What’s the Secret to the Perfect Vacation Rental Blog Post?

Written By: Conrad
Last Updated: September 8, 2023

As content geeks, Guest Hook loves Moz’s Whiteboard Friday. (If you haven’t checked it out, you should.)

Recently, Whiteboard Friday addressed two questions that often come up with our clients:

  1. What’s the ideal vacation rental blog post length?
    And…
  2. How often should you publish new posts?

Would you believe us if we said the answer to both questions is that it doesn’t really matter?

As the Moz team points out, countless creative agencies and digital marketers have done their research on how many words and posts you need for a successful content marketing campaign.

Thought leaders do have answers based on the data they’ve collected. But, pinning down the “right” answer can be tough—they vary anywhere from 300 words to 2,000 words… posted daily, weekly, or monthly.

The bottom line? There’s something even more important than numbers-driven hard data when it comes to penning vacation rental blog posts.

And that’s whether you know your target audience and can create content that’s helpful to them.

The “ideal” number of posts of the “ideal” length will get you absolutely nowhere if it’s content that your target audience simply doesn’t care about (or can easily find elsewhere).

So now what?

If a magical word count and tried-and-true publishing schedule don’t exist, what should guide your vacation rental blog post strategy?

Read on. We took some nuggets from Moz’s thoughts on blog post lengths and publishing frequency and re-framed them for our vacation rentalist audience.

Here we go!

guest personas

Your guest personas should set the tone.

Instead of obsessing over word count and posting frequency, you should “match your content goals with searcher goals”—that’s what Moz says.

But who are your searchers? Or, more importantly, who would you like your searchers to be?

The most helpful tool to have in your arsenal when considering these questions is a set of guest personas.

By putting a face to your target guest and using it to determine what your content looks like, you can create valuable vacation rental blog posts that your ideal guest can’t resist clicking.

laptop

Give your knowledge the space it needs.

You’re an expert in your area (whether you know it or not). That intimate knowledge of your destination needs room to shine!

Moz advises never letting an arbitrary word count get in the way of showcasing unique information.

If you need 10,000 words to offer the ultimate restaurant guide for your city, go for it! But make certain all 10,000 of those words are thoughtful and purposeful. And be sure that the post is organized to make it easy for readers to skim or search for specific cuisines, atmospheres, and price ranges.

Same goes for the opposite, too. If you can tell guests how to get to your rental from the airport in a quick, 200 word post, there’s no need to expand it into an 800-word blog post full of not-so-helpful fluff.

vacation rental magnet

Your past successes should guide future content.

According to Moz, there’s a reason speculation about the “perfect” blog post length and frequency isn’t valuable:

There’s often no data about how each post performed individually.

When results roll in showing that companies that publish 10 times a month get more clicks than companies that publish twice a month, there’s no way to tell if all 10 of those posts actually do the important work they’re designed to do: drive leads or help readers.

So, rather than trying to hit a magic number or length of posts, pay attention to the kind of content that has served you well in the past…and mimic it.

Did you publish a Top 10 Kid-Friendly Activities listicle that garnered you hundreds of new views? Try another Top 10 listicle—maybe one geared towards groups or couples. Or write another blog post that targets parents, like rainy day activities for families or a guide to kid-friendly restaurants.

set goals

Create vacation rental blog posts that match your goals.

One more tip, and one that’s so simple it’s often forgotten: all of your content should be created with a goal in mind.

Moz offers improving your writing or gaining new subscribers as potential bars to set.

For you, maybe it’s to get one booking a month directly from your website (to start). Or to rank on page one of Google for a certain search term. Or to build your brand by establishing your team as the area’s beach gurus.

Whatever your goal might be, use it to establish a content strategy (feel free to ask us if you’re not sure what that means) and work from there.

If you need assistance nailing down your strategy, crafting guest personas, or creating vacation rental blog posts that drive bookings, we’re here to help. Reach out to Guest Hook for a helping hand during any step of your content creation process.

Take The Next Step

  1. Download our free Vacation Rental Marketing Blueprint and watch our FREE training on how to build an actionable, advanced marketing plan for your rental properties.
  2. If you want to learn more about how to generate more bookings, visit our blog and read our articles. 
  3. To get started working with us, visit our contact page, complete the form and schedule a call.
  4. If you’ve found this article helpful, please share it with your friends, team or other vacation rental owners/hosts!

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