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WEBSITE CHECKLIST

Vacation rental website checklist

Your own website is where guests who already like your rental come to check the details and dates. Use this checklist to make sure it answers their questions, shows when you are free and makes the next step obvious. Tick items off as you go; your progress is saved in this browser.

Follow the guide
QUICK ANSWER

A good rental website answers three questions fast

Is it right for us, is it free on our dates, and how do we book? Cover those first, then speed, trust and the legal basics.

  • Show the rental clearly: photos, sleeping arrangements, amenities and location.
  • Show your availability, kept up to date from your booking platforms.
  • Make booking or enquiring one clear step.
  • Check speed on phones, your privacy and cookie notices, and any local registration number.

Only need guests to see when you are free? SingleCal turns your Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com calendars into one calendar for your website or a shareable link. Free for one rental.

INTERACTIVE CHECKLIST

Tick off what your site already has

Work through each group. Your ticks are saved in this browser only, so you can come back later.

0 of 23 done

The basics0/4
What guests need to decide0/6
Availability and booking0/4
Trust0/4
Legal and practical0/5
01

Show your availability

Guests who like your rental want to know one thing next: is it free on their dates? An availability calendar on your site answers that without a message, and is most useful when it matches your real bookings across every platform you list on.

SingleCal combines the calendars from Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com into one calendar you can add to your site or share as a link. Guests see your free and booked nights, then book on your listing. It is free for one rental.

02

Check speed on phones

Google's Core Web Vitals measure how a page feels to visitors: how fast the main content appears, how quickly it responds to taps, and whether the layout jumps while loading.

Google's "good" thresholds are main content within 2.5 seconds (LCP), responses to taps within 200 milliseconds (INP) and a layout shift score of 0.1 or less (CLS), for at least 75% of visits. PageSpeed Insights shows these for your own site.

Official source: web.dev: Web Vitals

Want guests to see your availability in one place? SingleCal combines your Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com calendars, free for one rental.

03

Privacy and cookies

If your site uses cookies or similar technology that is not strictly necessary, such as analytics or advertising, the UK's data protection regulator says you need visitors' consent before setting them, and must explain what they do.

Cookies that are essential for something a visitor asked for are exempt. Rules differ by country, so check the guidance where you and your guests are.

Official source: ICO: Cookies and similar technologies
04

Registration numbers

Many places require short-term rentals to be registered or licensed. In the EU, Regulation 2024/1028 applies from 20 May 2026: where your country runs a registration scheme, you must show your registration number in each listing.

Whether a number applies to you depends on your country and city, so check with your local authority and show it on your own site too if their rules ask for it.

Official source: EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2024/1028
05

Accessibility

An accessible site is easier for everyone to use, including guests with visual, motor or cognitive impairments. The W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the standard; WCAG 2.2 is the latest version.

Start with the basics in the checklist: describe images, keep text readable against its background and make sure everything works with a keyboard. Most website builders help with all three.

Official source: W3C: WCAG 2 Overview
FROM YOUR CHECKLIST

Add an availability calendar to your website.

SingleCal combines your Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com dates into one calendar for your site. Free for one rental.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Rental website questions.

Do I need my own website if I list on Airbnb?

No, but it helps returning guests, social media followers and people who search for your rental by name. If you do not have one, you can still share a calendar page link instead.

Can I show availability without a booking system?

Yes. An availability calendar can show your free and booked nights and send guests to your listing to book, without taking bookings or payments on your site.

Do I need a cookie banner?

Only if your site sets cookies that are not strictly necessary, such as analytics or advertising. Check the rules where you and your guests are.

How do I test my site speed?

Use Google's PageSpeed Insights. It reports Core Web Vitals for your pages on phones and computers.

Is my checklist progress saved?

Yes, in this browser only. Nothing is sent to SingleCal, and you can reset it at any time.

RELATED SINGLECAL PAGES

Continue with the calendar you use.

Availability calendar widgetAdd a free calendar of your free dates to your website.Calendar on your websiteCompare a Google Calendar embed, a WordPress plugin and SingleCal.Add to WordPressEmbed your availability calendar on a WordPress site.New host checklistEverything to sort out before your first guest arrives.
YOUR AVAILABILITY

Tick off your availability calendar today.