20 Year Anniversary: Q&A w/ Brandon Sauls

May 2019 marks InterCoastal Net Designs’ 20th year in business and much of our success can be attributed to our humble beginnings with Brandon Sauls at the helm. We recently sat down with Brandon to discuss where ICND is today, where we plan to go and how it all began with a fishing charter website. We live & breathe the tourism industry with our headquarters in the small beach community of Ocean Isle Beach, NC – making us well suited to understand our client’s business model and helping them see success in the vacation rental and tourism industries.

Follow Our Journey:

Q: Tell us about ICND’s beginnings 20 years ago.

Brandon: I was in college at the University of South Carolina, spending my summers working as a Captain in Ocean Isle. Two unique opportunities popped up back in 1996: 1) We needed to generate more business for the charter boat operation so we built a website and optimized it for HotBot, Lycos, Yahoo and AltaVista, there was no Google back then. Clients found us and we ran a successful charter boat operation for years while in college. 2) When I returned to USC, I posted on a campus billboard that I did website development. I landed an account and began optimizing a website for online golf club sales. From there, I had a full-time summer job with the charter boat operations and was working full-time during the school year marketing the golf club sales site. Graduating in 1999, I began working on the H.L Hunley website, which quickly generated revenue and gave me the confidence to dive into the website design and marketing realm. ICND was fully born and incorporated in 1999 and it was off to the races from there. I hired my first employee in 2000, second employee in 2001 and by 2005 had ten employees. By this time we were building full scale eCommerce systems and one of the first companies in the area interfaced with the real estate MLS / IDX data feeds. We were delivering fully integrated websites to the local area long before anyone else. Fast forward to 2010, ICND joined the Vacation Rental Manager’s Association. My wife, 3rd generation vacation rental manager at Sloane Vacations, showed me the way into this space. At first ICND had an equal product to the competitors but I quickly realized we needed to make a move. In 2014 ICND spent 8 months on R & D, rolling out www.AcmeHouse.com on our first version of our booking engine which made waves in the VRMA Community and catapulted ICND to the top of the competition. From there ICND has moved 90% of our focus on the Vacation Rental and Real Estate space.

Q: Thinking about where ICND is today versus 20 years ago, what are the largest changes that have fueled our growth?

Brandon: Prior to 2010, ICND was successful but we hadn’t honed in on our niche. We built sites for charter boat companies, lawyers and doctors. Joining VRMA and focusing our efforts on one main product allowed us to develop a strong code base that we could quickly deploy, support and maintain. Since HomeAway.com, VRBO, and AIRbnb have showed up in this space – it has really accelerated the growth of the industry we serve.

Q: What sets ICND apart from other website design & marketing firms?

Brandon: Our team is key here at ICND, but here are a few things I think set us apart from the rest:

Direct Bookings: We maintain a strong focus on generating bookings through YOUR website. With a customized marketing plan, we focus on generating more revenue directly from your website.
Speaking of customized, our custom websites are award winning. VRM Intel voted us the best website in 2016 with Topsail Realty.
Customer Service: Our team is positioned to provide you with a hands on customer service approach. The customer is the focus here at ICND, and we pride ourselves on quick response time and customized solutions.
ICND is independently owned & operated, however, we have formed strong industry-wide partnerships allowing us to provide the best product to our customers.

Q: We know ICND keeps you busy, but tell us about your hobbies!

Brandon: You don’t have to look far across the internet and social media outlets to know that I’m an avid fishermen. If I’m not working or chasing behind my twin twelve year-old girls, you’ll find me on the boat in the nearest body of water! I enjoy traveling to the southern latitudes and always seeking some outdoor adventure!

Q: Where do you see ICND going in the next 20 years?

Brandon: That is a big question – as fast as the industry is growing right now the sky is the limit. We have a strong product offering and we will continue to improve, expand and grow our core products. We have plenty of room here to grow within the US, and we’re also looking at new horizons in Europe and Australia. The same product that works in the US, will work anywhere in the world. Why limit yourself to just the US market?

Q: Tell us a little bit about Team ICND!

