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Key Takeaways
You Probably Don’t Know What You’re Getting Into, And That’s Normal: Most PMs don’t build websites often. It’s a complex, uncommon process, and easy to enter with assumptions that don’t match reality. Knowing that you don’t know is step one to avoiding misalignment and frustration.
Choose an Industry-Specific Website Partner: Avoid generalist agencies—especially those with no vacation rental experience. APIs, booking logic, calendar syncing, and property detail complexity require niche knowledge. Don’t be their first vacation rental client.
Know What You Own (and Don’t): Many vendors build on proprietary CMS platforms. That may work, but be sure to ask:
- Can I take this site with me if we part ways?
- Who owns the files and code?
- What happens during offboarding?
Understand Total Cost of Ownership: Don’t just compare setup fees. A “cheap” website can become expensive through inflated hosting, change fees, or required support retainers. Build a 2–3 year TCO spreadsheet to compare options fairly.
Demand Clarity in the Sales Process: Avoid vague promises. Push for a detailed scope of work in writing. If a vendor is vague or overconfident about complex features, expect trouble. Get specifics—especially around PMS integration, payment flows, and booking UX.
PMS Integration Is Make-or-Break: Ask how your PMS integrates with the website. Look for details about calendar syncing, booking flows, rate accuracy, and how easily you can prevent double bookings.
Don’t Underestimate Content Migration Work: Bringing over hundreds of pages, listings, or blog posts? This is a massive job that often requires formatting, SEO redirect planning, and auditing stale content. Know who is doing what—and how long it will take.
Watch the Transition Phase Closely: Going live is a fragile moment. Redirects must be handled correctly to preserve SEO. If blog content or property URLs break, traffic and rankings can tank overnight. Assign responsibility before launch.
Don’t Assume All Support Is Equal: Some vendors promise fast ticket replies—but never fix the problem. Prioritize time-to-resolution over time-to-response. Ask about ticket volume, how many support agents they have, and what support actually includes.
Collaboration Is Required on Both Sides: A website build is not fire-and-forget. PMs must provide timely feedback, content, approvals, and QA. If one side stops rowing, the project stalls. Your engagement determines its success.
Booking UX Is Core to Conversion: Even beautiful sites fail if the booking experience is clunky. Prioritize speed, intuitive flows, mobile-friendliness, secure payment options, and minimal friction. A good UX will improve direct bookings.
Plan for Scalability, Not Just Now: Your website should grow with your business. Will it support future locations? Add-ons like owner acquisition pages? Content marketing? Choose tech and partners that won’t bottleneck your growth.
What We Cover In This Episode
In this episode of The Heads In Beds Show, we break down the questions to ask when building a vacation rental website in 2025 and beyond. Scope, pricing, vendors to work with, and a LOT more…
