Web Design for Tourism & Holiday Lets in Dorset
Direct bookings, no platform commission. Bespoke sites for holiday cottages, B&Bs, glamping, boat hire and tourism operators across Dorset — built to rank before peak season and convert when visitors are planning their trip.
Where most holiday let sites lose bookings
Six patterns we see on Dorset accommodation sites — and on the platforms taking commission on every booking they generate.
Paying commission on every booking
Airbnb, Booking.com and Sykes take 15–25% per booking. A direct booking system on your own site costs a small monthly fee — and the commission savings pay for the entire website within a season.
No availability calendar on the site
Visitors land on your site, cannot see dates, leave for a platform, and you pay commission on the booking they would have made with you directly. An embedded, always-updated calendar is table stakes.
Invisible outside peak season
Most holiday let sites rank for the owner's town in July. They vanish in January when visitors are actually planning — and that is exactly when organic traffic is cheapest to win.
No last-minute gap promotion
Gaps in the calendar are lost revenue. A direct-booking site with email capture and a clear last-minute offer page turns gaps into cash instead of Airbnb promotions.
Photography that undersells the property
Dark phone shots in a vertical format. Properly laid out, full-width photography — mobile-optimised and fast-loading — is the single biggest conversion lever on a holiday let site.
No local SEO for Dorset visitor searches
Guests searching 'holiday cottage near Swanage' or 'dog-friendly B&B Dorset' are high-intent and ready to book. Without proper local SEO, those searches go to OTAs and you pay commission again.
Everything a tourism business needs online
Direct booking with availability calendar
A fully integrated booking system on your own domain — availability sync, deposit-taking via Stripe, instant confirmation emails. No commission, no third-party fees per booking.
Property showcase pages
Full-screen photography, amenity lists, map embeds, guest reviews and a clear call to book — all laid out to convert someone deciding between you and three similar properties.
Seasonal SEO foundations
We build and optimise pages for the searches visitors actually make — specific area terms, 'dog-friendly', 'sea view', 'near Corfe Castle'. Evergreen content that ranks before peak season.
Multi-property and portfolio sites
Managing more than one property? We build portfolio sites with individual property pages, shared infrastructure and a single booking admin — no duplicated effort.
Guest email capture and remarketing
A sign-up for last-minute offers and early-bird availability turns one-time guests into repeat bookers. Simple, GDPR-compliant, built into the booking flow.
Airbnb and Sykes sync
If you want to keep using platforms alongside your own site, we can sync availability across channels so there are no double-bookings. Your own site always takes priority.
From enquiry to live bookings
Property review
We look at the property, the current booking setup and what platforms you use — so we build around your actual situation, not a generic template.
Scope and price
Fixed quote covering design, build, booking system, photography layout, SEO foundations and launch. No surprises.
Build on staging
We build on a private URL from week one. You can review availability, booking flows and content before anything goes live.
Launch and support
We handle DNS, platform calendar sync and GBP updates. After launch, we stay on for changes, seasonal updates and anything else that comes up.
We cover all of Dorset's tourism hotspots
Sandbanks, Swanage, Studland, Corfe Castle, Lulworth Cove, Wareham, Weymouth, West Bay, Charmouth — Dorset's coastline and the Jurassic Coast generate some of the highest-value tourist traffic in the UK. We build for the full season and rank for the specific searches your guests use.
Common questions from accommodation owners
Can I take direct bookings through my own website?
Yes — and it is one of the highest-ROI things a holiday let owner can do. We build bespoke booking systems with availability calendars, Stripe payment processing, deposit management and automated guest emails. A typical Dorset holiday let recups the website cost in one season of saved commission.
Do you work with holiday lets in Swanage, Wareham and across the Purbeck area?
Yes — Swanage, Studland, Corfe Castle, Wareham, Lulworth, Kimmeridge, and anywhere on the Jurassic Coast or Isle of Purbeck. We know the seasonal search patterns well and build around them.
Do you work with Sandbanks and Poole Harbour holiday properties?
Yes. High-value holiday lets and short-term rentals on the Sandbanks peninsula and around Poole Harbour are a specific area of experience — premium properties need premium presentation.
Can you help my B&B or small hotel get found on Google?
Yes. Local SEO — optimising for specific Dorset searches, area + accommodation type queries, GBP optimisation — is built into every project. We also handle structured data so your star rating shows in Google search results.
Can you sync with Airbnb and Booking.com?
Yes. If you want to continue listing on platforms while also taking direct bookings, we build availability sync using iCal or channel manager APIs so there are no double-bookings. Your own site's calendar always stays accurate.
How much does a holiday let website cost?
A single-property site with direct booking typically starts at £1,200–£2,500 depending on complexity. Multi-property portfolio sites start at £2,500 and scale with the number of properties. Hosting and ongoing support from £99/month. We quote fixed prices — no surprises.
How quickly can a new site go live?
A focused single-property site is typically live within three to five weeks. Multi-property or complex booking builds run four to eight weeks. If you have a seasonal deadline, tell us upfront and we plan around it.