Brandon: Team ICND consists of forty of the finest developers, co-workers and friends that you can find. Check out our Team Page to learn a little more about each employee. Each person is very talented and bring their own unique playbook to the table that is in sync with our master plan… to make ICND the very best it can be. Everyone gets along really well and works toward a common goal! The team we have in place now is most likely the most talented team ICND has ever had.

Ascent Processing Announces Vacation Loan Product

ICND & Ascent Processing have long been partners in the Vacation Rental industry and we’re excited to announce their newest product, ASCENTpay. ASCENTpay powered by Uplift is an essential tool for vacation rental companies that is both beneficial to guests and property managers. It is not required to be a current Ascent Processing client to utilize this product. ICND is fully equipped to implement ASCENTpay on your website today.

Why should you use ASCENTpay?

Immediate FULL reservation payment paid to vacation rental company
ASCENTpay powered by Uplift assumes all risk for chargebacks, fraud and more
Earlier average booking window
Higher average transaction value as guests are more willing to upgrade rental or stay longer

ASCENTpay is easily integrated on your website and allows guests to pay for their vacation in low, fixed monthly payments. Guests simply select ASCENTpay as a method of payment during booking.

Why is ASCENTpay great for guests?

Three easy steps
Great loan options and rates for maximum flexibility
No hidden fees, no late fees
Simple, instant approval

We’ve seen a similar trend in e-commerce shopping, but ASCENTpay is the first unique offering of its kind for the vacation rental industry. This cutting-edge technology will create a simple and easy process for guests making their dream vacation affordable and attainable. Visit Ascent Processing’s website or contact us to learn more.

#BookDirect Day: Join the Movement

#BookDirect Day is Feb 6^th and the ICND team has compiled tips to educate your guests. The #BookDirect movement is primarily focused on guest education. OTAs have the brand recognition and marketing bandwidth to get in front of YOUR guests, but what makes booking directly with your company better? Here are a few highlights to market for #BookDirect.

Better Price Guarantee: Your guests can likely save $100s by booking direct, make sure they know! Share instances where your guests have saved money or create a case study demonstrating the unique experience you offer.
Discount Offered: Its simple, guests are incentivized when it comes to discounts. Something as simple as 10% off makes your offering unique compared to OTAs.
Local Knowledge: What does your Vacation Rental company know about the area? Likely your team is a wealth of knowledge. Make sure your guests know that by booking direct, your team is there to answer questions from the best burger in town to the most affordable golf cart rental company.
Maintenance: Who do guests call when the pool needs heating or the AC goes out on a hot summer day? Educate guests on your fleet of maintenance and housekeeping staff that are readily available to make their vacation go off without a hitch.

There’s a reason #BookDirect Day is centered around guest education, and that is because your guests NEED to know. The hardest part may very well be nudging guests to book direct. Once someone experiences all the benefits your company has to offer, your company is equipped to convert guests into lifelong customers.

So what’s next?

Get the word out on social media – schedule posts or join real time sharing your #BookDirect stories and benefits.
Email Marketing – get in front of your guests with a branded email campaign celebrating the #BookDirect movement.
Offer a discount – no time like the present to win business than #BookDirect Day.

Follow along as the Vacation Rental industry creates the buzz Feb. 6^th and furthers the movement. Reach out to us for tips!

Vacation Rental Ninjas: A Marketing Podcast Ep.1

We finally did it, we’ve finally started our very own podcast! If you’re not very familiar with podcasts, it’s basically like talk radio, only a little funnier. On our podcast, Vacation Rental Ninjas, we talk about everything related to the vacation rental industry including marketing strategy, SEO, social media, website development, and so much more. Our topics are relevant and relatable, and we’re pretty funny to listen to as well.

Episode 1

This Episode focuses on some great questions to ask yourself as we move into 2019. Many people are wondering what they can do to improve their marketing strategy and bring in more renters and that’s exactly what we are discussing for our first episode. We also discuss what we call, “Tool of the day” where we break down one useful tool that you can utilize in your marketing strategy. This episode’s tool is Facebook’s Audience Insights and is extremely useful when building a social audience.

You wont want to miss the discussion between Paul Hanak, Director of Marketing and David Thompson, Director of Social Media as they dive into some must know topics for 2019.

Where To Find The Podcast?

You can download the first episode and all to come on Google Music and iTunes completely FREE. And don’t forget, we are releasing a new episode every other week so stay tuned!

