The best time to improve a website is before the client asks. Two years after we launched the Cora Bett Thomas Rentals site in Savannah, we went back into it — not because anything was broken, but because "working" and "as good as it should be" are two different standards. Nobody flagged a problem. We just thought the experience of finding a rental could be faster, and we were right.
At beterdesign, we don't treat launch day as the finish line. The original Cora Bett Thomas build took the brand from invisible-beyond-Escapia to a brand-led site that mirrors Savannah and converts. It worked. This update was about a quieter question: two years of visitor behavior later, what would make it easier still?
Why we improved a site nobody complained about
Here's the opinion that drove it. People are quicker to leave a website than they used to be. Patience online keeps shrinking, and a site that felt effortless two years ago can start to feel like one click too many today — without anyone ever emailing to say so.
Waiting for a client to flag a problem is the wrong model. By the time a booking site "feels slow," you've already lost the bookings that bounced. We'd rather revisit the work on our own initiative and keep it ahead of the drop-off. For a vacation rental brand, where the entire business is the distance between curiosity and a confirmed booking, that distance is the product.
So we shipped three new sections, each aimed at the same goal: get a Savannah visitor to the right rental in fewer moves.
1. Handpicked Rentals — lead with what people came for
The homepage used to open with an About section. We replaced it with Handpicked Rentals — the standout properties, shown immediately.
Our opinion: most homepages waste their most valuable space explaining who the brand is to people who already know. Anyone booking a Savannah rental through Cora Bett Thomas already knows exactly who she is — the trusted local name. Spending the top of the page on that story asked visitors to scroll past the one thing they arrived for. Now the first thing they see is a handpicked set of the best available rentals. The brand is proven by the inventory, not by a paragraph about the brand.
2. Search by Location — one click to the right spot
Savannah visitors often think in places before they think in dates. The historic district, the islands, near the river. So we added Search by Location — a way to narrow straight to the area someone wants, in a single click.
Our opinion: search should match how the guest thinks, not how the property database is structured. A filter that mirrors the guest's mental map — by neighborhood, by proximity to what they came for — removes the step where people give up because the site made them work. One click from "I want to stay near the river" to the rentals that are near the river.
3. Newsletter — turn a dead end into a lead
The hardest moment on any rental site is when the place someone wants isn't available. That used to be where the visit ended. Now it's where a relationship starts.
We added a Newsletter section built for exactly that moment. If the rental you want is booked, you sign up. Cora Bett Thomas gets a qualified lead — someone who told you precisely what they want. The guest gets a heads-up the moment it opens. Nobody leaves empty-handed.
Our opinion: a booking site should have no true dead ends. Every "not available" is a lead waiting to be captured, if the site is built to catch it. Turning the worst moment in the funnel into a win for both sides is worth more than another homepage banner.
What this says about how we work
None of these three changes came from a support ticket. They came from us going back into a site we care about and asking a better question than "is it working." That's the pattern across our client relationships — the work continues after the invoice, because a website is a living asset, not a delivery.
It's also, plainly, why the Cora Bett Thomas team trusts us. Trust in this business isn't won at launch. It's won in the second year, when the agency is still thinking about your numbers without being asked to.
If you have a site we built — or one you wish worked harder — tell us where it's losing people. You can also see more of our work across hospitality, real estate, and aviation.
Frequently asked questions
Why redesign a website that is already working?
Because "working" degrades quietly. Online patience keeps shrinking, so a flow that felt easy two years ago can start costing bookings without anyone reporting it. Revisiting a site on your own initiative keeps it ahead of the drop-off, rather than reacting after conversions have already slipped.
What makes a vacation rental website convert better?
Shorten the distance between curiosity and a booking. Lead with the rentals instead of an About section, let people search the way they think — by location — and capture the guest even when their first choice is unavailable. For Cora Bett Thomas Rentals in Savannah, those three moves did the work.
Does beterdesign keep improving sites after launch?
Yes. We treat a website as a living asset, not a one-time delivery. For Cora Bett Thomas, we returned two years after launch to sharpen the booking experience before it was ever flagged as a problem.
Who designs vacation rental and hospitality websites?
beterdesign builds brand-led sites across hospitality, real estate, and luxury travel, including Cora Bett Thomas Rentals in Savannah. We focus on the path from a guest's first click to a confirmed booking.
Good client work doesn't end at launch. Sometimes the most valuable thing an agency can do is go back in without being asked.
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