Get the guest to book with you, not with the platform.
Every booking that comes through Booking or Airbnb costs you 15 to 20%. We position your apartments on Google, Google Maps and AI so the traveller who has already chosen your city finds you and books direct.
The starting point
Travellers search on Google before they open the platform. Do you show up?
A family coming for four nights, a couple looking for an apartment with a terrace in the centre, a group searching for “apartment for 6 near the beach”. Before they book, they search on Google and look at the map. The platforms spend millions to be at the top. The apartment manager is almost never competing.
What the traveller sees is a platform, a commission and, if they reach your website, a slow page with no booking engine, poor photos and no reviews. If they find you at that moment, with a complete listing, well-presented apartments and a booking button, that booking is 100% yours.
What we do for your apartments
Everything that turns a travel search into a direct booking.
Six fronts working together every month so the traveller looking for a place to stay in your area books with you, not through a middleman.
Google Maps and your listing
The right category, photos of every apartment, amenities, the area, a booking link and replies to every review. The listing is the shop window the traveller sees on the map.
A page for every apartment and type of trip
“Apartment with terrace in the centre”, “family apartment”, “accommodation for 8”: every apartment and every need positioned in your city.
Direct booking without friction
Booking engine connected, clear prices, visible cancellation policy and perks for booking direct: the guest doesn’t go back to the platform.
Reviews that build trust
A system to ask for a review after the stay and reply to all of them. In accommodation, the rating decides before the price does.
A website that sells the stay
Fast on mobile, with large photos, the area well explained, real-time availability and the booking button always in view.
Get recommended by AI
When a traveller asks ChatGPT or Gemini where to stay in your city, we work so your apartments are among the answers.
Real reviews
What our clients say on Google.
“Impeccable professionalism! I sincerely thank the entire Yellow Rock staff for what they’ve done for our stores in Spain and the Netherlands.”
“I want to especially highlight the work of Teresa and her entire team. From the very first moment, the service has been excellent, not only professionally but also personally. They’ve helped us with all aspects of advertising, Google Ads, visibility and performance, but what I value most is the constant follow-up. Teresa is always attentive, keeps us informed, listens to our opinions and makes us feel involved in every decision. The management has been very quick and personal, and a trusting environment has been created that makes it a pleasure to work. It’s clear that there’s a committed team behind the scenes that truly cares about the project and achieving great results. Without a doubt, we are very happy with the support and the service we’ve received. Highly recommended! ♥️”
“Teresa is the perfect marketing professional: helpful, skilled and always ready to help you grow your business.”
“The Yellow Rock team is undoubtedly incredible. They’re very attentive to their work, delivering results. The service is very personal and reliable. I’ve been working with them for a long time now, and we’re truly happy with the results they’ve brought to my restaurants. They’re serious people who are really dedicated to doing a great job. Many congratulations, guys! Keep it up! A big hug from the entire Urban Burger & B Team. Jay is a star!”
“A very pleasant and professional experience, and easy for someone like me who doesn’t understand the digital world. I’m very grateful for their patience.”
“Great professionals: they help you move your business forward, teach you metrics and give you excellent advice. Thank you for your energy!”
“I own a restaurant and I want to thank the YellowRock team for the great work they’ve done with the restaurant’s organic Google ranking. They’ve done an impeccable and professional job, and their customer service has been perfect, always answering and clarifying questions, along with follow-up and quarterly reports. Thank you, Jay, and thank you, YellowRock team! 🤝”
“Excellent service. Very good care, support and follow-up. Grateful to our manager, Teresa.”
“Super professional, totally recommended.”
How we work
From the first call to a full calendar.
A clear process, no jargon, with your apartments and your guests at the centre.
- Step 1
Free audit
We review your listing, your website, your reviews and which properties and platforms are winning the travellers in your area.
- Step 2
A plan for your apartments
We tell you what we would do first and which plan fits your number of units and where you are. No commitment.
- Every month
Steady work
Listing, apartment pages, content about the area, reviews and AI moving forward together, with an account lead who knows your business.
- Every month
Real data
A clear report on searches, visits, calls and direct bookings, and how you compare with the properties around you.
Choose how to start
Two plans. One goal.
Both take your apartments to Google. The difference is how far you want to go.
Smart Growth Plan
The essentials to start receiving direct bookings from Google and Maps.
- Website included, Essential or Advanced
- Optimised Google listing with regular posts
- 2 SEO articles a month with backlinks
- Review system
Definitive Growth Plan
For the manager with several apartments or guests from several countries.
- Premium website in 3 languages
- 20 articles a month and backlinks from other businesses
- Google Maps, reviews and AI at full strength
- Social media included
- Monthly report and a dedicated account lead
Not sure which one fits? Get your free audit and we’ll recommend one for your apartments.
Guide
SEO for holiday rentals: how to win direct bookings and depend less on the platforms
If you manage tourist apartments, a holiday rental or several units in one city, you know the platforms bring bookings, but they keep a large share of the margin and the customer. The traveller searching for “apartment in the centre of Valencia” or “holiday rental in Mallorca with pool” is deciding where to sleep right then. SEO for holiday rentals is the work of making sure they find you before the middleman, and of making it easiest to book direct.