Is your Website ADA Compliant?

Is your Website ADA Compliant

We at InterCoastal Net Designs have been helping our clients in making their websites ADA compliant. We have been asked recently why a website must be ADA compliant, so we thought we would share some of the information with you and how it helps your company out.

What Does ADA Stand For?

The ADA is the American with Disabilities Act and it requires that businesses and nonprofit service providers make accessibility accommodations to the disabled public. This means that they have to provide the same service to the disabled as they would for the non-disabled which includes their websites.

What Could Happen If We Don’t Make our Site ADA Compliant?

If your site is not ADA Compliant there are a few things that could happen. The first thing that could happen to your business is you could lose a client or a booking. We don’t want this to happen because the disabled person may go to another site that is ADA compliant. Another thing that we could see in the future is where Google and other search engines would only rank websites that are compliant. We know that they have recently moved in the direction to “force” businesses to make their sites mobile friendly or they will lose the rankings altogether. This could be the future with having your website ADA compliant and if it’s not then you lose your rankings. We don’t want this to happen to your business which is why we can help make your website ADA compliant.

How Do We Make Your Website ADA Compliant?

There are many suggestions on the ADA Website, but we know that there are many other considerations as well. We will take the precautions in checking your site to see if it’s compliant and if it is not, then we will make it compliant. There are several things that have to be addressed in making it compliant, but we will cover a few of the items for you.

Perceivable

Your website will have information and user interface components that must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive. This ensures that the content on your site is available to view in multiple forms that will be easy to see or hear regardless of the disability. We will make sure to place an alt text tag on an image.

Operable

We will make sure that the user interface components and navigation must be operable meaning that a disabled user can easily navigate your website. We want to make sure that they won’t run into any limited functionality or time limits if we make it compliant for them. We want to make sure the disabled can navigate through your site using only their keyboard or that the web pages are titled with a topic.

Is It Easy to Understand?

Having a website that is easy to understand is something that the ADA looks at. We want to make sure that your website and its pages are easy to read, are predictable and have the capability to correct user mistakes. We want your website navigation to remain consistent throughout the site and that you provide instructions for all user impute fields. Also, we want to make sure that a user is able to confirm their financial transaction before they submit it for an order or booking.

How Robust is It?

The ADA wants to make sure that the content is robust enough that it can be interpreted by a wide variety of users including assistive technologies. This will help ensure that the compatibility between your website and current and future technologies that someone may use to assist them. We will make sure that your HTML documents include a start and end tags and do not contain duplicates. We want to help make their experience as good as it would be if it was non-ADA Compliant.

While there are many other ways that InterCoastal Net Designs can help with making your website ADA Compliant, these are just a few of the examples we do for you. We understand that while this can seem very complicated to get onto your site, it’s something that we know how to do. We hope that you will trust InterCoastal Net Designs in helping build your business and making your website ADA Compliant for the new year!

CiiRUS-Integrated Australian Site Launches

ICND has been in the vacation rental industry for two decades and a key component of that success is our partnerships. We’ve worked with our partner CiiRUS Vacation Rental Software to launch Uptown Apartments. This marks ICND’s first collaboration of many to come with CiiRUS. This site is the second Australian launch for both ICND and CiiRUS.

Now let’s learn a bit more about our new clients, Uptown Apartments. Uptown Apartments’ site harnesses the power of CiiRUS software and our booking engine while utilizing WordPress to manage all content and contacts. The homepage features a seamlessly integrated quick search component linking to all available properties. Custom features include:

Featured properties that pull based on highest availability in a specified time frame
Urgency features, allowing guests to view number of property views in a 24 hour time-frame
Property availability calendars with nightly pricing
Rental add-ons offered at booking, notifies property manager of request

Uptown Apartments is a husband & wife owned company specializing in executive apartments in the Sydney & Brisbane areas. The entire rental fleet is located in high-demand locations. Their properties are perfectly suited for business trips, vacations or long-term stays due to relocation or home renovation. Each apartment is outfitted with all amenities including complete kitchens, washer/dryer, linens and free cable/wifi.

As we announce our first CiiRUS launch, we’re also announcing that ICND is integrated with their software and ready to serve the custom web design needs of all CiiRUS customers. Contact us to learn more!

