expectations

Property Management Software details

Booking engine expectations

Unit types (houses/condos)

Restrictions

Unique business rules

Other functionality you expect to have on the site

RFP

Time Frame

Turn around of requested proposal

Internal decision

Project time frame

Examples

Design

Functionality

Contact Info

Two points of contact

Compare Proposals & Choose a Developer

Lowest cost

Fastest time frame

Highest quality

Comparing Cost

Up front cost?

Payment terms?

Recurring/monthly fees?

Support

Fixed or an estimate?

Itemized or packaged?

Cost of future updates & functionality?

3rd Party Fees

Property Management Software

Secure certificates

Domain registration

Other ancillary services

Considering Time Frame

Estimates or guarantee

How does the developer plan to stick

to it?

Impact to your business

Consider Quality

Scope of Work

Is the scope of work (SOW) completely reflective of your

expectations?

Requirements

Does the proposal deliver exactly what you need in

terms of functional requirements?

Experience

Does the developer have experience building websites

for other VRM companies with the same requirements

you have provided?

Longevity

How long has the developer been in business?

Adaptability Is the developer up-to-date with industry standards?

References What do their current clients say about them?

Relationship Do you communicate well with them?

Do you trust them?

Now What? Know the project team and their roles

Understand the process and expectations Helps expedites the project time frame

Cuts down on unexpected expenditures

Project Team

Your Internal Resource

Developer’s Team

Sales Consultant

Project Manager

Designer

Programmer

Marketing Consultant

The Build…1. Team Meeting

2. Design Concept

3. Design Comps

4. Design revisions

5. Design Approval

6. Build & Programming

7. Developer Testing

8. Client Preview

9. Client Testing

10. Revisions

11. Client Preview

12. Client Approval

13. Launch

14. Testing

Meeting Deliverables

The building blocks needed to complete each phase of

the project

You

Images

Content

Review/Approvals

Developer

Comps

Website

Meeting Deliverables

Dictates the flow of the project

Requires effective communication between your internal resource and the developer’s project manager

What are they?

When they are needed?

How they should be delivered?

Be specific!

Effective Design Why is design important?

Tells your story

Suggests internal order

Distinguishes you from your competition

Important build blocks

Logo/branding

Photography

Usability first!

Communicate your vision effectively

Beyond the Scope of WorkWork not included in the original estimate

Budget Breakers

You change your mind

Request services that the developer had not originally

proposed

Additional pages

New functionality

Customizations to proposed functionality

You have not provided the proper deliverables

You ask to expedite development

Budget Breakers

Don’t Pay For…

Additional hours spent by developer because the original

scope wasn’t met

Developer delivered a product that didn’t work

Tools were added to the site that weren’t requested

Looking Forward

Upgrades & Additions

What’s available?

Who do I contact?

Updates from your developer

Support

Contact

Process

Cost

Analytics

Measure short-term and long-term successes

Knowing the behavior of your visitors helps

determine usability

Helps to evaluate profitability of 3rd party

partnerships

Evolving Technology

New 3rd party products

New browsers

New devices

Redesign?

Technology has surpassed your site

The website no longer matches your

existing branding

The design looks outdated compared to

your competitors

Alisa Holmes

Alisa@VisualDataSystems.com

410-964-8665 ext. 234