Your headline might be the single most important bit of text in your listing, so it's critical that yours is not just good, but GREAT. It is shown not only at the top of your advertisement, but also at the top of all your property's listing in the indexes and search results.  Like the headline of a print advertisement, your property headline should describe and generate interest in your vacation home in a few, well-chosen words.

What to Include:
• Key search words for your area, like popular local attractions or activities.
• Upcoming seasonal/holiday opportunities or events in your area, especially if you still have availability.
• Amenities featured in your home that will set your home apart from others in your area.
• Words that convey a sense of your property, including the property type, location information, and other descriptive words like charming, private, spacious, etc.

How to Stand Out:
• Show open dates that you're looking to fill.  For example, "January Open" or "Open Nov 16-22". 
• Highlight special offers.  Your headline should not contain any specific rate information, but you can entice travelers to click on your ad by including phrases like "4th Night Free" or "Fall Specials."
• Feature your suitability for different groups.  Use words like pet-friendly, wheelchair accessibly, perfect for couples, family-friendly, etc.

What Not to Include:
• Just the property name.  Typically a property name doesn't tell travelers too much about your home.  It's fine to include it in your correspondence with renters, but use your headline to stick to the main selling points.
• Local jargon. Don't automatically assume that your renters are familiar with the area.  
• Details of the location, the number of bedrooms, bathrooms and the number of people your second home can accommodate. These details are almost always listed under the headline in the searches, so there is no need to repeat them.
• Unnecessary characters.  Keep your headline professional and easy-to-read, and avoid all urges to use the @ symbol or excessive exclamation points.  Similary, don't write your headline in all caps.

And Don't Ever:
• Copy someone else's headline. This does you and the person you're copying no good. It's the uniqueness that will make your second home stand out. If you have the same headline as another property, neither will stand out.

The property headline is your first chance to grab a renter's attention.   Your headline should be as specific as possible, not only to highlight certain features of your home, but also to help with search engine rankings. Remember when you're writing your headline, you're competing for inquiries with all of the other vacation rental properties in your area. Your headline has to be descriptive and should articulate why a renter should click on your listing for more information.

What specifics about your home do you include in your vacation rental headline?

Examples of Well-Written Vacation Rental Property Headlines for HomeAway Come up with new ideas for your own property headline by learning what works well in the examples below.   What NOT To Include in Your Vacation Rental Property Headline Learn what you can leave out in the limited space of your property headline.   The Top-Searched Vacation Rental Amenities Which amenities are at the top of travelers' lists?   How to Prevent Common Listing Mistakes Read on to find out the most common items left out by vacation rental owners.

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