Vacation Rental Marketing Do’s and Dont’s

With so many SEO tools floating around the internet, it can be hard to understand what to believe. Raven, SEMRush, Moz and other similar tools have site audit features that crawl your website and spit out a list of items that are hindering your site’s performance.

With so many different issues highlighted by just one of the many site audit tools out there, getting your website optimized can seem like a daunting task. To help you better understand how to optimize your site and not waste time blindly following a third-party audit tool, we created a list of Do’s and Don’ts of Digital Marketing.

Digital Marketing Don’ts:

DON’T get caught up with the “perfect score”
Using a third-party site audit can be great start when looking for ways to improve your website. They can be provide valuable insight about issues and opportunities related to your site, but they should never be used as the be-all and end-all resource for site optimization. Good SEO always starts with good on-site content and a good user experience.

DON’T spend time on social media just promoting yourself (80/20 rule)
Social media is made to be just that- social. It’s not a platform to purely promote your rentals or specials, and should be used to create and monitor social interactions regarding your brand. The best way to balance this is by making 80% of your posts fun and engaging, while the other 20% can be promotional.

DON’T think you can manage your PPC campaign yourself without experience
There are so many ins-and-outs of PPC that it takes years of daily use to master. Without knowing which tools to use inside Google or Bing ads, you could be setting yourself up for a huge spend without a good return on investment. It’s best to leave stuff like this to the PPC experts.

DON’T buy links to your site or participate in linking farms
It’s not enough to just get as many links as you can to your website. Google also takes the quality of your referring domains into account when determining how you rank. Have too many questionable backlinks, and you might not even rank at all! Luckily, there are plenty of tools out there that will hunt down toxic backlinks for you so that you can disavow them in Google Search Console.

DON’T upload photos or images straight from their source (camera, stock site, etc.)
The files needs to be compressed, sized appropriately and be given an appropriate meta description and file name. This affects many different aspects of SEO, and could be something that you’re missing out on.

DON’T use Headings (<h1>, <h2>, etc.) for their appearance
HTML is for content and headings help search engines easily understand page structure. If you’re looking to change the appearance of something on a page, your best bet is to utilize CSS, a styling language. Using HTML headings to change the appearance of a page element will massively impact how Google and other search engines see your page.

Digital Marketing Do’s:

DO spend time on your own website & look at competitors’ sites
Take a look at the functionality of your website from a user’s perspective. How useful is the site? How easy is the booking process? Now take a look at some of your competitors’ sites, how does your site stack up?

The power of visual content in SEO and digital marketing — source: coolerinsights.com/2015/02/visual-content-marketing-asian-insights/

DO spend time creating quality content
Creating quality content is a great way to build your brand and get a potential customer’s attention. It’s important to keep in mind that this content should be relevant to your business, deliver value to the consumer (entertainment, good information, etc…) and be more than just blocks of text. This means videos, photos, maps, illustrations, and other visual & interactive elements should all be part of your content strategy.

DO use Google My Business
And update it often! Google My Business has been around for years, but Google has recently put some serious time and effort into boosting its functionality. Make sure you take the time to completely fill out your profile with accurate information, photos, and create posts from time to time. Finally, encourage your customers to leave honest reviews on your GMB profile and reply to them. This will help your local SEO and even get you included in the local map pack.

DO target long tail keywords – it’s easier than you think
Sure, everyone wants to rank #1 for “<location> rentals.” However, spending time on a few lower-volume long tail keywords such as “<location> oceanfront home rentals” can bring in a ton of good traffic. Furthermore, if you have good quality content for a few long tail keywords, it boosts your ability to rank for “<location> rentals” because you are becoming an authority for all the different types of rentals in the area.

DO make sure your site is optimized for mobile
Back in July of 2018 Google announced that mobile page speed is now a ranking factor in mobile searches. See how your site performs on mobile, and learn what you can do about it.

DO make sure your website is HTTPS
Would you want to give your information to a non secure (HTTP) page? Google knows it’s not a good idea, and, as of July 2018, warns users if they’re visiting a site that isn’t secure. Oh, and it’s a ranking factor. Enough said.

