We get it, you’re busy, everyone is busy. But neglecting the technology that generates your income, and represents your business online, can be make or break as to whether you get bookings the following season.
Putting it off
Everyone is guilty of it from time to time, where we choose to not do something right now, but know we should or need to at some point. Take myself for example: When washing up, I sometimes opt to clean the ‘easier’ things first, such as plates and glasses and then leave the ‘harder’ items like saucepans and baking trays until later…
Procrastination generally doesn’t have too many positives. When putting things off and leaving them to the last minute, the subsequent results are often rushed and not often to as high a standard as they could have been - or sometimes they don’t get done at all. Of course putting off each and every task doesn’t necessarily leave you with consequences. With the washing up example, there are no serious repercussions as I can easily use other trays and saucepans I have if necessary.
But we don’t always have multiple versions or alternatives we can turn to, especially not with those more significant and important aspects of our lives that we postpone. Those that when ignored and pushed to the bottom of the do list, will inevitably come back to bite us in the future.
Be proactive
Time flies. (A minute or two has most likely already passed since you started reading this article.) It will also come as no surprise that technology changes quickly too. Competing companies are always trying to better one another, with a new release of their product or the latest version available every few months or so - and the internet is no different.
There is a strong possibility that what was used to build your website, regardless of whether it was built last year, or many years ago, is now not as compatible with current users demands or as good as an alternative technology today. Without constant development and ongoing updates, it is far too easy to be missed by potential guests. To put it simply, the building blocks that make up the online world are always evolving and your website needs to move with it, or risk getting left behind.
Time to act
So you know you need to do something about your website. It has been identified that X or Y is now redundant, the appearance is starting to look dated or that things don’t quite work the way they should do. The major concern should of course be if potential guests are struggling to find you online, which is often reflected in a low quantity of bookings...
Now everyone's knowledge of websites will vary, but did you know that it can take quite some time before you may see results from a new site? Due to the scale of the internet, it can take a fair few months before you will be noticed by search engines, and in turn be picked up results.
As a general rule of thumb we would suggest launching a website well in advance as to when you would like it to provide results. It would be naive to expect organic visits and bookings immediately, unless you are using other forms of paid marketing, so acting beforehand is highly advised.
The new season
When is the best time to make such a change? Well from years of browsing and booking data, we can confidently say that the most active time of the year for holiday shopping is January - and that’s not just for the self catering industry. Each time our calendars roll over, increased numbers are on the internet as opposed to other times of the year. Most likely linked to wanting to escape the ‘winter blues’, a surge of planning activity takes place once Christmas and New Year has come and gone.
So to truly plan and make the most of this opportunity, we’d recommend acting before the end of the holiday season. This way you can upgrade your businesses website in preparation for this event and really cash in at a time when many are seeking accommodation. Whilst if you choose to start a new site in the new year, it may be a little late to reap the rewards on offer.
Why SCRUMPY?
At SCRUMPY we take care of everything behind the scenes so you don’t have to. Our all in one service means you don’t have to worry about whether your website is compatible with the latest technology, and instead can focus on the important things. Unlike a traditional website or developer, we don’t charge our customers each time a change is required on your site. Instead we work tirelessly to make sure the experience for your guests and you the property owner is as good as possible. Constant updates and improvements make sure things are always ticking over and leave you and your business with a website that is future proofed.
The SCRUMPY platform is a culmination of working with our customers - heavily invested with the know-how of Property owners, Managers and Agencies. By working with our clients has allowed us to provide an extensive feature list that continues to grow every day, where everyone benefits. This is a constant process through listening to users wants and following the industries needs.
Stop stalling. Don’t wait until your calendar struggles to fill and instead join the growing self catering platform where everyone benefits. Get in touch today to see our readily available websites with software and to discuss how we can provide you with the tools to succeed.