How to Design the Best Bed and Breakfast Website: A Guide for Owners

Who is this for: Bed and breakfast owners, managers and team members who want to convert more visitors, grow their business, and generate more revenue.

In This Article:

1. Why Your Website Design Matters
2. Use a Reliable CMS
3. Prioritize a User-friendly Design
4. Use High Quality Images & Videos
5. Implement a Seamless Booking System
6. Optimize for SEO and Local Search
7. Craft Engaging and Informative Content
8. Ensure Mobile Friendliness
9. Leverage Social Proof and Reviews
10. Track Performance and Make Improvements
11. Hire Website + SEO Professionals
12. How to Choose a Bed and Breakfast Reservation System?
13. Why Choose ResNexus for your B&B Website?

Your bed and breakfast may be charming, but if your website doesn’t captivate guests instantly, they might never step through your door. A stunning, user-friendly website isn’t just nice to have—it’s the key to filling your rooms and increasing direct bookings.

Your website serves as a digital storefront, setting the tone for your guest experience and convincing potential visitors to choose your property over competitors.

In this guide, we'll explore key elements that make a bed and breakfast website effective, engaging, and optimized for conversions.

Why Your Website Design Matters

First Impressions

Just like sitting down for an initial job interview, your website is oftentimes the first touchpoint for your guests and the first impression of your business. If you have a current website, ask yourself these questions:

Ask yourself: 

• Is my website easy to navigate and does it look clean and polished?
• Does my website entice visitors to explore the pages or book a room? 
• Why would I book through this website over Booking.com or Airbnb?
• Is my website better than my local competitors? 

Credibility & Brand Image

Your website is a direct reflection of your brand and the level of service guests can expect. A polished, professional design instantly enhances your credibility, positioning your B&B as a top-tier, trustworthy choice. 

Credibility also plays a role in your organic search rankings as well. With the saturation of the internet, search engines only want to showcase and promote trustworthy websites, resulting in a positive experience for the visitor and higher organic rankings.

A thoughtfully designed site also helps your B&B stand out. By showcasing your unique charm, providing local resources, and emphasizing your personalized service, you create a compelling story that resonates with potential guests. This not only attracts new visitors but also strengthens your brand, encouraging repeat stays and word-of-mouth referrals.

Website Conversions

Every time somebody lands on your website, it is another chance for them to convert. Conversion could mean many things, such as requesting more information, contacting management, sending an email, calling you, browsing resources, or ideally-booking a room.

Give yourself the best chance of conversions by having a nice looking website that is easy to navigate.

Top Tips for B&B Website Design

Before you begin searching for tips to build your B&B website, you have to determine if you want to DIY it, or hire a professional. Both have pros and cons, but ultimately hiring a professional ensures best practices are followed and you can spend your time running your business. 

However, if you want to ensure your B&B website is competitive, engaging, and optimized for conversions-you’re in the right place. 

These are the non-negotiables of a bed and breakfast website. They're not just nice to have-they’re essential!

1. Use a Reliable CMS & Prioritize Security 

So which platform will you use to build your website? For the DIY’ers, you have your choice of many Content Management Systems (CMS) like Wordpress, Wix, Squarespace, and others. However, not all of them are optimal for the bed and breakfast industry and many of their tools are better suited for an e-commerce business. 

Through your website and booking engine, visitors will be inputting credit card information and sensitive data. Online security and privacy is a must along with a reliable CMS. 

Protect your website by:

• Ensuring your site is secured with an SSL certificate (HTTPS).
• Using reputable payment gateways for transactions.
• Regularly updating plugins and software to prevent security vulnerabilities

We ensure all of our websites follow the highest standards of online security through Amazon (AWS) secure servers, along with an SSL certificate through Amazon (AWS), utilizing the latest wildcard technology. Our booking engine and reservation software follows PCI compliance, ensuring payments and sensitive information is handled appropriately.

At ResNexus, our websites we create are not only visually-stunning and SEO-friendly, but they are easy to navigate and designed with the specific needs of your business in mind. Our niche team of designers are highly-skilled at creating websites specifically for the bed and breakfast industry. 

2. Prioritize a User-Friendly Design

User-friendliness is imperative for both search engines and users. Both need to understand quickly and simply who you are, what your business is about and how to navigate it.

Additionally, they need to understand how to move between pages and how each page relates to one another. 

Your website should also be visually appealing and interesting to look at. A clean layout, intuitive menu structure, and high-quality images can significantly enhance the user experience and keep visitors from bouncing too quickly. 

Consider these best practices:

• Use a simple, responsive design that looks great on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.
• Ensure fast load times by optimizing images and minimizing unnecessary plugins.
• Keep the navigation menu straightforward with clear categories like:
• Rooms
• Amenities
• About Us
• Contact

Along with this, linking to your social media accounts is a nice way to encourage those looking for your brand via social channels.

You should also ensure that contact and location details are easy to find and can be seen on the home page and throughout the website. Be sure to include a “Contact Us” page so guests can reach out easily if they have a specific question. 

Ensure:

• A "Contact Us" page includes your phone number, email, and address with an option to submit a message or query via the website.
• An interactive map (for an additional charge) can be designed and added to your website to show your property location and nearby attractions.

3. Use High-Quality Images and Videos

Poor photos are one of the main deterrents to potential bookings. Showcase your property with professional, high-resolution photos of rooms, common areas, amenities, and outdoor spaces, and nearby attractions. 

