In the vacation rental industry, your website is more than just a digital presence—it’s a tool that can either drive or hinder your bookings.
Many property managers, especially those running small or medium-sized portfolios, often face the question: Should I design my website myself, or should I leave it to the experts?
This article explores why using integrated, theme-based website builders—specially those curated by professionals—provides the best results for property managers.
Why Professional Property Managers Should Use Integrated Themes
One of the biggest advantages of using integrated website templates or builders is the ease of getting up and running without the need for a developer. These solutions are cost-effective, relatively easy to implement, and designed to work seamlessly with your Property Management Software (PMS). They take care of the technical side of things, leaving you with a functional, high-performing site.
But getting started is only the first step. The real magic happens when a professional brings their artistic touch to the website—ensuring that everything is pixel-perfect, visually appealing, and tailored to stand out in today’s competitive market. It’s more than just setting things up; it’s about optimizing your site for aesthetics, SEO performance, and the customer journey.
The Value of Professional Curation for Integrated Website Templates
Running a vacation rental business is no small task. Managing bookings, communicating with guests, and maintaining properties requires your full attention.
While theme-based templates are user-friendly, achieving the highest level of design requires a professional’s touch.
Elements such as crafting an engaging logo, selecting brand-aligned colors, writing compelling copy, adjusting layouts, and ensuring seamless functionality across all devices are best handled by experts—demonstrating why your time is better spent elsewhere.
More Than Just Functionality: It’s About Results
While integrated templates and website builders simplify the setup, a professionally curated design ensures the site performs its best. Here’s why investing in a professional touch matters:
• SEO Optimization: A professionally curated site is optimized for search engines, ensuring your property shows up in relevant searches for vacation rentals, driving more organic traffic.
• Enhanced User Experience: Professionals know how to improve navigation, optimize booking flows, and create faster-loading pages. A well-designed user experience directly impacts conversion rates.
• Conversion-Focused Design: With the right calls to action (CTAs) and an optimized layout, your website can convert more visitors into guests.
Molly’s Story: From DIY to Professional Curation
Molly, a property manager with over 50 vacation rentals in Tuscany, is a 365Villas software user.
She started with one of our websites, which she used to good effect for many years. But as Molly’s site started to approach end-of-life, she noticed her bookings stagnating. Design trends had moved on, and she knew her site needed a refresh.
Molly recognized that she needed a new website. Fortunately, 365Villas had a host of next generation themes for her to choose from. Although Molly was hesitant to invest in professional curation at first, she knew her new site needed more than just a functional setup. So, Molly decided to work with one of our creative design professionals to reimagine her vision for her property management website.
Here’s what Molly’s original website looked like:
Because her original site was well over 5 years old, it had several issues:
- Slow Loading Times: Guests would leave before the site fully loaded.
- Outdated Design: Her site no longer reflected the modern, professional brand she wanted to convey.
And here’s what Molly got after having her new 365Villas website theme professionally curated by our team:
friendsoftuscany.com
With professional guidance, Molly’s new site:
- Ranked Higher on Google: Improved SEO drove more organic traffic.
- Quick loading: Better performance kept visitors on her site long enough to book.
- Stunning look and feel: The visuals were modern, polished, and fully aligned with her brand.
- New Professionally Designed Logo: Molly opted for a professionally designed logo, which helped create a cohesive and professional image across her site.
- Easy navigation: Guests found the booking process straightforward and simple.
Molly’s new site wasn’t just a visual improvement—it resulted in more bookings and positive feedback from guests.
The Importance of Keeping Your Website Up-to-Date
One key lesson from Molly’s story is that websites need regular updates, especially as technology, security features, and design trends evolve.
Most property professionals don’t know this, but Google’s algorithm actively favors websites that are built on newer technology. This is one big reason why those who proactively move to new sites every 2-3 years do better against their competitors with outdated sites which struggle to appear in search results.
Even the best-designed sites require refreshing every 3 to 4 years to stay competitive. Failing to do so can not only impact performance but also leave your site more vulnerable to security risks.
As web technologies improve, newer sites benefit from better protection against potential threats, keeping your guests’ data safer.
Why Building a Fully Customized Website from Scratch Is a Risky Investment
The challenge with building a fully customized website from scratch is that it’s not only more expensive upfront but also comes with a shorter lifespan and much higher risks.
With technology and design trends evolving rapidly, even a well-built custom site will likely need to be rebuilt in 3 to 4 years to remain competitive and secure. And, that is if all goes well. The truth is that most custom-build website initiatives with local agencies end in failure. This is largely because the agent does not have the requisite industry experience. But there is another big reason, which is that the economics tend not to add up. This is partly a problem of scale, due to the job being a one-off, and also because of all the extra work and costs involved in seamlessly integrating what is effectively stand-alone infrastructure with the property manager’s PMS.
Opting for integrated, theme-based templates is a more practical solution. These templates allow you to refresh your website as trends change, without the high costs and risks associated with custom builds, ensuring long-term performance and scalability.
Key Takeaways
For professional property managers, a website is one of the most important tools for driving bookings and managing guest relationships. Choosing an integrated, theme-based website builder is the best way to ensure your site is functional, high-performing, and easy to update.
Pair this with professional curation to optimize aesthetics, SEO, and conversion rates, and you’ll have a website that helps your business thrive.
If you’re ready to see how a professional touch can elevate your website, book a demo today to learn how 365Villas can support your business with both our vacation rental software and integrated design services.
