Vacation rental listings play a vital role in your booking success. A good listing has the power not only to bring in more bookings, but also to increase your overall reputation. Despite the obvious importance of well-crafted listings, many vacation rental owners assume that they can put something together quickly without putting too much time and effort into it.

One of the many benefits of vacation rental management is that it gives you access to marketing as well as bookings management, day to day management and guest services. What this means for you as a rental owner is that you will have total peace of mind in knowing that your listings are always designed to perform.

To help you understand how vacation rental listings can make or break your success, here are a few commonly made mistakes to avoid.

Vacation Rental Listings Mistakes

Some of the worst mistakes to make with your vacation rental listings include the following:

• Spelling and grammar mistakes

Above all else, your listings need to be free of typos. It may not seem like a big deal if you are not a spelling whiz, but, in reality, spelling and grammar mistakes can affect your reputation. And we don’t mean in a good way, either. Typos send the message that you are lazy, disinterested and not bothered with making an effort. It can also make you seem unprofessional. Make sure that your listings are free of errors. If your listings are not crafted by your rental manager’s marketing team, you can hire or ask someone to go over the listings with fresh eyes to be sure that there are no errors. Always use a spell checking programme as well.

• Not updating or revising your listings each season

Another big mistake is not reviewing or updating your vacation rental listings on a regular basis. Generally, it is best to update your listings at the start of every season, to be on the safe side. As so much can change in this industry, it is vital that your vacation let listings are current. Using outdated rates and information can greatly damage your vacation rental reputation. It can also lead to confusion and poor reviews if it means that guests pay more than the advertised rate. Keeping your photographs fresh is equally important. Aim to book an annual shoot to be sure that your rental is accurately featured in your listing images.

• Hard to read format

How easily can your listings be read? Have you added plenty of bullets and paragraphs in the text? A common mistake is a listing description that is comprised of a huge chunk of text that is hard to read. This may seem like a small issue. If potential guests battle to get information on your property however, it will put them off booking. Make it as easy as possible for guests to find out about your rental. Break up the content into easy to manage paragraphs, with plenty of bulleted lists that further enhance the readability. This will go a long way in helping your listings stand out for all the right reasons.

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Ready to learn more about how to optimise your listings as well as your overall strategies? Contact the Totalstay team today to learn more about our comprehensive approach to vacation rental management. We will help you get the most from your vacation rental listings, while also ensuring that your property is expertly managed every step of the way.