7 Essential Ways to Increase Visibility & Bookings on Expedia for Vacation Rentals
Vacation rentals now account for roughly 2 million listings on Expedia sites.
When property managers list with Expedia, they benefit from its massive global brand awareness, reaching millions of travelers they could never access on their own. That’s because when you list vacation rentals on Expedia, your properties also appear on Expedia’s portfolio of global travel sites, including Vrbo, Hotels.com, Orbitz, and Travelocity. You can even package stays with over 500 airline partners, 175 car rental companies, and 35,000 activities.
But with over three million total accommodation listings on Expedia, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd. Here are seven ways short-term rental properties can stand out—and seven ways you can increase visibility and bookings on Expedia.
1. Maximize Your Content Score
Your Content Score is Expedia’s rating of the quality of your listing, to a maximum score of 100. After you’ve listed your property, you’ll find its score in Partner Central under Property Details, along with recommendations for improving it.
Strive for a perfect score by following all of Expedia’s suggestions. The higher the score, the higher your visibility on Expedia because it demonstrates that your listing information and policies will appeal to travelers. And the top listings in search results always get the most clicks.
2. Complete Your Listings Thoroughly
Amenities are important factors in your Content Score. Provide as much information as possible about your amenities to help Expedia match it with travelers looking for properties like yours. This should include room amenities such as views, bathroom features, and climate control, and property amenities like recreation facilities, airport transportation, and local attractions.
The photos you upload are just as important. Add lots of high-quality, high-resolution photos showcasing different aspects of your unit and property, including a high-impact primary image. Areas should be well-lit, uncluttered, and realistically depicted. Ideally, you should upload 20 to 30 photos in total, depending on the property. (Click here to learn more about how to make your rentals stand out with great visual content.)
3. Optimize Your Search & Sort Factors
Recently, Expedia replaced Quality Scores with a new system called Search and Sort Factors. The system is based on two main components:
- Offer Strength. A measure of how complete your listing content is and how competitive your rates and availability are.
- Guest Experience. A measure of how frequently your property delivers great guest experiences, taking into account relocation and refund rates and average guest ratings.
Taken together, these factors impact your sort order – where your listing appears in results when travelers search for accommodation in your area. The stronger your factors, the higher your listing may appear in the sort order.
4. Maintain a Dynamic Pricing Strategy
Static seasonal rates are old-school. Today, travelers expect prices to fluctuate and are willing to pay a premium on busy dates and for added convenience. To attract bookings during slow times and drive higher rates during busy times, maintain a dynamic pricing strategy, regularly adjusting rates according to changes in market demand, occupancy, time of year, day of the week, local events, and competitor behavior.
In Partner Central, you’ll find all sorts of revenue management tools and insights to help you understand pricing and demand in your region. Use them to position your rates competitively, ensuring you never leave money on the table.
5. Participate in Expedia Promotions
Expedia offers a variety of promotional opportunities to help you attract more bookings, target high-value travelers, and fill need dates. Depending on the promotion, you can target specific audiences based on booking or travel dates, length of stay, or location, pay for premium positioning in the sort order, or choose to pay with a discounted rate, extra commission, or pay-per-click model.
Popular promotions for vacation rental property managers include Members Only, Mobile Offers, Packages, Campaigns, and Accelerator. Be careful not to participate in too many promotions or offer such high commissions and discounts that they consume a disproportionate amount of your profit margins. Start small and keep a close eye on performance, adjusting parameters or opting out as needed to meet objectives. (Did you know? The team of Client Success Managers at VacayHome Connect handles promotions on behalf of property managers.)
6. Improve Guest Reviews & Ratings
Online reviews play an essential role in traveler booking decisions and are a vital source of guest feedback for guiding improvements to attract more travelers. On Expedia, ratings also play a role in determining your visibility in search results.
Monitor guest feedback closely and respond to all reviews to show you’re listening and striving to improve. Earn five-star reviews by making guests feel welcome and well-oriented to your property and the local area, by providing quality amenities that surprise and delight, and by maintaining a spotless, immaculate home. Always be helpful, courteous, and responsive to guest needs and willing to go the extra mile. All this will help create loyal guests who write rave reviews and can’t wait to come back.
7. Work with a Connectivity Partner
Managing OTA listings and promotions can be a lot of work. A distribution provider or channel manager will save you hours of time by connecting your properties to Expedia, Booking.com, Airbnb, Tripadvisor, and other distribution channels, allowing you to manage your listings, rates, and availability from one centralized dashboard. And the more channels you’re listed on, the higher your visibility and the more bookings you will generate.
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About VacayHome Connect
VacayHome Connect is the leading full-service distribution provider for vacation rentals. More than just cutting-edge software, we provide a suite of services to help property managers drive more bookings and better serve their guests. Our API connects you seamlessly to top-producing distribution channels, including Expedia, Vrbo, Booking.com, Airbnb, Tripadvisor, and their global affiliates, as well as exclusive membership and loyalty programs. Contact us today to learn how we can help increase visibility and bookings on Expedia—and all other OTAs.