Creating the Best FAQ Page for Your Short-Term Rentals: Why & How (+ Examples)

If you’ve been running a short-term rental business for any amount of time, you’ve probably noticed one thing that prospective guests have in common…

Asking questions. Lots of questions. 

Of course, you know it’s important to be helpful – especially when you want to try and convert inquirers into bookers. But responding to every query can be extremely time-consuming. 

So what’s the answer? 

Having an FAQ page on your website is a fantastic way to address your guests’ questions before they even have to ask them! Let’s explore the reasons why an FAQ page is a good idea, some examples you can use on your page, and the powerful connection between your FAQs and AI-powered guest messaging.

To make the best impression possible you need to provide a great guest experience at every step – starting before they even book with you.

A clearly labeled FAQ page helps with this by improving the prospective guest’s experience of navigating your website. Having a webpage users can go to for key information helps set up a seamless online journey, one that reassures them they’ll have a great experience at your accommodation.

Guests can also continue to go to your FAQ page for quick answers during their stay, which is especially useful if you’re managing your vacation rentals remotely.

There’s nothing more frustrating when researching a trip than being unable to find information. We’ve all been there! So, having all your key info in one place immediately puts your vacation rentals at an advantage.

For example, let’s say a prospective guest is researching accommodations and has narrowed down their options to one of your properties and a competitor’s vacation rental. They want their accommodation to offer a few specific amenities, but they can’t find out whether your competitor provides them without getting in touch with them directly. If that information is right there on your FAQ page, you’ve instantly tipped the scales in your favor.

This relates to the point above. Basically, people researching accommodations are more likely to book with you when they can get a quick answer to their questions, which is what any effective FAQ page provides.

Finding the info they need on your FAQ page also keeps users on your website for longer. This prevents them from going to search engines or your OTA listings – thereby increasing the likelihood that they will book direct.

Additionally, an FAQ page allows you to overcome any objections or misconceptions about your business that may be preventing prospective guests from booking. 

You and your property management team both know how time-consuming it is to have to address the same questions repeatedly. With an easy-to-find, easy-to-navigate FAQ page on your website, travelers can find the answers they need fast – and without your help.

This also means you can also overcome any objections travelers may have to booking without having to communicate with them directly. Redirect the hours saved into growing your business or just enjoying the extra downtime!

Search engine optimization is about how you refine your website content to appear in popular online search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. It involves producing or adapting your content to rank highly in searches for specific keywords or keyphrases.

An FAQ page is particularly valuable for voice search optimization. This is when users perform searches on the internet by speaking into a device rather than typing, often using smartphones and virtual assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa. Because voice search queries tend to be more conversational and question-based, they tend to mirror the same format as your FAQ content – which makes that content more likely to appear in the results for voice search queries.

FAQ pages also give you an advantage in having your information featured in Google’s featured snippets. These appear at the box in the top of the search results in Google, highlighting a short, direct answer to the question users have searched. FAQs are structured to provide clear and concise answers to common questions, which aligns perfectly with the type of content Google selects for featured snippets.

Having a relevant, well-written FAQ page highlights your expertise and authority. It shows that you understand the issues and questions facing your prospective and current guests. This allows you to build a reputation as a trustworthy, considerate, and helpful provider – often before the traveler even books with you! 

As we mentioned before, it’s all part of delivering that great experience via your website that reassures travelers they’ll have an exceptional time at your accommodation.

The questions (and answers) you include on your FAQ page will vary depending on the specifics of your business. The below examples should get you started, but be sure to 1) adapt your responses for accuracy and 2) address any other questions not included below that your guests frequently ask.

Check-in is at [INSERT TIME], and check-out is at [INSERT TIME]. Early check-in or late check-out may be available upon request, subject to availability.

Check-in details will be provided via email [INSERT NUMBER] days before your arrival, including instructions for key pickup or door code access.

Yes, there is [INSERT DETAILS ON PARKING: e.g., free on-site parking, garage access, street parking]. Please refer to the parking instructions provided in your check-in email.

[INSERT PET POLICY: e.g., “Yes, we allow pets for an additional fee of $[INSERT AMOUNT] per stay”, or “No, pets are not allowed”].

Yes, complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi is available throughout the property. The network name and password will be provided at check-in.

Our standard cancellation policy is [INSERT DETAILS: e.g., a full refund for cancellations made [NUMBER] days before check-in, a 50% refund for cancellations made [NUMBER] days before check-in, etc.].