DO establish the N.A.P. of your organization & standardize It
Having a million citations doesn’t do your company much good if your business name (N), address (A), and phone number (P) aren’t the same across the board. There’s plenty of great services out there that will monitor this for you.

Google Local Search Update Now Includes Posts From Google My Business

Your Google My Business posts will now be featured in local search results- if you have any.

As more and more users are choosing to use their phones for basic browsing instead of a traditional computer, mobile SERPs (search engine result pages) are more important than ever. That’s why so many successful businesses hire a digital marketing company that understands Google’s ever-changing ranking algorithm.

Google My Business allows business owners to determine how, or if, their business is displayed in Google Maps, Knowledge Graphs and Organic Search. There’s also an option for business owners to create posts and share information about their business.

The four main types of posts are:

What’s new posts A post regarding general information about your company that can include a photo/video link and a CTA button.
Event posts – These posts require a title as well as a start/end date and time. These posts can also include a photo/video, CTA button, and other information.
Offer posts – Allow business owners to share deals or promotions offered by their business. These posts automatically have a “view offer” CTA button added to them, but may also include a photo/video, terms and conditions, coupon codes, links and more.
Product posts – Share details about a specific product offered by your business. These posts must include a title and photo/video, but can also include a CTA button and other information.

Pro tip: Posts can be up to 1,500 characters, but Google says that the ideal length is 150-300 characters. So keep it simple!

For more information about Google My Business Posts, check out the official Google guide.

It’s important to note that the Post tab only displays on mobile searches at the time of writing this post. Here is the desktop result for the same search as above:

Will creating Posts help me rank better?

It’s tough to know for sure. According to a Search Engine Land case study from 2017, Google My Business Posts are “low-impact, low-effort tasks” that are best utilized when combined “with other tasks to help improve Local SEO for a small business.”

The same study showed that Google My Business Posts had a “mild” impact on rankings. Now that Google is putting more attention on Posts, they could play a larger role in the future.

So if the Posts feature has been around for a while, what’s the big deal?

This is the second major update to the Posts feature in just three weeks, meaning that Google is either planning or testing something. The first major update came on July 31st when Google announced a big change to their Post Insights dashboard.

For now though, it’s hard to say exactly where Google is going with this. If you already publish posts to your Google My Business profile, head over to the Insights tab and see if they are yielding any beneficial results. If you haven’t published any posts yet, it could be something that’s worth looking into- if Google is giving it this much attention, there could be something big on the horizon.

Are you looking for Search Engine Optimization and other digital marketing services to help your business outshine the competition? We would love to be in touch.

Conference Travel Ahead: Q&A with Director of Fun, April Burns

ICND will soon be jet-setting for conference travel and we’re excited to say the least. In September we’re attending Streamline Summit and Rezfest, with VRMA International on the horizon in October. In preparation for September travel, we sat down with resident travel expert, April Burns. Come see us on the road!

On Conference Travel:

Q: What’s your favorite part about gearing up for conference travel?

AB: It is an exciting time of the year when conference season approaches. The energy in the office goes up as we work on new campaigns, swag and new products to showcase.

Q: What do you most enjoy while at the conferences?

AB: During a conference it is great to explore a new town and get to see the local sites, but in the end it is the opportunity to see current clients and meet new friends. There is a core group of vendors that travel to these events and become your second family while you are on the road. They are there to help in times of need and for a good laugh. We also have our usual attendees that come to each event. Some of them may be your client, but some become friends that you get to see and catch up with each year.

Q: Tell us a bit about ICND’s conference theme for Fall travel.

AB: Each season we love to come up with new theme and play off them for our swag and booth. We have many VRM’s looking forward to our t-shirts every year and this year will not disappoint. I think that might be all I can really say…but have you ever seen Better Call Saul(s)??

Q: What are your tips for keeping the conference energy in forward motion after returning to the office/daily routine?

AB: It is important for your team feel the energy when you return to the office. They enjoy hearing about the trip, the people and a little swag for them definitely helps! I have also found that if you take time to make a list on your return trip it will help you stay focused and energized

There is a core group of vendors that travel to these events and become your second family while you are on the road.

-April Burns, Account Executive

On Streamline Summit:

Q: Is this your first Streamline Summit?

AB: This will be ICND’s second Streamline Summit and I have been fortunate to attend both of them.

