Building a Vacation Rental Website on WIX: A Step-by-Step Guide
When it comes to launching a vacation rental website, the platform you choose can make all the difference. WIX is one of the leading website builders and offers flexibility for a variety of businesses, but it doesn’t have a straight forward guide for vacation rentals. Don’t worry, if you follow a few simple steps, you can bring the ease of building websites on WIX with the simplicity of the48dots booking engine.
Let’s get started!
1. Signup With The Right Tier
WIX has several pricing tiers depending on the features you need. As a host, you’ll probably need basic features such as your own domain name, a guestbook, simple forms, and email communication. You get all that in the Basic Tier for $13 -$16/month (depending on if they are running a promo).
You can get started for free, and build the shell of your site before moving to the paid tier. Prompts walk you through the process. Just follow them.
One important prompt is the template that you chose.
2. Choose A WIX Template
WIX offers numerous customizable templates that are visually appealing and user-friendly. For vacation rentals, it's best to opt for a template that is simple. You want to highlight your high-quality images and offer easy navigation so that guests can find what they are looking for.
Remember, your template is the foundation upon which you'll be building, so make sure you consider your brand when settling on a final design.
3. Understand WIX's Booking Flow Plugins And Why the48dots Booking Engine is Best
Now you need to hook up your basic WIX site with a branded booking flow that:
Allows guests to book
Allows you to manage your rentals easily
Let's take a moment to talk about WIX's plugins for booking flows. Currently, WIX offers two options, but neither are a great fit for vacation rentals.
WIX's Native Booking Engine: This booking system is primarily designed for boutique hotels. While it provides a neat layout for multiple rooms in a hotel, it requires substantial customization for vacation rentals. Instead of focusing on individual properties or unique guest experiences, this engine emphasizes room selection within a hotel setting. This can be confusing and not very intuitive for guests looking for vacation rentals.
Vacation Rental Booking By Futurestay: This plugin might seem like a solution on the surface, but it's not without its issues. Reviews from hosts suggest that the plugin doesn't function optimally. Moreover, there have been complaints about it not being professional or user-friendly.
the48dots offers a white-labeled booking engine that integrates seamlessly with WIX. It will let you:
Effortlessly embed a button on your WIX site to guide the guest to the The48dots booking flow. This ensures a smooth transition without jarring the guest experience.
Manage your property through calendar syncing and other vital tools that make your life easier. This ensures you're on top of your bookings, preventing double-bookings or scheduling conflicts.
3. Create a Booking Flow With Your Brand on the48dots
Now that you’ve made the decision to use the48dots booking flow, you’ll need to sign up on our site to create and add your listings. We make it super easy for you to import any Airbnb listings you may have:
Next, you’ll need to sign up for our SILVER membership. We’ll walk you through the prompts to get you started after you provide your listings for import.
After that, you’ll want to add your logo to your booking flow. You can do this by accessing your Booking Page as shown below.
Sync up your calendars so that your direct site doesn’t have double bookings.
Adjust your pricing from the Advanced Pricing tab if you’d like to have special pricing for holidays, weekends, or seasons.
Copy your booking flow link on the Booking Page Tab. You will need this in the next step.
You’re all set! Now you can, return back to your WIX site.
4. Embed the48dots Booking Flow Into Your WIX Site
In WIX, drag and drop a button onto your top navigation. From your WIX dashboard, click ‘Edit Site.’
Drag a button onto your navigation.
Click on the button, hit the link (see link icon highlighted in blue).
Select Web address.
Enter the URL of the booking flow you created on the48dots.
Publish your site.
You’re all set!
Building a vacation rental website on WIX doesn't have to be complicated. While the platform's native plugins might have their limitations, third-party solutions like the48dots can elevate the booking experience for both guests and hosts. As you continue on your website-building journey, remember to prioritize user experience and functionality. After all, a well-functioning site can translate to happy guests and more bookings!