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Listing sites	Ad conversion rate	Returning guests

Internet based advertising / property listing sites

The problem here is always where to spend the advertising pound / euro to get the best results. There are numerous internet sites that list gites, villas and cottages to rent in France. Some are very good, some are not. Unfortunately there is no easy way to know which will work best for you. The best site one year may not be the best the following year, as position in search engine results varies, spending on newspaper advertising varies, competitors enter the scene and so on.

Perhaps the best approach is to identify two or three of your competitors who appear successful, and then find out where they advertise. You don't need to ask them, although this would be a good idea. Run a search on the property name in google or one of the other main search engines and their property should appear. You will then be able to see which sites they advertise on. This will get you started.

Now type into your search engine the phrases that you think someone would type when looking for a property like yours. For example 'gite seaside brittany' or 'villa provence with pool'. Again, see which websites are listed for these searches.

Now you should have a list of perhaps five - seven possible advertising sites. Look at each of these sites. Look at some of the properties advertising on the sites, including their availability schedules if provided. If most properties on the site seem well booked, that suggests a successful site.

A successful site will usually also be clear to use and understand, have plenty of information about the properties and nice clear photographs. Use the site as if you are searching for a holiday yourself - does it find hundreds of properties when you run a search? If so, will you be at the bottom of a list of 200 properties, never to seen by anyone?

Then look at the price of the advertising, and what it includes. Can you change the text and photos when you want? Is there an availability schedule? Is there a 'free trial' period - a few months when you can advertise free to assess the site properly?

Having done all this, you will need to choose at least two sites and proceed to place your adverts. It is generally too risky to advertise with just one site - if they have a bad year, you will have a terrible year. It is probably best to go with three sites in your first year, then hopefully eliminate the least successful in the second year.

And if all this is simply too complicated or you don't have time, have a look at advertising with www.holiday-rentals.com, www.holidaylets.net and www.chez-nous.com All these are generally well regarded as internet rental property listing companies and have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Here you can see some of the French holiday property listing companies. You should also check the following useful site for a comparison between different listing sites: Compare Owner Holiday Rentals - Advice for Owners of Vacation Villas and Apartments Your guide to choosing the best vacation and holiday owner rentals websites. We provide tools and resources to help you get the best from your holiday home.