When choosing if you should own or license your website, there are a few important considerations that come first. What’s the purpose of your website? What’s your budget? How much time do you have to spend on digital marketing? What’s your expertise level with technology? Knowing the answers to these questions will go a long way to helping you choose the solution that’s best for you. Topics covered in this webinar: •Owning vs. Leasing •Find out the pros and cons and what works best for your property •Website Best Practices •Learn best practices that every website should have, whether you license or own •Practical Insights •Hear from an Innkeeper who solved this dilemma and what worked for them Meet our speakers •Janice Hurley Hollis, In-Market Strategic Sales Executive, BedandBreakfast.com •Bob Tubbs, Owner of Cedars of Willamsburg Bed & Breakfast

1. Copyright © 2016 Leonardo Worldwide Corporation
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Citrix GoToWebinar
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Should You Build Your Own
or License Your Website?
February 11th, 2016
Darlene Rondeau, VP, Best Practices, Online Merchandising, Leonardo
Janice Hurley Hollis, In-Market Strategic Sales Executive, BedandBreakfast.com
Bob Tubbs, Owner, Cedars of Williamsburg Bed & Breakfast
Technical Difficulties?
Contact
Citrix GoToWebinar
1-800-263-6317
support@citrixonline.com

2. Darlene Rondeau
Vice-President,
Best Practices, Online Merchandising
Leonardo
@darlenerondeau

3. Follow:
@VFMLeonardo
Tweets & Questions:
#LeoWebinar

4. Janice Hurley Hollis
In-Market Strategic Sales Executive
BedandBreakfast.com
@bnblovers

5. Bob Tubbs
Owner
Cedars of Williamsburg Bed & Breakfast
@cedarsbandb

6. My biggest question about
building my own vs. licensing a website

7.  There are over 3 billion Internet users worldwide; that means over
40% of the world has an Internet connection today
Almost Half the World is Connected
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Source: Internet Live Stats

8.  Every year, Google changes its
search algorithm around 500–600
times
 Over 131 billion web searches a
month
 More than 85% of travelers start
their search online
 Mobile matters
 Social media impacts rankings
Search Fast Facts
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9. Why Mobile Matters
#LeoWebinar
 In 2015, mobile sales surpassed
desktop, as Steve Jobs predicted
 Mobilizing your website can drive
more bookings
 Only 23% of those who have
encountered a mobile site that
wasn’t optimized actually pushed
through to make a booking

10.  It’s always “on”
 Be found online
 Tell your story, your way
 Get direct bookings
 Creates trust, credibility
 Saves money
 Target your ideal guests
 It’s a social conduit
 Build relationships to drive repeat
business
Why should B&B owners
have a website?

11. What does it mean to license a website?
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 Don’t own the software
 You do own:
o Visuals, stories, offers, clients, domain name
 Experts in technology using best practices
 Content Management System offered (CMS)
 Analytics available
 Pre-packaged templates with themes and/or
custom designs
 Findable, scanned, indexed by search bots
 Search, Customer support
 Mobile & social are available
 Code base kept current
 Predictable costs

12.  It’s yours to keep & maintain
 Your time/effort or hire developer
 Choose a content management system (e.g.
WordPress is free)
 Additional elements for consideration ($$)
o Design and/or choose theme
o Domain name (URL)
o Hosting
o Backup
o Security/Spam
o Integration with RezOvation (or other booking
engine)
o Training
o Search algorithm updates & changes
o Mobile optimization
o Social plug in’s
o Access to analytics
What does it mean to build my own website?
#LeoWebinar

13.  Visually driven
What should a good website look like?

14.  Mobile-optimized
What should a good website look like?
#LeoWebinar

15.  Clear path to booking
What should a good website look like?
#LeoWebinar

16.  Special offers
What should a good
website look like?

17.  Create trust with consumers online through informative, engaging
content
 Position yourself as the expert on what to do and see your local
area
 Show your personality
 Who you are as a host/your story
 What makes you and your community unique
 Why guests love to stay with you
Owners should act like experts of their community
#LeoWebinar