Q: What is unique about Streamline Summit?

AB: Streamline really rolls out the red carpet for their clients and vendors. Each year they have a unique theme and provide great events.

Q: Tips for Scottsdale, AZ?

AB: I have never been to Scottsdale, AZ, so I am very excited to explore this town. I have heard so many positive things about Scottsdale.

On Rezfest:

Q: Is this your first Rezfest?

AB: No, this will be my 3rd time attending RezFest.

Q: What is unique about Rezfest?

AB: RezFest gives us the chance to connect with our current Homeaway clients, while meeting new people. It also gives us the chance learn about the next exciting steps with Homeaway. RezFest offers a great conference experience while allowing time to really mingle with the attendees and getting to enjoy the area.

Q: Tips for Marco Island.

AB: Marco Island is a gorgeous beach town, so take time and get out to explore. We get to travel to some gorgeous locations so make sure you take time to get outside and see what they have to offer.

Travel Tips from April:

Q: You’re an experienced traveler, how many countries have you been to?

AB: I have been fortunate to go to over 30 countries.

Q: What was your most recent trip?

AB: My most recent international trip was to Australia for RezFest Australia.

Q: Tell us your tips for the novice traveler.

AB: Great question! I have a few key items that I always do when traveling internationally

Tip #1 – I try to travel with a carry-on, as I have had my luggage delayed in the past, but when I do have to check my bag, it is important to place a card with your name, phone and where you are traveling to (including airline details) inside your checked luggage – baggage tags can be ripped off and this will give them the chance to locate you and reconnect you with your bag.

Tip #2 – Make a copy of everything – may passport and travel itinerary, and keep it in a separate location, in the event I lost my documents.

Tip #3 – Be a good ambassador for your country – prepare for long flights, research the location you are going to ahead of time and pack your patience! A smile and a good southern hospitality go a long way!

Be on the look out for April when she hits the road for our September conference schedule. April wears many hats here at ICND, but she’s widely known among our crew as the Director of Fun. However, after reading her travel tips we may have to add another title, Director of Travel! We’re excited to see you on the road!

ICND & Key Data Partnership: Visualizing Vacation Rental Data

InterCoastal Net Designs is excited to officially announce our partnership with Key Data Dashboard. Key Data Dashboard’s products are a natural fit for our vacation rental client base. Their software integrates seamlessly with your Property Management Software to provide real-time insights focusing on the health of your business.

What Can You Expect from Utilizing Key Data?

Key Data Dashboard’s software provides three integral ways to plug into your metrics – performance, benchmark & pacing.

Performance: visualize vacation rental data, instantly! Regarding performance, Key Data provides an instant look at your revenue sources and can get targeted insights per property. Additionally, the software provides a unique geo-targeted heatmap. See exactly where your guests are coming from!
Benchmark: Keep a pulse on your competition. Key Data’s benchmarking allows you to easily compare how your metrics stack up within your particular market. For instance, did you book more nights than your market competition?
Pacing: Examine future performance as of today vs. last year’s performance as of the same date. Pacing allows you to visualize your revenue and insights in readily available charts.

Demand Data with ICND:

ICND & Key Data’s partnership provides a unique opportunity to enhance the product with Demand Data. ICND will provide Key Data with insight search analytics on a per client basis. We will be able to provide Key Data with unique data such as dates and amenities a guest searches for on the site. Previously Key Data did not have access to this information, however, the partnership with ICND provides a full look at your site’s data and analytics. This allows Key Data Dashboard to provide our clients with a comprehensive view of your site’s performance and how best to market towards your clientele.

What does this partnership mean for ICND Clients?

Key Data Dashboard’s products eliminate hours of reporting and analyzing your data. Our partnership with Key Data presents a very unique offer for our current clientele, making the adoption of their product suite a no-brainer.

Starting August 1, 2018 – all ICND clients can receive Key Data Dashboard for FREE lasting through July 31st, 2019. There’s no reason not to try this software that is sure to be an integral part of your business moving forward.

Contact us today to get started for FREE with Key Data Dashboard. You can also connect with your account representative directly or call 910-575-6095 and reference this offer.

We’re excited to partner with industry leaders and provide this unique opportunity for our client base, and look forward to this successful partnership with Key Data Dashboard.