How do guests find us??? a vacation rental among a sea of places

Many guests find us via word of mouth.
We are also on a number of different sites; the bigger ones, in alphabetical order:
Airbnb
Housetrip
Tripadvisor
Vacationrental.com

Some we pay a yearly fee in order to post our listing;

Depending on how much we pay, can determine the number of photos we are allowed to post.   If we pay extra, then we can be a 'featured' listing.  So, 'featured' listings are no different.  The owners pay more in order to come up higher in the search engine.

Vacationrentals.com has a nice feature where homeowners can post special deals- no extra fees.  This I like.  It lets potential guests that a place has something special to offer, or a last minute opening.

Some are free to list, however, there is a charge after a guest books.    These sites also charge the guest; a fee for the 'service' of the site.  Beware! some of these fees can get pretty high.    The site's fees have nothing to do with the homeowner. 
Some sites do provide support for the guest and homeowner and that's great.

 I watch the TripAdvisor posts to see how the different sites are doing for guests and other hosts.  I have noticed some complain of the fees, the difference in rates, money exchanges, etc. For us, what it comes down to is communication.  These are our fees and what we offer. That simple.