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Don Draper

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Renewal time. I LIKE this directory, I like the kinds of guests we get from them, and I like their GC program. I don't like that you have to email them to change your listing (pics/descriptions, etc.). According to Google Analytics they are the 5th highest referrer to our site, but the percentage is very low (less than 10%). Most of my competitors are listed there. I can't decide if it's worth the ~$500 renewal right now. What are your experiences?
 
$500??? Holy cow. I must not have renewed in awhile.
I also like them but they do rank very low comparatively speaking. My blog delivers more traffic than they do.
 
Wow. Their prices for Canadians are just silly. Not even ONE B&B is listed in all of Montreal and there are about 100 listed on the government website.
How many other B&Bs are you competeing with on your page? If it brings in a lot of revenue it may be worth it, but if it isn't, then maybe a lower membership level?
 
About 3 years ago I looked at the business that was being generated as well as click throughs and they were more than B&B.com $ wise and less reservations, I called and spoke with them, they were not willing to make any concessions (which of course they are not required to do but I have to look at my bottom line) so I had to drop them.
 
$500? I'll have to look! I am sure I paid no more than $100 - $150 for them. But I only hav two rooms...
Edited to say: you must be on the "elite" level. I do the basic level at $199 and that works for me.
RIki
 
I dropped them last year at renewal because of price increase. Went to bnbfinder instead. Will give it a few years.
What gets me is ALL these directories are pounding us with "create deals & specials" however when it comes to creating deals or specials for US - THEIR customers - not on your life! We are discouraged from raising our rates in this economy but they DO raise theirs. Remember how bandb started their renewal letter in 2009? We know the economy is down and everyone is hurting (paraphrased) and here is your renewal rate. It went from $269 to $400 for my 3-room B & B for the Silver Level - the lowest one at that time with a link.
Other than the exposure, none of the directories has really done much for me. - except the BOGO traffic.
 
An inn that has MANY B&B's in a city/location NEEDS TO STAY WITH ALL OF THESE DIRECTORIES. That is my opinion, if I were an inn with many other B&B's around I would say RENEW IT. YOU HAVE TO.
This forum is very beneficial and also provides food for thought. You may be an inn grossing $300,000 per year answering the same question as an inn grossing under $25,000. So without each revealing its revenue stream, you have to take the answers with a grain of salt.
BBONLINE like all the directories have fallen way behind google searches. What does this mean for us? We really need to think about this. I actually had MORE bookings after I dropped the big-boy bedandbreakfast.com but for reasons not explained here I had to join up this year again. Will I get more bookings? So far NOT SO. Time will tell.
 
Uh drop it altogether, why not try to $199 level? It has photos and links and info just the same, not as flashy as the higher level.
I don't see where it has skyrocketed? Where are you getting that from K? BBONLINE IS THE ONLY DIRECTORY WHO HAS NOT JUMPED IN PRICE.
Now many of the others offer major deals to GO WITH THEM! Now they WANT our business more and more...
 
Ok, I was reading wrong. They do have a new fourth level that is $515 per year, I think we were at the $359 level.
Here is the pricing structure from their website.
 
Ok, I was reading wrong. They do have a new fourth level that is $515 per year, I think we were at the $359 level.
Here is the pricing structure from their website..
Why do you need the highest level? We were at the low end..that is all I would pay.You don't need high end if you have your own web site and link to it from there.
 
PS Adding that the higher level doesn't change the look (improve it imo) it adds more photos, definitely, but not a big change in appearance.
 
PS Adding that the higher level doesn't change the look (improve it imo) it adds more photos, definitely, but not a big change in appearance..
Yea they haven't changes much over the years. I little make over when they bought it from Randy but that has been it. I just did a site for someone who had used them for "THEIR website" for years! I tried to talk them into changing but finally I guess they had it with them not doing what they wanted to be done. Trying to convince another innkeeper right now....His site is TERRIBLE on BBONLINE and he has a wonderful place that could really shine in its own site.
 