Additional fees may include a cleaning fee of $[INSERT AMOUNT], a security deposit of $[INSERT AMOUNT], and applicable taxes. Any additional fees will be clearly listed during the booking process.

Our rental includes [INSERT AMENITIES: e.g., a fully equipped kitchen, washer and dryer, toiletries, linens, towels, etc.]. Please see the full list on our amenities page.

Yes, our property is family-friendly and includes amenities such as [INSERT FAMILY AMENITIES: e.g., a crib, high chair, toys, games, etc.].

Yes, we ask all guests to follow our house rules, which include [INSERT HOUSE RULES: e.g., no smoking, no parties or events, respect for neighbors, etc.]. Detailed house rules will be provided upon booking.

[INSERT POLICY ON EVENTS: e.g., “Small gatherings are allowed with prior approval.” or “No, unfortunately events and parties are not allowed.”].

The maximum occupancy for our rental is [INSERT NUMBER] guests. This includes [INSERT NUMBER] adults and [INSERT NUMBER] children.

Yes, our property is equipped with [INSERT DETAILS: e.g., central air conditioning and heating, individual room units, etc.].

Our property is located [INSERT DISTANCE: e.g., 5 miles from downtown, 10 minutes from the beach, etc.]. Popular nearby attractions include [INSERT LOCAL ATTRACTIONS: e.g., landmarks, parks, museums, etc.].

Yes, there is a minimum stay of [INSERT NUMBER] nights. This may vary depending on the season or holiday periods.

[INSERT CLEANING POLICY: e.g., “We provide a one-time cleaning service before check-in. Additional cleaning services can be arranged upon request for an extra fee of $[INSERT AMOUNT] per visit.”]

You can contact us via [INSERT CONTACT METHODS: e.g., phone, email, messaging platform] at any time. We strive to respond to all inquiries promptly.

[INSERT ACCESSIBILITY DETAILS: e.g., “Yes, the property is wheelchair accessible and includes features such as wide doorways and a step-free entrance.” or “No, unfortunately the property is not fully accessible at the current time.”]

Please contact us immediately if you encounter any issues. We aim to resolve any problems as quickly as possible to ensure your stay is comfortable.

We occasionally offer discounts for extended stays or last-minute bookings. Please check our website or contact us directly for current promotions and special offers.

The nearest grocery store is [NAME OF STORE]. It is located at [ADDRESS]. You can get there by [TRANSPORTATION METHOD] in [NUMBER] minutes.

Yes, there are many restaurants in the local area, catering to all types of dietary preferences and requirements. We can especially recommend [NAME OF RESTAURANT 1] for lunch and [NAME OF RESTAURANT 2] for dinner.

If it seems like everybody is talking about AI nowadays, it’s for good reason! AI is becoming a major force in travel, with 63% of surveyed US travelers having already used AI for travel planning (Source: Statista, 2023).

eviivo Suite’s native AI guest messaging tool, eviivo Concierge, is able to give accurate, engaging responses to guest queries on your website at any time – and it’s especially powerful if you have an existing FAQ page. 

Here’s why. When you set up eviivo Concierge, you program it to take the content for its responses from your existing webpages. Therefore, having an in-depth FAQ page gives Concierge a rich pool of content to inform its responses. As a result, prospective and current guests can get the right information they need even more quickly.

And once Concierge is up and running, you can use it to enhance your FAQ page too. As transcripts of all AI-user interactions go to your unified Conversations inbox in eviivo Suite, you can see what questions people are asking and update your FAQs accordingly. You may be surprised at the common questions you didn’t think to address until looking at your Concierge transcripts!

A good FAQ page goes a long way for any short-term rental business, bringing benefits that range from enhancing the guest experience to boosting booking conversions – and all while saving your team valuable time. 

Start crafting your FAQs today by adapting the examples provided in this article. You can also take the stress (and the coding!) out of creating your FAQ page by using the drag-and-drop templated website designs in eviivo’s Website Builder. This enables you to effortlessly add custom pages with collapsible sections to your webpage, ideal for hosting your FAQs. 

An effective FAQ page is one element of a comprehensive guest engagement strategy. By integrating your FAQ-hosted website with other guest management tools like eviivo Concierge and eviivo’s unified messaging inbox, you can further streamline your guest interactions while providing round-the-clock responsiveness.