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Marketing a Gite


ChristopheUK
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Hi there,

I have recently been tasked with marketing my Father's Gite in Bordeaux. I'm, computer savvy and capable of making my own website and getting it hosted, however I'm not sure which way to go about marketing. Should I pay a company to do it for me? or are there some websites which I can list my website on for free and generate traffic.

Any advice or suggestions will be greatly apprectiated.

Chris.

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Chris,

Most of the free websites are a bit of a waste of time, normally you get very few enquiries.

One good free site is via www.frenchentree.com but I am aware they are going to charge soon.

I have used them and had quite a few enquiries.

Bottom line is if you want lots of enquiries then you need to pay, there is a lot of choice, chez nous, french connections, brittany ferries, they are all different.

Most gite owners have a website that enquirers can be directed to via the pay sites.

It is a huge subject and worth doing your research first, the archive section on this forum is also very useful.

Good luck.

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First of all design and publishing web site is just the start, the hard bit is finding your audience. Search Engine Optimisation is difficult.

If you choose to advertise with someone else instead check their position in search results, for your specific need.

Do they come on the first page. Its amazing how many companies for example advertise SEO  and they cant even get their own website in the first 5 pages of a google search.

If you go down the home web design route keep in touch and there are many people on this forum will vet, criticise and encourage you.

There is no substitute for taking a look at the first and second page results , find the websites of people who have made it to this exalted position using the search terms you think your clients will use and copy their technique.

Just don't copy their code !!

Breezybreak.com.

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Chris,

I agree with JJ's comments. We also have 4 gites and market 50 or so others in Brittany and we have found the free websites to be a waste of time. To get decent enquiries you do need to pay to advertise your Gite, Chez Nous and French Connections are both good. Basically these adverts will promote your website so the better the website the more lettings you will gain.

We have found that the websites with the best photos and with lots of details about the surrounding area are much more successful.

Good Luck !!

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Bear in mind that a listing site that works for one gite owner won't necessarily work for another. Frenchconnections was useless for me after they changed their site a few years ago, there are others around now which work better for me, but I still have to review all of them on an annual basis. Do a search on Google using the keywords that you think people will use to find your gite and see which sites come at the top of the list.

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