18. Bob Tubbs
Owner
Cedars of Williamsburg Bed & Breakfast
@cedarsbandb

19.  Grace & I are corporate escapees
 My hometown racquetball friends
always talked about owning a B&B
 They mentioned it one too many
times when Xerox was being
particularly interesting!
 I came home one night and she
mentioned buying the Cedars
 Now, I’m in charge as long as I do
everything she tells me!
Why Own the Cedars B&B? Racquetball!
#LeoWebinar

20. Cedars of Williamsburg Website Challenges - Before
#LeoWebinar
 Search engine compatibility
 Platform formatting (smartphone,
tablet)
 Image size restrictions
 Social media limitations
 Needed a new platform to
address challenges and pave the
way for future technological
changes

21. Cedars of Williamsburg - After
#LeoWebinar
 Multi-channel, multi-platform
 Platform integration & positive
branding is vital
 Incorporate strategic technology
infrastructures to engage third-
party travel sites is absolutely
critical (Travelocity, Orbitz, etc.)
 Strategic business & marketing
planning helps focus your
message

22. First Impressions Count
Invest in
good
marketing
materials
Help your guests
experience what
your location offers
Promote
the area
with
content
Guest
reviews are
integral
Ask for
feedback
and address
concerns

23.  Spent 5-10 hours/week
updating the site & social media
 In both build your own and
licensed, you need to be
prepared to update, measure
and manage content
 Content NEEDS to be fresh and
compelling
Ongoing Maintenance
#LeoWebinar

24.  On average, smartphone users
check their phones 221 times per
day
 The evolution of mobile
technology was the reason we
went with the licensed approach
 The review of website visits were
showing a higher percentage of
mobile visitors
Master the Mobile Space

25.  Monthly costs cover all tech updates
 Strong and immediate customer support
 Ongoing maintenance and monitoring across all platforms
 Mobile websites for both tablets and smartphones
 Technology enhancements and currency part of the
package
 Immediate changes take effect vs. waiting through third
party
 Website designs are visual, clean and lead guests to
"cash register”
Benefits to a Licensed Site
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26.  12-15% increase in
website traffic
Early Results: June – September 2015
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27.  Consistent and highly
positive feedback from
guests
Early Results: June –
September 2015

28.  Record year in revenue
Results: June – December 2015

29.  Find the right technology partners to help guide you
 Invest in multi-platform solutions
 Plan your strategy, determine an appropriate budget and execute
 Monitor regularly to see what is working and be ready to shift
emphasis based on what you see
 Persevere!
Tips & Recommendations
#LeoWebinar

30. 1. Easy to use, cloud based Digital
Management System
2. Able to create stories about your
features, rooms & special offers
3. Visually rich edge to edge design
4. Universal integration with booking
engine of choice
5. Ability to customize descriptions
and captions to market your story
6. Mobile optimized website included
(not an add on)
Follow this checklist to ensure maximum
website performance and satisfaction:
7. SEO friendly
8. Storage of media (photos, videos,
virtual tours)
9. Compatible with Google Analytics
10. Includes Social Media integration
and share tools
11. Direct control to perform real time
updates across channels
12. Dedicated customer success team

31. Based on today’s content,
will you attend future webinars?

33.  About Leonardo
 Invitations to
upcoming webinars
 Recording of this
webinar. Share it with
your colleagues
It’s a Wrap
#LeoWebinar

34. Connect With Us!
#LeoWebinar
leonardo.com
1.877.593.6634
@VFMLeonardo
blog.leonardo.com
bedandbreakfast.com
jhurley@homeaway.com
@bnblovers
cedarsofwilliamsburg.com
btubbs@cedarsbandb.com
@cedarsbandb
Janice Hurley Hollis Bob Tubbs

35. Questions & Discussion
#LeoWebinar