You can also include some drone footage of your property from above or a virtual tour embedded or uploaded to your website. ResNexus offers free drone footage and professional photography with our road trips team, if you’re interested!

While hiring a professional is usually best, capturing nice photos of your property is easier than you think with modern-day smart phones. Check out our guide for how you can capture stunning property photos as a property manager/owner! 

4. Implement a Seamless Booking System

A good website needs an integrated booking engine that supports real-time availability and pricing, along with being easy to use. A seamless booking engine includes clear pricing, cancellation policies, and special offers to encourage conversions.

Our booking engine is designed with the bed and breakfast industry in mind. We offer an all-in-one property management system, trusted by thousands of hoteliers. 

Check out our free booking engine demo if you're curious about the design and functionality.

5. Optimize for SEO and Local Search

Search engine optimization (SEO) is an ever-changing game. To help your B&B appear in relevant searches. Focus your pages on:

• Targeted keywords such as “bed and breakfast in (your location)” in your content, titles, and meta elements, including variations of your keywords.
• Location-based blog content about local attractions, events, and activities.

Ensure you are listing your business on Google My Business and other local directories to enhance visibility.

We know not every property owner is an SEO expert, but we are! Reach out to our Digital Marketing team for any SEO-related questions, an SEO audit or to sign up for our SEO packages.

6. Craft Engaging and Informative Content

Your website should not only provide booking information but also engage visitors with compelling content. Consider including:

• A detailed "About Us" page that shares your story and what makes your B&B unique.
• Guest testimonials and reviews to build trust and credibility.
• A blog with travel tips, local recommendations, and seasonal promotions.

7. Ensure Mobile-Friendliness

Many travelers search and book accommodations on their smartphones, making mobile optimization essential. Test your website on various devices to:

• Ensure text is readable and buttons are easy to click.
• Verify that images scale properly without slowing down load times.
• Streamline the mobile booking experience with minimal steps.

8. Leverage Social Proof and Reviews

Potential guests trust other travelers' experiences. Integrate social proof by:

• Displaying guest reviews from platforms like Google, TripAdvisor, and Yelp.
• Embedding social media feeds or linking to active accounts to showcase real-time engagement.
• Featuring press mentions, awards, or recognitions to boost credibility.

At ResNexus, we offer niche expertise on bed and breakfast SEO to help you optimize your Google My Business profile, get more reviews, and rank for local keywords.

9. Track Performance and Make Improvements

Google hates stale websites. That’s why continually improving your website is key to seeing more organic traffic and climbing the rankings on Google Search. You can monitor how your website performs using analytics tools like Google Analytics. 

You can track things like:

• Traffic sources and visitor behavior
• Conversion rates and booking trends
• Page performance to identify areas for optimization

Additionally, improving your website’s SEO is an on-going process as links break, articles decrease in visibility and your offerings change. 

If you’re unsure what your SEO ranking is or what you can do to improve it, consider booking an SEO audit with one of our experts!

10. Be a Local Resource

Some people who visit your website won’t book a room, but that doesn’t mean they should leave empty handed. You are an expert in your area, and some visitors are looking for a local’s advice to make their stay more enjoyable.

Include a travel guide page with information on local restaurants, attractions, museums and insider tips for visiting the area. 

Even if they don’t book a room at first, they will value the local tips you’ve given them and they are more likely to return to your site in the future.

Hire Website + SEO Professionals

Not every bed and breakfast owner has the time to build a website, let alone a great one! That’s when hiring website designers and digital marketing experts might be a better choice. At ResNexus, we have a team of professionals who can build your website for you and ensure it is SEO-friendly. 

Take a look at some of our custom website templates and reach out if you want to learn more, book a demo or talk to one of our designers.

Not only that, but we have digital marketing experts who can help grow your business using tools like Google ads, SEO, email marketing, and SEO articles. Our team’s niche expertise is specific to the lodging and hospitality industry and we strive to deliver the best results for our clients.

What is the Best Bed and Breakfast Reservation System?

In general, your guests want to browse photos, check rates, compare amenities and then book their stay online without much hassle. With the competition these days from online travel agencies (OTAs), it’s becoming more and more important to choose a reliable and efficient booking engine. 

ResNexus provides a highly-targeted reservation system designed specifically for the lodging industry. Our tools focus on helping bed and breakfasts, campgrounds, RV parks, and others get more bookings and fill their rooms.

Request a demo and let us see what we can do for your property!

Why Choose ResNexus for your B&B Website?

ResNexus is designed specifically for the lodging and hospitality industry, making our tools and insight invaluable for your business. We understand the pain points that B&B owners have such as payments, bookkeeping, marketing, and fluctuating occupancy. 

Our system and offerings are designed to not only address these pain points but squash them! What’s even better is our flexible and competitive pricing based on your units and seasonality.

We have been servicing the lodging and hospitality industry for over 21 years and we have many client testimonials and case studies you can browse if you want to see our results from a client perspective.

Our main offerings include:

• Robust Booking Engine & Reservation System
• Payment Processing
• Travel Protection
• Marketing Integrations
• Digital Marketing Services

Final Thoughts

A well-designed bed and breakfast website is a powerful tool for attracting guests and increasing direct bookings. By prioritizing user experience, SEO, high-quality visuals, and a seamless booking system, you can create a website that showcases your B&B’s charm and helps convert visitors into loyal guests. 

Regular updates and performance monitoring will ensure your website remains competitive in the ever-evolving travel industry. 

If you’re unsure where to start or need advice on your current website, book a call with one of our experts and let’s make something great together!