We will probably tell you to buy less.
At twelve rooms, the annual commission figure is often not large enough to justify a large program, and pretending otherwise would be a straightforward way to take money from a property that cannot spare it.
The calculator on this page applies that logic automatically. If the amount kept by a modest channel shift comes to less than roughly five times the annual program cost, it stops recommending Platinum and tells you to start with a smaller plan and grow into more. That branch exists specifically because of this segment.
What is almost always worth doing at this size is the local and review work, because it costs little relative to its effect and it addresses the surface where small-property demand actually resolves.
If the arithmetic does not support a program, we would rather you started with Basic at $65 USD a month, or did not start at all, than signed up for something you will cancel in three months.
Listings solve a real problem for a small property.
It is worth being fair about why this segment leans on third-party channels so heavily, because the reason is a good one.
A listing gives a small property distribution, payment handling, review infrastructure, translation and visibility in unfamiliar markets, in a single step, paid as a share of revenue rather than as a cost up front. For a property with no marketing team and no capital to spend, that is a genuinely sound trade.
It becomes a poor trade only once you have another route to the same guests, and building that route is the entire purpose of the work here. Until it exists, the listing is doing something valuable and should be treated accordingly.
- No upfront cost, which matters more at this size than the eventual commission does
- Payment and cancellation handling that a small property would struggle to build
- Review infrastructure that feeds trust for a property nobody has heard of
- Reach into markets and languages you cannot address on your own
Check whether this is worth doing.
Preset to a 12-room property with a 55% share through listings. If the numbers do not support a program, the tool will say so rather than recommending the largest plan.
You pay roughly
a year in OTA commission, in your currency.
Moving 15% of that volume to direct would keep
a year, in your currency.
At these numbers, start with Golden at $235 USD a month and grow into more. We will tell you when a larger plan is worth it.
These are illustrative projections based on figures you entered. They are not a forecast or a guarantee. Commission rates and channel mix vary by property and contract.
Four things, in this order.
- 01
The map profile, done properly
Accurate categories and attributes, current photography, correct details. Unglamorous, free to fix, and the single highest-return action available at this size.
- 02
Steady guest reviews
Recency matters as much as score. A property with consistent recent reviews frequently out-ranks one with a better lifetime average and nothing from the last six months.
- 03
The area, not the region
A small property competes for the village, the valley, the stretch of coast or the district, not the county or the city. Narrow terms are winnable and bring guests who have already chosen the area.
- 04
One page per reason to visit
The walking route, the festival, the wedding venue nearby, the thing people come for. A handful of genuinely useful pages outperforms a blog nobody reads.
What it costs.
Month to month, cancel anytime, setup fee waived, dedicated account manager on every plan. Available as a monthly subscription or a one-time order. All prices in US dollars.
| Basic | Silver | Golden | Platinum Best value | Titanium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $65 USD | $125 USD | $235 USD | $325 USD | $575 USD |
| One-time | $75 USD | $140 USD | $260 USD | $380 USD | $620 USD |
| Domains | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Keywords | 5 | 10 | 20 | 40 | 100 |
| Guest posts (DA 20+) | 5 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 50 |
| Web 2.0s (DA 50+) | 5 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 50 |
| Amplification links | 1,500 | 3,000 | 5,000 | 10,000 | 20,000 |
| Keyword research | Standard | Standard | In-depth | In-depth | In-depth |
| Premium indexing | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| On-page technical audit | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Content gap analysis | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Competitor traffic spy | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Toxic link check with disavow | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Turnaround | 8-10 days | 10-12 days | 12-14 days | 14-16 days | 16-18 days |
Our recommendation For most small properties, Basic at $65 USD a month or Silver at $125 USD is the right starting point. A twelve-room property with one location and two room types does not need 40 keywords, and we would rather fit the plan to the property than the other way around.
- Dedicated account manager
- Month-to-month, cancel anytime
- Setup fee waived
- Every link delivered with a live, clickable URL
- You own the assets forever
- Available as a monthly subscription or a one-time order
Build the exact program in the builder, or send us the property and we will tell you what we would target and what we would not bother doing.
Questions.
We are very small. Is a search program worth it at all?
Sometimes yes and sometimes no, and we would rather tell you which. With twelve rooms the annual commission figure may not justify a large program, and the calculator on this page will say so directly if that is the case, recommending a smaller plan instead. What is almost always worth doing is the local and review work, because it is cheap relative to its effect at this size.
Why do small properties depend on listings so heavily?
Because listings solve a real problem for a property with no marketing capacity. They provide distribution, payment handling, review infrastructure and visibility in one step, for a share of revenue rather than a fee up front. That is a genuinely good trade when the alternative is invisibility, and it becomes a poor one only once you have another route to the same guests.
Which plan makes sense for a small property?
Basic at $65 USD a month or Silver at $125 USD is usually the right starting point, not Platinum. A twelve-room property with one location, one or two room types and a small set of local terms does not need 40 keywords. We would rather sell you a plan that fits and have you stay than sell you one that does not.
We do our own bookings by email and phone. Does that matter?
It matters for how you measure the result rather than whether the work is worth doing. If a large share of your direct bookings arrive by telephone or email, a booking engine report will understate what search delivered. Worth agreeing before you start how a direct booking will be counted, so the program is judged on the right number.
Is local visibility really enough on its own?
For many small properties it does most of the work. A guest searching for accommodation in a specific small town or area is served largely by map results, and a property that appears there with recent reviews and accurate details competes well without ever ranking for a broad term. Larger content and authority programs matter more once you are competing in a busier market.
What makes this different.
Every link comes with a live URL
You get a clickable address for every placement, so you can open it and confirm the work exists. That is the whole reporting standard, and it is rarer than it should be.
You own the assets forever
Placements do not disappear if you stop paying us. What we build stays yours.
Month to month, no contract
There is no minimum term and no cancellation penalty. If the work is not worth the fee, you stop.
We say no to the wrong plan
If your numbers do not justify a larger program, we will tell you to start smaller. The calculator on this site does that automatically.
No guarantees on rankings
We do not guarantee rankings, occupancy, booking volume or revenue, because no agency controls them. Be careful with anyone who does.
Delivered remotely, worldwide
We do not claim offices or staff in your market, because we do not have them. Search work has always been delivered remotely and our published results include clients outside the United States.
Where to go next.
Start with the arithmetic.
Send us the property and we will come back with what we would target, what it costs and what we would not bother doing. We reply within 24 hours on business days.