The rise of home-sharing platforms like Airbnb and VRBO has made it easier than ever for hosts to earn income on vacation and short-term rentals. However, these platforms take a significant cut of the profits, often leaving hosts with less than they would make if they were able to book directly with guests. Moreover, policies on these platforms favor guests, also leaving hosts dry and out of control on their listings.

As a result, many hosts have turned to setting up their own websites in an effort to draw guests directly to their rentals. This is known as the direct booking movement.

The problem with direct booking sites

While setting up a website may seem like a simple solution, the reality is that it can be quite challenging for hosts to drive traffic to their sites. This is because search engine optimization (SEO) is a complex and constantly-evolving field. It requires a deep understanding of how search engines work, as well as a lot of time and effort to implement effective strategies.

For hosts who are already stretched thin with the responsibilities of managing their rental properties, the demands of SEO can be overwhelming. As a result, many hosts find that their direct booking websites struggle to get the visibility they need to attract guests.

How the48dots helps increase direct booking website traffic

The48dots aims to solve the problem of boosting a host’s website visibility by aggregating all the direct booking websites for hosts and driving traffic to those sites. By bringing hosts together, the48dots is able to leverage the collective power of the direct booking movement to get more visibility for individual hosts.

How, you may ask? Sending traffic to the host’s direct booking site, improves the site’s ranking on Google because Google looks for ‘backlinks’ to establish authority of websites. This means when the48dots refers guests to your site, your site becomes more reputable on Google search.

How bookings work

Hosts can set up bookings Off-Site (which go straight to your direct booking website) or On-Site (which allow guests to book direct with you via the48dots platform). In this article we’ll focus on booking Off-site, where we direct traffic to your direct booking site.

1. When you set up your listing, select to Redirect bookings and enter the website address you want guests to be sent to.

2. Guests visit the48dots website and browse through the available listings.

3. When they find your listing, we check your settings and send them to your site.

4. Guests are then redirected to your direct booking website, where they can book their stay and pay for their reservation.

5. The host is in control of all communication and policies, and they are able to set their own rates and terms for their rental.

Note: Hosts also have the option to offer direct bookings through the48dots website. If you choose this option, they will pay 0% commission on bookings. One benefit to allowing this is that guests can earn reward points for each booking. Hosts are still in control of all communication and policies, and they are able to set their own rates and terms for their rental.

Either way, the48dots offers a simple advantage of the direct booking movement. The platform is easy to use and only costs $5 per month for hosts to list their rentals.

Why not try it?

the48dots offers a solution to the problem of driving traffic to direct booking websites and gives hosts more control over their properties. Not only does this attract more guests and increase your profits, it also gives you more control over your rentals as a host. With the48dots, hosts can set their own rates, choose their own policies, and interact directly with guests without having to go through a third-party platform.

Plus, you can home swap for free with other hosts…why not treat yourself to a bit more profit and a nice stay when it’s time to relax?