Lay My Hat

Hi guys,

We've recently taken a cottage business over on the Devon Cornwall border and have carried out some renovations to the cottages and relaunched our website.

I know the photo quality isnt good, we're getting a professional photographer in soon to take better pictures, I just had to get up what i had from my phone for the January buzz.

I'm also going to have another page listing our prices and availability all on one page any advice on this would be greatly helpful.

I'd really appreciate any feedback www.glebehousecottages.co.uk

Thanks
Jay

Anyone? I'd really appreciate some feedback.

Thanks.

Sorry, Jay. Just noticed your request

Lovely photos so far - and don't forget when you have added the shots of the completed interiors to adjust your write-up on home page.

It's not clear to me (although I haven't pored over every page yet, so you may have a site and individual cottage layout plan somewhere) whether the usual access to the Granary is up those outside stairs and I assume the family bathroom is ground floor with the bedrooms.

Had difficulty loading the Facilities page (and yes I had removed Scriptblocker!). In the Children's Adventure section - what are swining steps? Did I miss something fun as a child?

In the About Us section - "in an unobtrusive manor" should read "unobtrusive manner" - that spellchecker strikes again!

On your home page, you say luxury country cottages by the coast - but you don't say what coast or indeed what country.

Are you aiming solely at the UK market, because your directions do not include any instructions for overseas arrivals (no mention of any airports or directions from the Channel Tunnel for example).

You take dogs - do you have any doggie rules that perhaps could appear on their own page?

Overall, a lovely bright clean site, very welcoming.
Well done!


Edited to add:
Availability - if I'd set my heart on staying in one particular cottage, I'd rather check availability for that one than have to input specific dates and be told which cottage was available. After all, many people can be a little flexible with their holiday dates.

Wow, what a professional looking website and a good selection of holiday properties. Congratulations!

In the "about us" section, a spelling error - you just need to swap manor for manner.

From a guest perspective, I like to see a price guide, before adding specific dates. Might it be a good idea to add a pricing structure to your prices and availalblity page? Something along the lines of (for example) from £500 - £900 per week, depending on season. That then gives an idea of minimum and maximum rates, setting your stall out, so to speak.

Good luck with your exciting new venture.

That's really usefull feedback! Thank you PW and Jan!!! I'll get cracking with your ideas!!!

Following on from what PW in P mentioned, it is not at all clear where your cottages are at first glance.

I am sure you know about the internet search spider which weaves through text, picking up unique words and phrases. In order for people to be able to find you when using search engines, it is vital to have certain key words within your text which will give you a heightened chance of being found. It is one thing to have a website but you do need to be visible. Plenty of words on each web page really helps it to get picked up online when a potential guest searches.

Consider including some unique words and phrases which apply to your offering within your editorial like: coastal, cottage, old granary, character, family friendly, children, dog friendly (if you are), Bude, Devon, England, Uk, Britain, country retreat, holiday, holiday let, holiday cottage, coastal walks, historic houses, theme parks, beaches, vacation rental, holiday cottage rental, ideal for families, short breaks, summer breaks, winter breaks, (your nearest) airport. The list is endless and I am sure you can think of a myriad of other unique selling points your properties have.

A word of warning, try to vary how the words and phrases are incorporated within your text as too much identical repetition will adversely affect the search results.

I, personally, would also slightly alter the "about us" page to be rather less date specific as we are now moving into a new season, the mention of the end of last year seems a little out of date. Keep it current and looking forward to welcoming guests this year, so it remains relevant to the new year as many guests look for holidays some months in advance.

Hope this helps you get those guests flooding in!

Thanks very much for all the suggestions and guidance, it really has helped me. I've made quite a few changes now including a price list and sorted out my spelling errors! It's always handy to have someone else to look at your site to get a new visitors perspective.