STR listing independence

[Ryan Thomas]

I am looking to create a website to list my STR so I am not reliant on airbnb/ vrbo. My str is not in a vacation area so I am thinking to make a page on lodgify and then buy keywords like " hotels". Any other good keywords? Any other way to drive traffic? Can I expect to make more profit from this (i.e. marketing fees are less than Airbnb service fees) or will independence be the only benefit?

[Michael Greenberg]

Hi Ryan,

I would take a look at other providers similar to Lodgify, there are quite a few options before you commit.  You might also reach out to the folks at Vacation Soup, they are doing some interesting work with online marketing (they're on my list for f/u this coming year) and at one point one of their founders taught a short Wordpress class on building a simple VR website where a potential guest can simply reach out to you for a request.  I think if you're trying to create an entire booking engine site, you're going to spend a fair amount of time, & money creating and managing a site; more than what Airbnb is charging in commissions.  Also, check out a website called getapp, they allow you to search for apps that provide some features you may be looking for.

Best,

Mike