As a holiday property owner, having your own book direct website is essential for taking control of your bookings, offering guests a personalised experience, and maximising your revenue. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know in clear, simple terms.

What is a Domain and Why Do You Need One?

A domain is the address people type into their web browsers to visit your website—think of it as your digital street address. For example, if your property is called “Seaside Escape,” you might want a domain like “seasideescape.com.au.” This domain is crucial for making sure your guests can easily find your direct booking website.

Without a domain, your site won’t be accessible to anyone online. It’s the foundation of your online presence, allowing guests to make direct bookings and reducing your dependence on third-party platforms that charge commissions.

How Does a Domain Connect to Your Book Direct Site?

Your domain name acts as the front door to your website. Once you’ve secured it, you’ll need a website hosting service, which is like renting space on the internet where your website lives. Hosting ensures your site is available 24/7, so guests can book at any time.

A well-chosen domain name reflects your property, adds professionalism, and is a key step in establishing your direct booking site’s brand.

What Do You Need to Acquire a Domain Name?

Follow these steps to get your domain:

Step 1: Choose Your Domain Name

• Relevance: Make sure your domain reflects your property’s name, location, or a key feature. For example, if you own a coastal holiday home, a domain like “coastalcottage.com.au” would be a good choice.
• Memorability: Keep it short and easy to remember. Aim for something simple yet descriptive.
• Extensions (TLDs): The most common is .com.au for Australian properties, but .com or other extensions like .holiday or .rentals can work too.
• Keywords: Include relevant keywords related to your property or location to improve your chances of being found through search engines.

Step 2: Check Domain Availability

You’ll need to check if your chosen domain is available. Most domain registrars (platforms where you buy domains) allow you to do this easily. Be prepared with a few alternatives in case your first choice is taken.

Step 3: Register the Domain

Once you’ve found an available domain, register it with a domain registrar (we’ll discuss your options below). You might also consider buying related domains (such as .net.au) to protect your brand.

Best Platforms to Buy a Domain Name

Now that you know what to look for, here are some trusted platforms where you can purchase your domain:

• GoDaddy:  One of the largest domain registrars offering a wide variety of domain extensions. GoDaddy also offers web hosting services and customer support.
  Visit GoDaddy’s domain purchasing page.
• Hostinger: Hostinger is known for its affordable pricing and user-friendly interface. They offer domain registration and hosting services, making it an ideal option for beginners.
  Visit Hostinger’s domain purchasing page.
• Bluehost: Bluehost includes a free domain with their hosting plans, which could be ideal if you’re setting up hosting and need both services in one package.
  Visit Bluehost’s domain purchasing page.

Understanding Web Hosting

Once you’ve secured your domain, the next crucial step in getting your direct booking website up and running is finding a reliable web hosting provider. Web hosting is like renting space on the internet where all your website’s files, images, and content are stored. Without web hosting, your website won’t be accessible to guests online.

For holiday property owners, having the right web hosting is essential to ensure your book direct site remains fast, secure, and easy to navigate, providing a seamless experience for guests looking to book their stays directly with you.

Why Do You Need Web Hosting?

For a book direct website, it’s essential to have a reliable and secure web host to ensure your guests can browse and make bookings smoothly. Hosting influences your site’s speed, security, and reliability, which directly impacts guest satisfaction and your business’s success. 

Here’s why it matters:

• Speed & Performance: Faster load times ensure that your website offers a smooth booking experience, which also helps your site rank better on search engines like Google.
• Security: A good host will provide security features such as SSL certificates, regular backups, and malware protection, safeguarding your website and guest data.
• 24/7 Uptime: Hosting ensures your site stays online and accessible to potential guests at all times, with minimal downtime.
• Customer Support: A reliable hosting provider offers support to troubleshoot any issues you may encounter, particularly helpful if you’re not technically inclined.
• Scalability: As your site grows in popularity, you want a host that can easily scale up to accommodate more traffic.

Main Web Hosting Options for Your Book Direct Website

Here are some trusted hosting providers that are particularly suitable for holiday property owners looking to create and manage their book direct websites:

Hostinger

Hostinger is a top choice for property owners because it offers affordable and reliable WordPress hosting. Its hosting plans come with free SSL certificates, easy WordPress integration, and templates to help you quickly build a professional site. Hostinger is known for its excellent performance, competitive pricing, and easy-to-use dashboard, making it great for beginners.

Visit Hostinger’s hosting page.

SiteGround

SiteGround offers fast and secure hosting, specifically tailored for WordPress. They provide strong performance, great customer service, and excellent security features, including daily backups. SiteGround also supports scalable hosting solutions, which means your website can handle an increase in traffic as your bookings grow.

Visit SiteGround’s hosting page.

Bluehost

Bluehost is a popular hosting provider, especially for those using WordPress. Their hosting plans include free SSL certificates, 24/7 customer support, and easy WordPress installation, making it ideal for those setting up a booking site for the first time. Bluehost also offers a free domain for the first year when you sign up for a hosting package.

Visit Bluehost’s hosting page.

Connecting Your Domain to Your Website

After securing both your domain and hosting, the next step is connecting the two so your book direct website can go live. Most hosting providers offer easy-to-use tools to help link your domain to your hosting account.

Here’s how to connect your domain to your hosting with each provider, along with helpful links for step-by-step instructions:

• Hostinger: Hostinger offers a simple interface to connect your domain to their hosting platform. If you registered your domain through Hostinger, the process is seamless, and WordPress setup can be done in one click. Hostinger’s guide on connecting a domain to hosting.

