When it comes to vacation rentals, standing out from the crowd is a huge challenge. With so many options available, property owners need to craft listings that catch a guest’s attention. A well-optimized listing doesn’t just increase visibility -it drives more bookings and higher revenue.
As an experienced property management company, Urbanize has extensive experience helping owners craft captivating listings that get clicks and get bookings. Here are our top tips for standing out online.
1. Choose the Right Name
The name of your listing is absolutely critical for getting found online. It’s also the most difficult part of your online listing. When deciding what to name your listing, you should keep a few key principles in mind:
- Guests will likely be searching based on location, so including a city or town name can help them find you.
- Likewise, highlighting a unique amenity can help you stand out in search results for guests looking for that feature. Examples include: pool, dog friendly, private yard, and downtown location.
- Sites like Airbnb and Vrbo will have a character limit for names. A good rule of thumb is to aim for 60 characters max.
- A unique name for your property will help it feel more personable. “Lil’ Blue,” “The Loft,” “Alford’s Artisan Nook” are all examples of memorable names.
- The human brain likes alliteration. As an example - instead of “Warm Cottage,” choose “Cozy Cottage” to create a catchier name.
When in doubt, a good formula for a winning name is: [Unique Feature + Catchy Name] in [Location]
Of course, feel free to beef up the formula with some additional touches. You can see this formula in action in some of our examples below:
Lil’ Blue - Hot Tub Oasis in Loveland
Brick & Balcony Retreat in the Heart of Downtown Greeley
Harrison Hideout ~ Dog-friendly ~ Private Yard in Loveland
Get more ideas by browsing our property listings
2. Know Your Ideal Guest(s)
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Not every vacation home is the right fit for every traveler - but you want your right fit people to always find your rental. A good way to help that is by having a clear picture in mind of your ideal guest(s) based on your rental. You may have a few personas to keep in mind, but some of the most common are:
- Large families or groups (family reunions, friend retreats, company events)
- Families taking a vacation, with teenage or adult children
- Families taking a vacation, with children
- Parents traveling to visit college students
- A couple on a romantic getaway
- A single traveler coming for an event or business trip
- Multiple travelers coming for an event or business trip and rooming together
Each of these travelers want unique features they’re looking for. A large family attending a reunion will be looking for properties with multiple bedrooms, a large kitchen, and gathering areas. By contrast, a couple on a romantic getaway might be looking for a unique property and a hot tub.
When you keep these ideal guests in mind, you can craft your description around the features that they care about the most.
3. Don’t Skimp on Photos
Photos are absolutely make-or-break for your online listing. If there’s one area you shouldn’t try to DIY, it’s definitely photography. Investing in professional, staged photos of your property will massively increase your likelihood of getting bookings.
When gathering photos, keep these tips in mind:
- Lighting is essential. You want your photos to use as much natural light as possible. If taking nighttime photos to showcase features, take daytime versions as well.
- The more, the better. It’s a lot easier to condense the number of photos you upload than to realize you missed a key area in your photography. For vacation rentals, it’s important to showcase sleeping areas, gathering spots, and kitchens.
- Invest in staging. Staging your photos professionally is vital for showcasing your property in its best light.
The photos of your property will be what your potential guests use to decide if they want to consider your property or keep scrolling. Grainy, blurry, and dark photos are unappealing and showcase a lack of care to your potential guests
Maximize Your Property’s Performance with Urbanize
As an investment owner or property owner, it can be overwhelming to manage your rentals on your own. From tenant screening and lease management to property maintenance and financial reporting, Urbanize takes care of all aspects of managing your northern Colorado rental property.
Explore our Management Services for Property Owners in Northern Colorado
Urbanize provides luxury short-term rental homes in Northern Colorado. For guests, we provide beautiful, clean homes in Loveland and Fort Collins. You can book your short-term stay on our website or find us on Airbnb. For property owners, we provide critical management services, cleaning services, and inventory management so you can rent your property stress-free.