How to Optimize Vacation Rental Website for SEO in 2025 – 6 Strategies to Get Found Online & Increase Bookings

If you are looking for a vacation rental, a flight, a new mixer, or a cell phone contract, they all have something in common: at some point in the buying process, from the idea to the purchase, you will probably search for a website for what you want. Most likely on Google or an alternative search engine.

Everything can be found on the Internet these days, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find. Whether on Google or Bing, in the Safari browser, or Firefox – very few people scroll further than the first page when searching for something on the Internet. In simple words, this means: if you are not among the top 10-15 results that Google or another search engine spits out, you cannot really be found organically.

But what does organic mean? What is SEO and is SEO different from SEA? How to do SEO with a vacation rental website? Let’s address all of these questions so that you can get an overview of SEO for vacation rentals and the search engines and land your website high up in the Google results.

What is SEO?

SEO is an abbreviation for search engine optimization and is particularly relevant for online marketing.

There are many options in online marketing, but today, we are concentrating on search engines, i.e., Google, Bing, Safari & Co. There are two relevant advertising media in this area: SEO and SEA. The “search engine” is included in both, but SEA stands for search engine advertising. So what is the difference?

Both SEO and SEA have the same goal: to be found as high up in the Google results as possible. However, they have different ways of getting there.

• SEA is classified as paid marketing. Translated, this means that it is advertising that has to be paid for. Money is spent on certain search terms in order to appear as “sponsored” within the first few results.
• SEO, on the other hand, is in the organic area of ​​marketing, meaning it aims – as the name suggests – to achieve greater awareness in a natural way.

Search engine optimization is concerned with optimizing your own website so that Google sees it as relevant and displays it as high up as possible. There are several options, tips, and tricks for this, which we will discuss shortly.

Can I Do SEO for My Own Vacation Rental Website?

In short and to the point: yes! Anyone who has their own website can do SEO, even for a vacation rental. However, it is not as easy to rank high (= appear high on Google) as it is for other businesses. The booking portals have immense authority. Because many people looking for a vacation rental also click directly on the large booking portals, it isn’t easy to land on Google ahead of big names like Airbnb or Booking.com.

But there are a few tips and tricks on how you can possibly manage to appear among the top results on search engines. We look at the basic do’s and don’ts and a few tips on how you can get your vacation rental website to appear as high as possible.

6 Simple Tips for Your Vacation Rental Website

So that you can start with search engine optimization right away, we have put together a few tips to help you do SEO for vacation rentals and rank higher.

1. Register your website on Google

In order to be found, Google needs to know your site. To do this, the very first thing you should do is create a domain that matches your brand and register it.

Create a domain

The domain, i.e., the address of your website, is like the name. It is the most important thing and the core of your holiday apartment website. This is where your SEO journey should begin.

A suitable domain name is essential for the authority of your website. After all, you probably wouldn’t click on www.myvacrentals.com to book your holiday apartment. The right domain increases the number of visitors and also your ranking in search engines.

To improve your ranking, you should follow these rules:

• Avoid hyphens and other separators in your name, as Google may view these as spam and affect your ranking.
• Keep the name short, concise, and memorable. The name of the brand, i.e. your business, is also important for this. Ideally, your domain should be a maximum of 15 letters long. Guests can remember short domains better,r and typos are less common.

Register your website on Google Search Console

The domain now exists, but Google doesn’t necessarily know about that. Google Search Console is a program to gain insights into your website’s ranking. Here, you can see whether your website is registered with Google (=indexed). To index your page manually, simply login to GSC with your Google account, look for the Indexing block in the menu, and click on Pages. You can now enter your domain in the search bar at the top.

In the best case, it is already indexed, but it may not be the case. Then, you can request indexing of the page here. Usually, it only takes a few hours for your URL to be registered on Google.

2. Structure your website

Nothing is a bigger enemy for Google than blocking text without any highlighting or titles. Search engines scan your page to see if it is relevant, so it is important that it is easy for the search engines to see what the main topics are that your website is about. If you only have body text in which the name of your holiday apartment is just as present as the coffee machine, it is not surprising that you do not rank for either of them.

The most important part of the structure is H tags, also known as header tags. H tags are the headings in a book on Google. Numbered from H1 to H6, these tags help to structure the content of a page hierarchically. H1 is the most important title, and H6 is the least important.

