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Where to advertise my gite for free?


ArdecheGite

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Hello,

I'm new to the group and have recently aquired a gite to let in the Ardeche. I'm looking for the best free sites to advertise my property. Can anyone assist? I did hear of a site called JustDirect.Net - has anyone tried this? Or are free sites a waste of time?

Thanks for your help!

Peter

 

 

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[quote user="ArdecheGite"]

Or are free sites a waste of time?

[/quote]

Most of them are not worth the time it takes to put your details on. There are a couple of exceptions which do bring in bookings, but if you are serious about letting, you need to be listed on the bigger rental listing sites. Doing a search on google using the key words you think people will use when looking for a gite like yours/in your area will give you some idea about which ones will be suitable.

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When you do the test seaching, imagine you're the typical customer, rather than the typical person on this forum (who knows what they're looking for)...

Free advertising sites are worth a go, if you have your ad and pics ready-prepared.

Cheap ones are the ones to avoid.

The more expensive ones (like Chez Nous) are more likely to have good web optimisation, press advertising, glossy brochure and brand awareness working for them.

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Hi Pete

This is our first year in gites and we advertise with both french and english sites, some free some pay, and we have received bookings from the pay and free sites. We also get a lot of refferals to our website from the free sites.  We have a very good success rate with the French sites which in comparison to the english ones, are very cheap. Whilst I agree with others on this forum that free is not always best, I am in the camp of any advertising be it free or pay can only be good and I am quite happy to put my info out there[:)

Happy Googling

Kimberly

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I agree with Kimberly.  If it works, it doesn't matter if it's free or paying. 

We found most of the paying sites are dreadful at targeting our market - we do it better ourselves.  We are not in the market for people looking for "a place to stay in France" - we are a bit more focussed than that - as indeed most internautes are once they start to refine their search to cut through the rubbish vague searches like that produce.

 Nevertheless, we got a worthwhile number of bookings from free sites last year and it continues this year - I'm not saying how much. [;-)]

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