HomeAway is the leading online marketplace
for vacation rentals. This company represents almost 900,000 listings of
rentals around the world through the websites HomeAway.com, VRBO.com and
VacationRentals.com in the U.S. and multiple sites in other countries.
Through
the HomeAway sites, travelers can search for a vacation rental according to
many filters, including location, number of guests, number of bedrooms, property
type and features such as swimming pool, air conditioning, fireplace or pets
allowed. Here is a sample of a filter screen for a property search in Orlando,
Florida.
HomeAway
depends on web searches for its business and uses paid display and search ads
to drive traffic. There is no phone number posted on the homepage or in the
header or footer of the website. The Contact
Us page does offer a phone number, but not until after the user goes
through a process to identify the type of user and the category that best
describes the question and takes a third step beyond following the website
links that offer support. This screen shot shows the Contact us page.
Note
that subsequent steps do not appear on the page until each step has been
answered, so it takes three clicks on this page to show the phone number for
customer support. Once the user finds a link to a phone number, there is a note
that “Customer Service is available 24 hours a day and seven days a week.”
A
focus on keeping activity on the website suggests that it should be easy to
track traffic and conversion data, but with multiple online channels directing
visitors to the website, it is difficult to identify exactly how a visitor made
a conversion. Google Analytics Premium introduced a new Data-Driven Attribution
model in August 2013 with a goal of better understanding the attribution
process.
Data-Driven Attribution Improves ROI
HomeAway
wanted to increase the number of inquiries on the HomeAway website. To do that,
it needed to have a better understanding of the impact of paid search and
display ads on conversions. The company used the new Data-Driven Attribution
feature of Google Analytics Premium in order to identify the source for all
campaign interactions.
Data-Driven
Attribution uses statistics and economic principles to assign value to
marketing touch points such as display ads, paid search, email campaigns and
specific keywords. The model compares different channels that visitors use to
find a site and make a conversion or purchase and then assigns value to the
various channels. Craver
explains that it uses 90 days worth of data “to determine which channels
and keywords within a channel have the best probability of creating a
conversion visit. This data-driven model automatically adjusts itself weekly,
re-analyzing visit data from a rolling 90-day history.”
As
a result, the model shows which channels are most successful and offers insight
into planning for future marketing spends. Google notes that this algorithm is
based on actual behavior of customers, but it is an estimate and does not
guarantee results.
After
using Data-Driven Attribution, HomeAway adjusted their keywords and their
cost-per-acquisition information. It spent $6,000 to test the findings and as a
result, the company saw a 23% increase in attributed conversions. The Senior
Director of Global eMarketing for HomeAway, Will Lin, shares the impact of this
new model on his company: “Data-Driven Attribution enabled a much cleaner and
more balanced view of our marketing effectiveness. It really showed us where we
were driving conversions, and where we needed to invest more.”
Other Tools That Would Benefit HomeAway
As
noted, HomeAway is an e-commerce site. In addition to the new Data-Driven
Attribution model, there are many other tools that the company could use to
improve its analytics efforts.
Currently
the HomeAway site offers a login option for travelers and owners, but it
doesn’t require visitors to login in order to perform a search. UserReport is
an online survey tool that would allow HomeAway to collect data about visitors
who do not want to create a profile on the site. UserReport surveys collect
demographics and user satisfaction information about a website. Collecting this
data enables analysts to have a complete picture of the audience and then to
target content to them. UserReport data can be used to build demographic and
behavioral segments in Google Analytics. Some key outcomes as stated on the
UserReport overview on the Google
Analytics App page can include:
·
“Tracking demographics and satisfaction rates
for specific visitor groups to better evaluate landing and exit pages, search
keywords, traffic sources and campaigns.
·
Measuring conversion rates in different segments
to gain a better understanding of the conversion cycle.
·
Comparing demographics over time, pages visited,
sections visited and geographic region.”
Another
application that HomeAway could incorporate on its site is Analytics
Visualization which depicts activity to and within a website. The
description of this app on the Google Analytics
App Gallery says the company focused on one question: “how can we let users
uncover the unexpected?” The app has several answers to that question,
including showing what sites are linking to HomeAway.com, VRBO.com and other
owned websites, and which specific pages on those sites are being linked to. It
can also show frequently used keywords and how they are combined. Visualization
like this offers a very focused view of what is happening and what is causing
the activity.
An
email system like MarketTraq Email™ would
enable HomeAway to communicate with users in a meaningful way, based on their
interests, demographics and behavior. The HomeAway website does not currently
have an email sign-up form, but this feature could easily be added. The company
has already defined three audiences on their Contact Us page: traveler,
vacation home owner, and property manager. The company could plan unique emails to go out to these
groups and customize each message according to the specific user’s interests. For
example, a traveler who lives in the northeast and plans a trip to a warm
locale one winter could receive highly ranked listings in warm-weather
destinations the next year, and based on filters used for previous rental
searches, the newsletter could highlight similar properties. For the property
manager audience, newsletters could feature best practices for property
listings or warnings about fraudulent practices. The MarketTraq Email system
would ensure that relevant messages are sent at appropriate intervals.
In summary
HomeAway
is a successful vacation rental website, known and used throughout the world.
It can continue to improve its return on marketing investment with further use
of tools that it already owns, such as Google Analytics Premium, as well as
additional applications that integrate with this rich tool.