How to structure a website with H tags

H tag	Purpose	Rules	How to use
H1 (main heading)	Means the primary title of the page; should describe the page’s main topic.	– Use only one H1 per page. – Must contain the primary keyword. – Should be clear and engaging.	✅ Keep it short and vivid. ✅ Ensure it matches the user’s search intent. ❌ Avoid using multiple H1s.
H2 (main sections)	It is a major section of content that supports the H1 topic.	– Use multiple H2s to structure content. – Should be relevant and descriptive. – Can contain secondary keywords.	✅ Use clear, relevant headings. ✅ Ensure logical progress from H1. ❌ Avoid too many or too few H2s.
H3 (subsections)	Speaks for subsections that support the H2 topic.	– Use H3 under H2 to break content into smaller parts. – Can contain long-tail keywords. – Should introduce a specific topic.	✅ Keep H3 under H2 only. ✅ Helps to structure content in detail. ❌ Avoid skipping levels (e.g., H1 to H3).
H4 (detailed points)	Provides finer details under H3 subtopics.	– Used for more specific topics. – Ideal to structure lists or steps. – Not always needed.	✅ Use when needed to add depth. ✅ Helps organize long-form content. ❌ Don’t overuse H4s.
H5 (minor details)	Used for even more granular points under H4.	– Only used if content requires deeper study. – Mostly used for technical details.	✅ Only use if content is complex. ✅ Keep it short and to the point. ❌ Avoid making H5 too common.
H6 (least important)	Shows the lowest level of heading, used for footnotes or minor points.	– Very rarely used. – Used for legal notes, references, or minor tips.	✅ Use sparingly. ✅ Can be useful for terms & rules. ❌ Avoid making key points H6.

What do you need to pay special attention to?

H1 tags

H1 tags are particularly important because they usually represent the main title of the content. Search engines take this title into account heavily when determining the topic of the page. Each page should have only one H1 tag that describes the main topic of the page. Multiple H1 tags can be counterproductive and negatively affect SEO rankings.

The right order

There should be a certain structure and order in the header tags. H2 tags should be used for main sections, H3 tags for subsections, etc. in descending order.

In addition, care should be taken to ensure that the structure of the H tags is consistent and logical. Irregular jumps (e.g. from H1 to H4 without H2 and H3) should be avoided.

Relevant titles

H tags should be clear and concise. They should describe the content of the following section and contain the words you want to rank for (so-called keywords).

Recommendations on how to create titles

Practice	Detail	Good example	Bad example
Use keywords	Include vacation rental-related keywords.	🌟 Luxury Beachfront Villa in Punta Cana – Private Pool & Ocean Views	❌ Nice House by the Sea
Be descriptive	Clearly describe the property’s features.	🏡 Spacious 3-Bedroom Cabin in the Smoky Mountains – Hot Tub & Fireplace	❌ Cozy Home for Rent
Mention location	Travelers search by destination, so include it.	✈️ Miami Oceanfront Condo – Walk to South Beach & Nightlife	❌ Great Rental for Tourists
Highlight unique features	Stand out by showcasing what makes your property special.	🌿 Eco-Friendly Jungle Villa in Tulum – Private Pool & Yoga Deck	❌ Vacation Home for Rent
Use action words	Words like Stay, Rent, Book encourage bookings.	🔑 Book a Stunning Villa in Mykonos – Infinity Pool & Sunset Views	❌ House Available for Visitors
Keep it concise	Long titles get cut off in search results.	🏝 Santorini Cliffside Villa – Panoramic Views & Private Jacuzzi	❌ Amazing Place to Stay with a Pool and Great Views in Santorini
Avoid generic phrases	Phrases like Best Place Ever don’t help SEO.	🌅 Maui Beachfront Retreat – Private Lanai & Sunset Views	❌ Lovely Spot Near the Beach
Include seasonal offers	Attracts travelers looking for deals.	❄️ Winter Getaway: Aspen Ski Chalet – Steps from the Slopes	❌ House Available in Winter
Use numbers for impact	Numbers help with clarity and rankings.	🔢 Top 5 Luxury Villas in Punta Cana for 2025	❌ Some Good Vacation Rentals

This helps search engines understand what the page is about and improves the chances of a higher ranking.

3. Fill out the meta information

When you search for something on a search engine and arrive at the search engine page, you will see a few sentences below the links and the title of the page. This description of the page is the so-called meta description. It gives vacationers the chance to see in advance what to expect on your vacation rental website.