PS Adding that the higher level doesn't change the look (improve it imo) it adds more photos, definitely, but not a big change in appearance..
Yea they haven't changes much over the years. I little make over when they bought it from Randy but that has been it. I just did a site for someone who had used them for "THEIR website" for years! I tried to talk them into changing but finally I guess they had it with them not doing what they wanted to be done. Trying to convince another innkeeper right now....His site is TERRIBLE on BBONLINE and he has a wonderful place that could really shine in its own site.
.
I am amazed at how many B&B's do still only have a page on bbonline. I looke there, want more info and there is no more info! Their 'website' is just a clone of the page they have on bbonline. But, try making a rez at some of those places...full, all the time! Location, location, location.
 
Uh drop it altogether, why not try to $199 level? It has photos and links and info just the same, not as flashy as the higher level.
I don't see where it has skyrocketed? Where are you getting that from K? BBONLINE IS THE ONLY DIRECTORY WHO HAS NOT JUMPED IN PRICE.
Now many of the others offer major deals to GO WITH THEM! Now they WANT our business more and more....
It was bandb that went stratosphere. I dropped bbon line because they went up, not a lot ($40 or 50) but I was broker than broke. Yes, definitely look at who is/where is. I thought I posted the disclaimer that I am small and in Podunk. If I had 4 others in my area (actually I wish I would be so lucky as we could possibly market together and share costs) it would be different. I took what I would have paid them and tried bnb finder instead.
As I said, I keep directories for the exposure because I do not get reservations from their listings - at least none that come in as from xxxxx.com. And you know how often they can tell you which site.
Please do not think I do not have others near me because there is nothing here - there is. That is what is so frustrating. One B & B can be found anywhere, if there are 2 or more people figure there must be something there to support them. I have the something there, just not the other B & Bs.
 
I dropped them at renewal time last year after expressing the need to have revisions that were forever to get changed, increasing their (bottom listing) from $139 to $199 while they dropped in searches for my area from high on page 1, to page 2 or 3.
They were not producing for me and must not for other as I just did a search and only 1 b&b in my area is listed now and in the big city near me there is currently only 12 when there are at least 50.
I do agree that if your competition is there, you should be as well but agree too that there is no need to spend over the $199, just word it well enough to get them to YOUR website to sell them.
 
I blogged: https://www.innspiring.com/resources/bb-directories/bbonline-worth-it-or-not
:D.
Seems decent to me...
Google Page Rank: Page Six
Daily Views: 63,400
Comes out to 55 cents a day if you go with the basic $199 package. Pretty good marketing dollars for the amount of potential guests.

*I thought I was editing my other post with the above, but it didn't work out that way....sorry :(
 
I blogged: https://www.innspiring.com/resources/bb-directories/bbonline-worth-it-or-not
:D.
Seems decent to me...
Google Page Rank: Page Six
Daily Views: 63,400
Comes out to 55 cents a day if you go with the basic $199 package. Pretty good marketing dollars for the amount of potential guests.

*I thought I was editing my other post with the above, but it didn't work out that way....sorry :(
.
Daily views of the home page of the site? So what? That means nothing when the guest has to drill down to the place they want. By the time they get to a city page, we're talking a few people a day, not 63,400. Now if you want to tell me that 63,000 people are looking at my city page everyday, then I might be interested.
You're not looking at the small picture...there are thousands of locations on that site. What's the bounce rate for the home page? If 63,400 show up, at least 10% are going away without looking at anything else. Then a lot of them are going to wander aimlessly around, or, better still, they're innkeepers who are logging into their account, knock off another 10%.
And then there are the people who ended up there because they were looking for a recipe. Or an inn for sale. That whole 63,400 are not looking for a B&B. And they're certainly not looking for a B&B in my town.
Essentially, the 55 cents/day could end up meaning that one guest books one night all year and it has COST me $49 above and beyond what I got as an ROI.
It's not how many people click on the page but how many people make a reservation that counts.
 
I called to see about renewing. As an existing customer (and I think because of our size) we get a discount, so the highest package is $439/year. Do I need the highest package? I don't rightly know. But it gives you a higher ranking and that is what my biggest competitors do so that's where I went.
Bottom line, I like the directory (I use it myself when looking for a place to stay), I like the kinds of guests we get from them, and they picked up the phone and were friendly and helpful when I called. So they get my business.
 
If I try to find mine on there, I come up in numerous different places as a "near" place, so even if they don't click on your city, you have the potential to still get viewed.
To each their own, but to me, 55 cents a day is worth it. Even a one night stay (although we don't allow them) would pay for the year.
 
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