In the years I’ve been hosting Airbnbs and other short-term rentals, I’ve come across various perspectives on the use of and need for a direct booking site. Many people don’t think it’s necessary, insisting that they can get plenty of business just by listing on Airbnb alone.
I’m sure they’re right – for now.
Remember when Facebook first started? When they were in their infancy. You could market to an enormous audience, without paying anything at all – or at least very little. Then Facebook pulled off the biggest bait-and-switch in the history of the world. Where now people have to spend big bucks for the privilege of marketing to their audiences on Facebook.
Airbnb is the same thing. If you’re putting all of your eggs in 1 basket by assuming you’ll be able to continue getting consistent bookings from Airbnb alone, you’re being naïve and setting yourself up for failure. Perhaps you’re right, and nothing will change for many years.
But perhaps you’re wrong.
Maybe so many people will start hosting that the market will be flooded. Maybe Airbnb will only accept Plus hosts. Perhaps they won’t accept any new hosts at all. Maybe they’ll start charging a huge fee to list with them. Maybe they’ll get regulated out of existence. My point here is not to scare you with the unknowns. It’s to emphasize that you don’t know what the future holds, and you need to be prepared for whatever it brings.
That’s why I’m adamant that every host who’s serious about making money through short-term rentals should have their own direct booking website.
What is that exactly?
Put simply, it’s a website where guests can book with you directly, without having to find you through a 3rd party website like Airbnb. Many people find themselves intimidated by a direct booking site. They think that they either need to spend lots of time building a site from scratch, or spend lots of money every month for a plug-and-play service to host their site for them. Neither of those is true.
I use a service that will allow me to set up a fully functioning, professional looking direct booking site in less than 5 minutes.
It’s called the iGMS Website Builder, and with it, you can set up your website and start generating direct bookings within minutes.
No coding knowledge is needed. All you have to do is click the “Create Website” button and convert your Airbnb listing into a fully functional professional website. Refine your direct booking website by adding your logo, cover image, and customized domain name.
Learn more about the iGMS intuitive Website Builder now.