This does not affect your search engine ranking, but it does attract visitors to your site. Make sure that your meta information is not too long, otherwise it will be abbreviated, sometimes even in the middle of a sentence. Meta descriptions should not be longer than 160 characters (including spaces).

4. Do link building

Google and other search engines are all about the authority of a website. Search engines have different ways of recognizing whether a website is legitimate and relevant, some of which we have already mentioned.

One of the most important points, however, is the links. If many pages link to a particular website – for example, tax advice links to the Wikipedia website – Google recognizes that this page is relevant and has authority. In other words, if your own vacation rental website is linked to relevant sites, you are almost certain to jump up in the search results on Google.

Internal link building (on-page)

The easier option in the area of ​​link building is on-page, i.e., links to your pages on your own website. These links don’t bring quite as much authority, but they still have the nice side effect that your visitors can find their way around your website much more quickly and click from one page to the next. In the best-case scenario, visitors stay on your website longer and find the information they seek more easily.

External link building (off-page)

External link building is a little more complicated, i.e. when other sites are supposed to link to your holiday apartment website. But it is all the more worthwhile. With off-page link building, you ask local shops, restaurants, tourist offices, etc. to link from their website to your homepage. This shows Google that you are relevant to the region.

External link building is not just about getting as many links as possible, but also about making sure they are relevant.

5. Post videos on your YouTube channel

You score extra points if you have a YouTube channel with a few videos of your vacation rental or on things to visit and activities to do in the area. As for the rest, your YouTube SEO must also be optimal.

Remember to type in Youtube the keywords related to the subject you are looking for and then observe and analyze the videos that appear first. Then go to the first video in the list and right-click > view source page/see the source > ctrl + F > keywords and you will be able to see the keywords used in this video which allows it to appear at the top of the Youtube ranking.

6. Create a blog

Effective content marketing inevitably involves creating a vacation rental blog. You can start by writing one article per month, using social networks to promote your content. Keep up the effort and Internet users will end up sharing your articles on the web, allowing you to obtain links and mentions, and thus improve your SEO.

But be patient and do not expect instant results. It often takes weeks or months to see results, and this is especially true if your business is small or if you have just started managing your business online. But you will understand as soon as the first results arrive that this is one of the most effective online marketing techniques!

More content, more chances of being found

Search engines like Google love websites that regularly publish new and relevant content. Each blog post is an additional page that Google can index. This means more chances of your website being shown in various searches. This can attract more visitors, even visitors who have not yet looked for a holiday home but wanted to inquire about travel destinations. This way, you are directly present.

Show expertise

A blog allows you to show that you know the region. If you share useful information about the area, travel tips, or activity recommendations, you build trust with your potential guests. Interesting blog posts can also lead to visitors staying on your website longer. This signals to search engines that your vacation rental website offers valuable content, which in turn can improve your ranking.

Perfect opportunity for link-building

As mentioned above, good backlinks (links from external websites) are very important. Interesting blog posts can lead to other websites linking to your content. Websites rarely link to your holiday apartment on their website. However, your blog is a perfect way to build up partnerships with local companies.

Are you already an experienced host on a platform like Airbnb, but would like more personalization with your own booking website for your business? Then we can help! We can literally transfer everything from your Airbnb to a brand new website built to your tastes and preferences, complete with payment systems, so you can launch your site in no time!

Use relevant keywords

A blog gives you the opportunity to use important search terms (keywords) that potential guests enter when they are looking for holiday apartments.

But what are keywords and how can you make use of them?

How to Deal With Keywords
for a Vacation Rental Website?

Keywords are terms, words, questions, or sentence structures that people search for on search engines. Various tools analyze the popularity of certain keywords, such as holiday apartment Wuppertal, and provide information about the search volume and much more. A search engine searches your holiday apartment homepage for keywords and then includes these in the ranking for the search results.

In order to be easily found on Google and other search engines, it is important that you include keywords on your site that are relevant and frequently searched for. But what kind of keywords are these?

How to conduct keyword research for a vacation rental website?

First, consider what terms potential guests would search for if they wanted to find a holiday apartment or guest house in your area. You mustn’t overdo it here; you will not be able to rank first for large keywords with an incredible search volume such as holiday apartment. The more precise you are, the higher the chance that you can rank higher and be found.