• SiteGround: SiteGround provides tools to connect your domain to their hosting, even if it’s registered elsewhere. Their platform offers easy WordPress installation and detailed instructions on how to point your domain to their servers. SiteGround’s guide on pointing your domain.

• Bluehost: Bluehost integrates domain management and hosting seamlessly, especially if you bought your domain through them. They also provide instructions for domains registered with other providers. Bluehost’s guide on connecting your domain.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is the world’s most popular website-building platform, known for its flexibility and user-friendly interface. It powers over 40% of all websites globally, making it the go-to choice for individuals and businesses alike. WordPress allows users to build, customise, and manage their websites without needing extensive technical knowledge, thanks to its drag-and-drop editors, thousands of themes and plugins, and its active support community.

Why is WordPress Ideal for Creating Your Book Direct Website?

WordPress makes it easy to build a professional website, even if you don’t have any coding experience. You can customise it to reflect your brand, add features like booking forms or availability calendars, and ensure it’s mobile-friendly, all through an intuitive dashboard.

Here’s why WordPress is perfect for creating a book direct site:

• User-Friendly: With WordPress, you don’t need to hire a developer to get your website up and running. Its drag-and-drop page builders and intuitive interfaces make creating and managing your site easy.
• Customisable: With thousands of themes and plugins available, you can customise your website to fit your property’s unique style and booking needs.
• SEO-Friendly: WordPress has built-in SEO features that help your website rank higher in search engine results, making it easier for guests to find your property.
• Secure and Scalable: WordPress offers regular updates and strong security features. As your business grows, you can easily scale your site to handle more traffic or add more functionalities.
• Mobile Optimisation: Most WordPress themes are responsive, meaning your website will look great on any device—a key feature for guests who book on their phones.

Breakz and Custom WordPress Templates for Property Owners

At Breakz, we understand that every property owner has unique needs and preferences. That’s why we’ve developed a range of customisable templates for WordPress designed to make the process of creating your own book direct website as seamless and efficient as possible.

What is a Template for WordPress?

A WordPress template is a pre-designed layout that controls how your website looks and functions. Templates define the structure and style of your site, including elements like the header, footer, page layout, and booking forms. Instead of starting from scratch, you can install a template to quickly give your website a professional and functional design. Key Features of a WordPress Template:

• Design & Layout: Templates provide the framework for how your website will look, including fonts, colours, and page structures.
• Customisation Options: Even though it’s pre-designed, a WordPress template allows you to change various elements (like logos, images, and content) to match your preferences.
• Pre-Built Pages: Many templates come with pre-built pages such as Home, About, Contact, and Booking, so you can simply add your content and publish the site.
• Responsive Design: Most templates are optimised for mobile devices, ensuring that your site looks great no matter what device your visitors use.

By using one of our templates, you’ll have access to all these benefits, plus a design specifically tailored to help boost bookings for your property.

Why Choose Breakz for Your Property Website?

• Tailored Templates: Our templates are tailored to showcase your property’s unique qualities, ensuring that your guests can easily navigate the site and book their stay. Whether you manage a single property, multiple properties, or prefer a streamlined, simple setup, we have a template to fit your needs.
• Optimised for Bookings: We offer expertly crafted templates that boost your bookings by providing a smooth and hassle-free experience for your guests. Each template is designed to make reservations easy, while integrating all necessary features like booking forms, calendars, and payment gateways.
• Customisable to Fit Your Brand: Our templates are highly customisable, allowing you to adjust colours, layouts, and features to match your branding and property style. Whether you want a minimalist look or something more detailed, you can easily tweak the design to your liking.

With Breakz, building your book direct site is not just easier, but it also ensures that your guests have the best experience from browsing to booking. 

Click here to learn more about Breakz and discover how you can enhance your property’s booking potential today!

Seamless Integration with Search and Stay

The Breakz WordPress template not only offers customisable and user-friendly designs for property owners but also comes equipped with a powerful plugin that integrates directly with Search and Stay. This integration is designed to make managing your book direct website easier and more efficient by syncing your property information automatically.

How Does the Search and Stay WordPress Plugin Integration Work?

A WordPress plugin is an add-on that extends the functionality of your website. It allows you to add new features without needing to write any code. In the case of the Search and Stay integration plugin, it connects your book direct website with the Search and Stay platform, syncing all your property’s details in real-time.

With the Breakz template, all you have to do is install the plugin, and your site will be fully integrated with Search and Stay, ready to handle bookings effortlessly. Here’s how it benefits you:

• Automatic Data Syncing: The plugin ensures that all key property details, such as available dates, prices, images, and descriptions, are synced in real time. This means that any updates you make to your property on Search and Stay will automatically reflect on your website without you having to manually input changes.
• Effortless Management: This integration eliminates the need to manage your listings on multiple platforms. Once your property is updated on Search and Stay, the changes are immediately visible on your book direct website, ensuring consistency and saving you time.
• Improved Guest Experience: By keeping all information up-to-date, you’re providing guests with the most accurate details they need to make informed booking decisions. This seamless experience, from browsing to booking, increases guest trust and boosts conversions.

Ready to Get Started? Talk to a Specialist Today!

Building a book direct site can be a game-changer for your property. If you’re ready to take the next step or need personalised guidance, our specialists are here to help. Contact us today to discuss how we can support you in creating a website that attracts more direct bookings and maximises your revenue.