Name of your website?Sunnymundo.com
Your name?
Pauline van Rotterdam
Your Location (city, etc)
Amsterdam
When did you start your website and why?
About one year ago I started, beacuae we anted to offer vacation rentals in alternative locations. After realizing that people are mainly interested in the main cities and turistic locations we completly altered our website.
Please give us a short summary of your website, business model, etc
Simple, easy to use and mainly focused on "internet ignorant" people from southern Europe. Since a lot of them have a very low bandwith, we use non database scripts. It takes to much time fo them to visualize the relevant information.
What has been the most difficult part of creating and running your website?
The choise between speed and professionality / quality. Most of our customers have a very low bandwith. Therefore we use no dynamic scripts and very light pictures
What has been the easist part of operating your website?
there was none. I had to learn everything.
What was your biggest mistake?
using ASP from a provider. the server was to slow so clients left before they found the relevant information.
Who maintains your website and why?
me. Pauline van Rotterdam. I like to keep control over my main information and communication tool. I will have to study a lot, since also in southern Europe internet trends are changing
Tell us how your business has benefitted from your website?
I only work thanks to my site http://www.sunnymundo.com
What are your views on ecommerce and the future of the internet?
maybe we will go back to simpler websites, where you can find the information you need complete, easily and fast. (in one overview). to many websites are focused on the layout and not on the content, at least in my business.
What are your views on Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
a necessity and not fair. to time consuming. websites that for example offer hotels you find when you type in vacation rentals.
What are your views on Search Engines? Have they helped or hindered your website?
both. It's a shame that only google really counts.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
free publicity, seo and sometimes adwords
What method has been least successful for promoting your website?
forums
What would you like to see change with respect to the internet?
less non relevant publicity and links.
why can't you offer online availibility
Many of my competitors offer online availibility, but forget to mention when clients book online that they cannot guarantee anything, unless they own all the apartments. Owners take their own bookings o place their property with more than one agency. I also prefer to see my website as a means of communication rather than a booking machine. I deal with people and they like to be treated as such.
What is your website address?
Sunnymundo.com
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