Designing Vacation Rental Property Pages That Drive Clicks, Page Views, and Bookings

If you want your vacation rental site to rank and convert, your design has to do more than look good. Google rewards sites that users engage with. Guests reward sites that feel easy, intuitive, and focused. The overlap between the two is a user experience built for conversion.

When a guest lands on your site, the decision starts instantly, often before they read a single word. 94% of first impressions are driven by design, and in just 0.05 seconds, visitors form an opinion about your brand based solely on how your site looks. 

That first glance carries real weight: 75% of a site’s credibility comes from how professional and trustworthy it feels. Beautiful design doesn’t just attract attention, it keeps it. 59% of users prefer browsing well-designed websites, and 79% won’t return at all if the experience feels visually off. 

In short, design isn’t decoration, it’s the foundation of trust, confidence, and bookings.

This guide breaks down the highest-impact design decisions that drive:

• More clicks

• More page views

• Lower bounce rates

• More bookings

And most importantly: why Google understands those signals as ranking-worthy.

Design for engagement first

Search engines don’t rank websites, they rank user behavior.

When guests:

• Click into multiple property pages

• Spend time browsing galleries

• Scroll instead of bouncing

• Complete bookings

Google learns that your site is valuable. Every design choice below is about guiding attention toward engagement, not distractions.

1. Put the property gallery at the top of the homepage

Why it works

Photos are the primary decision driver in vacation rentals. Guests don’t want to “learn”, they want to browse.

How to do it

• Place a property gallery immediately below (or replacing) the hero

• Use large, clickable cards with:

• One strong image

• Property name + location

• Make the entire card clickable

What it drives

• More clicks on property pages

• Higher pages-per-session

• Lower bounce rates

This is one of the strongest engagement signals you can send to Google.

2. Keep the homepage hero to ~⅓ of the screen

Why it works

Full-screen heroes stop momentum. A smaller hero encourages scrolling, which is an engagement signal.

How to do it

• Limit hero height to ~30–35% of the viewport

• Include:

• One clear value proposition

• A soft CTA (“Explore homes”)

• Let the property gallery appear immediately below

What it drives

• Faster scrolling

• Immediate exposure to listings

• Increased session depth

Scrolling is a positive behavioral signal for both UX and SEO.

Further reading:

• https://www.wander.com/article/how-to-build-a-vacation-rental-website-that-drives-more-direct-bookings

3. Simplify navigation to remove exit paths

Why it works

Every extra menu item is a chance to lose a guest.

How to do it

Limit your primary navigation to:

• Homes (or Destinations)

• About (optional)

• Contact

Avoid blogs, policies, FAQs, or dropdowns in the main nav.

What it drives

• Focused browsing behavior

• More property page engagement

• Fewer early exits

Less choice = more action.

4. Design property pages for scanning, not reading

Why it works

Guests skim. Your page needs to communicate value in seconds.

How to do it

High-converting property pages follow this order:

1. Image gallery

2. Property name + location

3. Key stats (sleeps, beds, baths)

4. Short description (3–5 lines)

5. Amenities (grouped + scannable)

6. Calendar + pricing

7. Clear booking CTA

Use icons, bullets, and spacing—not long paragraphs.

What it drives

• Longer time on page

• Higher intent before pricing

• More confident booking decisions

Clear structure reduces friction.

5. Streamline checkout to remove distractions

Why it works

Most booking drop-off happens at checkout, not on the property page.

How to do it

• Minimize steps and fields

• Remove secondary CTAs and links

• Show total price clearly and early

• Keep one primary action: Book now

What it drives

• Higher booking completion rates

• Lower abandonment

• Strong trust signals

A clean checkout directly impacts revenue.

6. Keep the homepage intentionally simple

Why it works

Your homepage is a routing page—not a brochure.

How to do it

Limit the homepage to 1–3 sections:

1. Property gallery

2. Clear value proposition

3. Contact/support access

If it doesn’t drive someone to a property page, remove it.

What it drives

• Faster engagement

• More listing clicks

• Stronger SEO engagement signals

Simple pages convert better.

The takeaway

The best-performing vacation rental sites don’t overwhelm guests—they guide them. Every design decision should answer one question:

Does this increase clicks, page views, or bookings? If the answer is no, it’s hurting both conversions and rankings.

Design for engagement, and both guests and Google will follow.

Want these conversion principles built in automatically?

Wander Sites is designed around proven UX patterns that drive more clicks, deeper engagement, and more direct bookings right out of the box. No custom design work required.
Get started free at wander.com/sites.