The truth is that most vacation property owners don't really need much content in their websites. You want enough for your guests to be interested.

But there is a bit more to it than this. If you want people to search for your site, then you have to suck up to Google. Google cares a lot about the people who link to your sites from their sites. This is why you might need some content because if your site has rich content and a lot of it, it becomes more attractive for other people to link to you.

Tip number one for vacation rental web sites.

Google does not care about photographs either, yet you need absolutely the best you can get. Why? Because photographs swing the guests. In Scotland where we have our property anywhere you look it is stunningly beautiful all over the Highlands. In Scotland we call it self catering. Actually we don't use the term vacation at all - that is American English. We use the term holiday.

You need some absolutely brilliant photographs - and some vacation websites have awful photographs, while some others I could happily die looking at.

Really, truly, whatever you do, do this right - get the most beautiful photographs ever made of your area. Not necessarily of your property - of your area. You can download them free from Yahoo's site www.flickr.com if you give the photographer a credit.

Second tip

You have to show your property details. Don't bother with the floor plan and all that architects nonsense. God when did a floor plan turn anyone on?

You need to say something about the the nearest shops, the road outside, safety for children, smoking/no smoking policy and pets/no pets, local transport, perhaps churches.

Third tip - show availability

Up to date availability on your site is a must if you want to show visitors that you know what you are doing and you want to avoid all those excruciating enquiries when you are already booked for the week they want.

Fourth tip - show prices

Many people don't take off old out of date prices from their site. This is very sloppy and it shows. If your site look sloppy and uncared for they get a bad feeling about the way you look after the

Tip number one for vacation rental web sites.

Google does not care about photographs either, yet you need absolutely the best you can get. Why? Because photographs swing the guests. In Scotland where we have our property anywhere you look it is stunningly beautiful all over the Highlands. In Scotland we call it self catering. Actually we don't use the term vacation at all - that is American English. We use the term holiday.

You need some absolutely brilliant photographs - and some vacation websites have awful photographs, while some others I could happily die looking at.

Really, truly, whatever you do, do this right - get the most beautiful photographs ever made of your area. Not necessarily of your property - of your area. You can download them free from Yahoo's site www.flickr.com if you give the photographer a credit.

Second tip

You have to show your property details. Don't bother with the floor plan and all that architects nonsense. God when did a floor plan turn anyone on?

You need to say something about the the nearest shops, the road outside, safety for children, smoking/no smoking policy and pets/no pets, local transport, perhaps churches.

Third tip - show availability

Up to date availability on your site is a must if you want to show visitors that you know what you are doing and you want to avoid all those excruciating enquiries when you are already booked for the week they want.

Fourth tip - show prices

Many people don't take off old out of date prices from their site. This is very sloppy and it shows. If your site look sloppy and uncared for they get a bad feeling about the way you look after the

You need some absolutely brilliant photographs - and some vacation websites have awful photographs, while some others I could happily die looking at.

Really, truly, whatever you do, do this right - get the most beautiful photographs ever made of your area. Not necessarily of your property - of your area. You can download them free from Yahoo's site www.flickr.com if you give the photographer a credit.

Second tip

You have to show your property details. Don't bother with the floor plan and all that architects nonsense. God when did a floor plan turn anyone on?

You need to say something about the the nearest shops, the road outside, safety for children, smoking/no smoking policy and pets/no pets, local transport, perhaps churches.

Third tip - show availability

Up to date availability on your site is a must if you want to show visitors that you know what you are doing and you want to avoid all those excruciating enquiries when you are already booked for the week they want.

Fourth tip - show prices

Many people don't take off old out of date prices from their site. This is very sloppy and it shows. If your site look sloppy and uncared for they get a bad feeling about the way you look after the

Second tip

You have to show your property details. Don't bother with the floor plan and all that architects nonsense. God when did a floor plan turn anyone on?

You need to say something about the the nearest shops, the road outside, safety for children, smoking/no smoking policy and pets/no pets, local transport, perhaps churches.

Third tip - show availability

Up to date availability on your site is a must if you want to show visitors that you know what you are doing and you want to avoid all those excruciating enquiries when you are already booked for the week they want.

Fourth tip - show prices

Many people don't take off old out of date prices from their site. This is very sloppy and it shows. If your site look sloppy and uncared for they get a bad feeling about the way you look after the

Up to date availability on your site is a must if you want to show visitors that you know what you are doing and you want to avoid all those excruciating enquiries when you are already booked for the week they want.

Fourth tip - show prices

Many people don't take off old out of date prices from their site. This is very sloppy and it shows. If your site look sloppy and uncared for they get a bad feeling about the way you look after the property, and the cleaning, and the linen, too.

It is not logical, I know and you know, but it is human nature. The devil is in the detail. Remember even at the final stage they are comparing at least three sites, and you can lose it in the detail.

Other simple bits of content

After that, you can put up a page of things to do in your area, and a page of links. You can even link to us, and we will link back to you once you show us your link. Can't say fairer than that can we?

Links If we link to you then you get a credit in Google and it helps your rankings.

So why on earth have we got over 40 pages of content in our site when we don't need it?

There are a couple of reasons. One, this is a hobby and I enjoy writing.

Two, although Google does not care directly about your content - you can get a high Google ranking even with low content - indirectly, if you have a very rich site then other sites will be willing to link to you, you can publish articles about your area in Article Directories and get links to you that way, and if you get a lot of links in to you then Google will like you. Love you, even.

Google is the best Internet lover you can have

Now having Google as a lover is a wonderful thing. She is soft, seductive, and will look after your every need. If , for example, you search for your area in Google, she will put you at the top of the page if she loves you. She can be a real enticing little spider with that web of hers, which she controls so easily.

But she is fast and promiscuous and a real cow if you upset her. Opening up two sites with the same content will upset her. Buying masses of links to you from unrelated "link farms" will upset her. She'll drop you down the ratings and could even dump you altogether.

We have a love affair with Google. We really work at this marriage. We get more than 50% of our visitors from the Search engines, and only