Mark Simpson (speaker) explains that hosts should start by optimizing where their existing traffic comes from—especially traffic from OTAs (online travel agencies). He frames OTAs as a valuable "shop window" that can be used to funnel guests to a property's direct booking website, where branding, email marketing, and social media can then convert and retain guests.
I've spoken to so many hosts even today and just explaining that the first place you start is just optimizing where the existing traffic is coming in from. A lot of people here listening to the podcast always assume us at boostly dislike the OTAs. We don't dislike them, we love the OTAs. They help to be a big shop window to bring people to be a direct book. And ultimately so you can instead of you working for the OTAs, they work for you once you've got it branded, as you say, in the right way, and bringing people across from the OTAs to the direct booking website and then the email marketing and social media also directing traffic towards it.
I Tested AI Search SEO for Rental Hosts... Here Is What Happened [Live Training]
