| Case Study:
Most Visited Online Directories in the Vacation Rental Market
According to DMOZ.org and Yahoo! Business Directory there are at least 45 online directories in the vacation rental space. The table below shows to top 10 online directories showing the highest market share (e.g. most visited sites) in the vacation rental industry, along with the cost of a basic listing on each of these sites (or network of sites):
Ranking |
Online Directory |
Basic Listing Cost |
1 |
Vrbo.com (owned by HomeAway) |
$229 |
2 |
VacationRentals.com (owned by HomeAway) |
$187 |
3 |
HomeAway.com (HomeAway) |
$299 |
4. |
CyberRentals.com (owned by HomeAway) |
(included in HomeAway) |
5. |
GreatRentals.com (owned by HomeAway) |
(included in HomeAway) |
6. |
Rentalo.com |
$189 |
7. |
A1vacations.com |
(included in HomeAway) |
8. |
Cape Cod Vacation Rentals (weneedavacation) |
$192 |
9. |
ForGetaway.com |
$120 |
10. |
Value Vacation Rentals |
$89 |
The above ranking data was gathered using Hitwise Travel >Destinations and Accommodations Category, March 2008, custom category ranking several fee-based online directories sites within the vacation rental industry.
Conclusion: According to "best practices" as outlined in most business plans, successful businesses invest anywhere from 8% to 10% in marketing their businesses. There is are substantial evidence that confirms that online directories represent a significant source of referrals for vacation rentals.
Therefore, if you own or manage a vacation rental business, above is a short list of the top performing online directories you should start with when investing your first $1,000 dollars or so in marketing your property online.
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