However, there still needs to be search volume. So try to choose an exclusive, less common keyword to rank high for that specific keyword. Fewer guests will search for it, but the chance of landing on the first page is higher and can, therefore, potentially lead to more visitors.

How to choose keywords for vacation rental SEO

Action	Details	Examples	Why it works
Avoid broad terms	Highly competitive keywords are difficult to rank for.	❌ “Holiday villa”	Too general, in control of big platforms like Airbnb and Booking.
Use long-tail keywords	More specific = less competition, higher ranking chances.	✅ “Luxury beachfront villa in Punta Cana with private pool”	Targets niche searches with high booking intent.
Include location	Guests search by destination, so always add it.	✅ “Secluded mountain cabin rental in Colorado”	Helps reach travelers looking for rentals in a specific place.
Focus on unique features	Include special amenities or property type in keywords.	✅ “Pet-friendly villa with private chef in Tulum”	Attracts travelers searching for custom stays.
Think like a guest	Consider what someone would type into Google.	✅ “Best Airbnb for honeymoon in the Maldives”	Matches real-world search intent.
Use seasonal keywords	Travelers look for rentals based on the season.	✅ “Winter ski chalet near Aspen slopes”	Targets seasonal demand for specific rentals.
Find the right search volume	Aim for special, less common keywords that still have traffic.	✅ “Eco-friendly beach house rental in Costa Rica”	Lower number of other hosts, but still searched.
Check competitor keywords	Analyze well-off listings and borrow their best keywords.	✅ Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google Keyword Planner	Helps discover what’s already working in your niche.

This is where things get a bit tricky because, of course, you can speculate and rank for keywords in your area or add words like “family-friendly” or “dog-friendly” to your vacation rental, but if you want to do actual, reliable keyword research, it comes down to an external tool.

Tools like SEObility, the Chrome extension Keyword Surfer, and Google Keyword Planner are programs for keyword research that help you find out which keywords have how much search volume per month. These tools may not offer as extensive SEO analysis options as others, but they have free versions and are, therefore, perfect for getting started.

We have put together a few more tips for your keyword research:

Get inspiration

Sometimes you just don’t know what to do. The platform you are trying to rank on can be very helpful when doing keyword research. Simply enter the original keyword idea into the search bar and you will receive a list of suggestions that others may have searched for from Autocomplete. This can help you get more ideas for your texts.

Use your blog

The blog is the best way to rank higher. Focus on several topics in the area and do keyword research before each blog post so you know what to focus on.

Count the content

Don’t overdo all the research and don’t engage in so-called keyword stuffing. Focusing only on what improves your search engine ranking will make your site seem too keyword-heavy and scare away both visitors and search engines.

Do competitive analysis

Identify your competitors’ keywords and use them yourself!

As the vacation rental industry becomes more and more competitive due to the increasing number of vacation rentals, landlords and managers have to get creative. By identifying your competitors’ keywords and traffic, you can target which keywords would be relevant for you too.

How to do competitive analysis and use keywords

Step	Action	Tools
1. Identify your competitors	Find top-ranking websites in your niche (e.g., vacation rentals in Punta Cana).	– Google Search – Ahrefs – SEMrush – Moz
2. Analyze competitors’ keywords	Identify which keywords drive traffic to your competitors’ websites.	– Ahrefs (site explorer, keyword gap) – SEMrush (organic research, keyword gap) – Ubersuggest
3. Check competitor content	Examine their blog posts, landing pages, and listing descriptions.	– Google Search – BuzzSumo – Ahrefs Content xplorer
4. Monitor traffic & backlinks	Analyze where their traffic comes from and who links to them.	– Ahrefs (backlink checker) – SEMrush (traffic analytics)
5. Use Competitor keywords in your strategy	Integrate the best-performing keywords into your content.	– Google Keyword Planner – Ahrefs (keyword explorer)
6. Track your rankings	Regularly check how your pages rank for these keywords.	– Google Search Console – Ahrefs (Rank Tracker) – SEMrush (position tracking)

Final Points

We hope that the tips and tricks have helped you and that the article has helped you understand a little better what SEO is all about. We believe that your vacation rental website will literally make it to the top and that you can secure some direct bookings.

Remember, if you need help with property management or complex website development, you can always turn to Complete Hospitaly Management Inc. to get everything you want and more!

Frequently Asked Questions About
Vacation Rental Website

Updated on: 2025-03-07. Author: Karina

Tags: rentals website vacation rental website