The good news is that travellers already search this way: by city, by neighbourhood, by type of apartment and by number of people. These are specific searches with booking intent, and the platforms only cover them generically. A manager with a complete listing, well-built apartment pages and good reviews can win them.
Google Business Profile: your apartments on the map
When someone searches for “tourist apartments” in your city, Google shows a map with three results. Your Google Business Profile decides whether you are one of them. This is what we work on:
- Category and details: “holiday apartment” or “vacation rental” as the main category, address or service area, phone number and a link that goes to the booking page, not the home page.
- Photos of every apartment: living room, bedrooms, terrace, views, the building and the neighbourhood. Travellers choose with their eyes.
- Amenities and details: wifi, air conditioning, lift, cot, parking, self check-in. They are search filters and booking arguments.
- Reviews with replies: recent reviews after every stay, answered with care, the bad ones too.
A page for every apartment and every type of trip
Nobody searches for “accommodation” alone. They search for “apartment with terrace in the centre”, “apartment for 6 near the beach”, “family holiday rental” or “apartment for a month”. A page for every apartment, with its photos, an honest description, its capacity and its availability, plus pages by type of trip (families, groups, long stays, couples), captures those searches with very little competition outside the platforms. It is the foundation of a website that books on its own.
The neighbourhood and the city: content the platform doesn’t have
Travellers don’t only search for where to sleep: they search for what to do, where to eat, how to get in from the airport and which area to choose. A guide to your neighbourhood, the best restaurants five minutes away, how to get around, the events of the year: that content ranks your website for hundreds of travel searches, builds trust and turns the visitor into a guest. We write it every month with what you know about your city.
Direct booking: make it worth not going back to the platform
If the traveller finds you but your website can’t take a booking, they go back to Booking. Your website needs a booking engine connected to your calendar, clear prices and conditions, secure payment and a reason to book direct: a better rate, flexible check-in, a welcome touch or easier cancellation. We set it up, connect it to your channel manager if you have one, and keep the booking button always in view.
Reviews: the rating decides before the price
In accommodation, a tenth of a point moves bookings. Reviews on Google also rank you: a listing with recent, answered reviews climbs on the map. We set up a simple routine to ask for a review after the stay, reply to every one with care and use what guests say to improve the website.
The new factor: getting AI to recommend your apartments
More and more travellers ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity where to stay in a city, which neighbourhood to choose or which apartment is best for a family. Those tools recommend specific properties based on reviews, website content and mentions across the web. Working on that presence is called AEO (answer engine optimisation), and almost no apartment manager is doing it. It is a real edge over the platforms, which AI cites but doesn’t recommend.
Mistakes that hand the booking to the platform
In our free audits we see the same issues again and again:
- The website can’t take bookings: the traveller finds you, likes you and ends up booking on Booking because there they can.
- One page for all the apartments: Google has nothing to rank for “apartment with terrace” or “for 6 people”.
- Small or platform photos: the same cropped images as on Airbnb, without the neighbourhood, the terrace or the light.
- Reviews only on the platforms: hundreds on Booking and none on Google, which is where the traveller searches first.
- Not appearing in AI answers: the new way of asking “where should I stay” already recommends specific apartments.
Why choose an SEO agency that knows tourism and local businesses
SEO for holiday rentals has its own rules: seasonality, the map, searches by type of trip, direct booking and the trust a traveller needs to pay someone they don’t know. At YellowRock Marketing we work with tourist apartments and accommodation in several destinations and design the strategy for your units, your city and the guest you want to attract. Every month you get a clear report on what we’ve done and how you compare with the properties around you, and we keep a limited client roster so every client gets the time they deserve.
FAQ
What apartment managers ask us most.
Can I compete with Booking and Airbnb on Google?
Not on the generic searches, and you don’t need to. You compete on the specific ones: your city, your neighbourhood, your type of apartment, your capacity. There Google shows the map and well-built websites, and a manager with a complete listing, apartment pages and good reviews wins bookings that go to the platform today.
I only have two apartments. Does it make sense?
Yes. With few units every direct booking weighs more in the margin, and the work is the same: listing, a page per apartment, reviews and content about the area. The Smart Growth Plan is designed to start that way.
Do I have to leave the platforms?
No. The platforms keep bringing bookings, especially at the start. The goal is for the direct share to grow every month so you depend less on them, with the guest in your own database so they come back without a commission.
Do you build the booking engine?
We build the website with a booking engine connected to your calendar and, if you use a channel manager, we integrate it so availability is always in sync with the platforms.
How long does it take to see results?
The first improvements on Google Maps usually show within a few weeks, especially once the listing is fixed. A solid position for your city and your type of apartment is built over a few months, and it pays to have it before high season.
What does the free audit include?
We review your Google listing, your website, your reviews and which properties and platforms are winning the travellers in your area, and tell you what we would do first. Free and with no commitment.
Do you only work in Spain?
No. We work with businesses in 14 destinations across 5 countries, from Spain and France and with a presence in the United States. Local SEO doesn’t depend on where we are, but on how your guest searches.
Your next guests are searching for an apartment right now.
Start with a free audit of your apartments: we show you where you stand today, who is winning the travellers in your area and how to get them to book direct with you. No commitment.
Verifiable work every month · Limited client roster · Reply within 24-48h