Running a two-sided marketplace is a balancing act. You need to sell to two different people at once: the User (who spends money) and the Host (who provides inventory).
This guide walks you through the core pages every successful marketplace needs, with specific strategies to maximize sign-ups and bookings.
1. The Homepage (Your Digital Storefront)
Purpose: To clearly explain what you do in 3 seconds and route traffic to the right place. Most visitors will be Users (looking for space, experiences or services to rent), so the primary focus of the homepage should speak to their benefits.
Essential Elements:
- The Hero Section: A high-quality background image with a clear value prop.
- Bad: "Welcome to our site."
- Good: "Find and Book Unique Warehouses for Your Next Rave."
- The "Explore" Action: A prominent "Explore Spaces" button or Search Bar that sends users directly to your White-Label Guest View to start browsing inventory immediately.
- Social Proof: "Trusted by 5,000+ planners" or logos of companies who use your platform. Social proof is a great way to show credibility. In some cases, especially when starting, your focus should involve developing brand advocates who can verify your value.
- Featured Categories: Quick links to help users browse or understand what categories your marketplace supports. For example, if running an event space business, featuring "Studios," "Lofts," or "Rooftops" can help users find their perfect space.
DropDesk Tip: The Hub
Think of your homepage as a traffic controller that routes users to the core pages defined below.
- For Guests: The central "Explore Spaces" call-to-action should launch your white-label booking engine, allowing users to checkout.
- For Hosts: A distinct "Become a Host" button in the top right should link directly to your Host Onboarding page that shows the value you bring to those who want to list with your platform.
- For Members: "Log In" and "Sign Up" buttons must be visible in the nav bar to give users instant access to their Dashboards.
- For Memberships: If you sell recurring access (e.g., monthly passes or virtual offices), include a "Memberships" link that routes to a dedicated pricing page where users can view tiers and purchase subscriptions.
Why: This layout immediately segments your traffic, sending "Demand" to your listings and "Supply" to your Host pages without any confusion.
2. "Become a Host" Page (The Supply Engine)
Purpose: To convince asset owners that listing with you is safe, easy, and profitable. This is a sales page, and should speak to their specific pain points.
Essential Elements:
- The "Why" Header: "Earn $1,000/month renting your unused garage."
- How It Works (3 Steps): 1. List for free. 2. Accept bookings. 3. Get paid.
- Safety & Trust: Explicitly mention insurance (for example, "We cover up to $1M in liability"), if applicable and control ("You decide who books").
- FAQ Section: Handle objections immediately (e.g., "What if a guest damages my space?").
DropDesk Feature: Automated Host Onboarding
DropDesk streamlines supply acquisition with a ready-made host registration portal.
Instead of building complex forms from scratch, simply embed your unique "Host Sign-Up" link on this page. Hosts can automatically create accounts, upload listing photos, and submit details. You can then review and approve these listings from your admin dashboard before they go live, ensuring high quality without the manual data entry work.
Best Practice Call-to-Action (CTA):
- Instead of: "Submit"
- Use: "List Your Space for Free" or "Start Hosting Today"
3. The Search Results Pages (The Browsing Aisle)
Purpose: To help users filter through the noise and find their perfect match quickly.
Essential Elements:
- Map View vs. List View: Users need to see where spaces are relative to their needs (e.g., near the airport).
- Smart Filters: Price range, Capacity (10 vs. 100 people), and Amenities (Wifi, Parking).
- Quick Cards: Each listing card should show: Cover Image, Title, Price per Hour, and Review Rating.
DropDesk Feature: White-Label Guest View
DropDesk provides a white-label guest view that allows customers to easily browse, filter, and checkout. This ensures the entire booking experience feels seamless and native to your brand.
Simply use your marketplace guest view link by embedding an "Explore Spaces", "Search", or similar call-to-action button on your homepage that links directly to your branded booking engine.
4. Single Listing Page (The "Product" Page)
Purpose: To provide enough information for a user to feel confident pulling out their credit card.
Essential Elements:
- High-Res Photo Gallery & Short-Form Videos: The #1 driver of bookings.
- Clear Pricing Box: Show hourly and periodic rates, cleaning fees, and service fees transparently.
- "About the Space/Service": A description of the vibe and rules, together with any special instructions for the listing.
- Amenities List: Checkmarks for essentials (Restrooms, Wheelchair Access).
- Host Profile: A small photo and bio of the host to humanize the transaction, including real-time contact information on the venue manager.
DropDesk Feature: Automated Page Generation
DropDesk's marketplace builder automatically creates these pages for you, completely removing the need to manually design or update individual listings.
Once a host submits their form, the system instantly renders a professional, SEO-optimized page complete with the photo gallery, map, and pricing—scaling your inventory without scaling your workload.
DropDesk Feature: Flexible Intuitive Package Creation and Transaction Engine
DropDesk provides a Host self-service Package creation engine, allowing for a wide range of customization, together with a checkout system built to handle complex booking models out of the box.
Whether your niche requires Hourly rentals for studios, One-Time daily rates for events, or Recurring monthly payments for office subscriptions, the platform adapts automatically. All transactions sync with DropDesk's internal calendar to manage availability in real-time, preventing double bookings without any extra plugin setup.
Best Practice CTA:
Sticky Booking Bar: On mobile, the "Book" button should stick to the bottom of the screen so it's always one tap away.
5. Sign-In / Sign-Up Pages
Purpose: To collect verifiable user data with the least amount of friction possible.
Essential Elements:
- Biometric Login (or SMS): Allowing users to save passwords or sign up quickly with SMS helps reduce friction by 70%.
- Role Selection: A simple toggle: "I want to Book a Space" vs. "I want to List a Space." or "Sign up/Sign in). This allows users to self-select the correct onboarding processes.
- Minimal Fields: Ask only for Name, Email, and Password initially. Ask for a Phone Number or Profile Photo after they are inside.
DropDesk Feature: Secure White-Label Authentication
DropDesk handles the complexity of user identity for you.
The platform provides white-label sign-up pages that look native to your brand, so users never feel like they are leaving your site. Under the hood, it utilizes enterprise-grade Cognito authentication and built-in SMS verification, ensuring a secure, frictionless, and "passwordless" login experience without you needing to code a custom auth system.
DropDesk Conversion Tip: Deferred Registration
Allow users to browse and view listings without an account. Only trigger the "Sign Up" modal when they click "Message Host" or when actually transacting.
6. Membership & Pricing Pages (Recurring Revenue)
Purpose: To convert casual, one-time users into loyal subscribers. This is essential for selling "ongoing services or recurring subscriptions" like Monthly Parking Access, Virtual Offices, or Community Memberships.
Essential Elements:
- Tiered Pricing Cards: Display options side-by-side (e.g., "Day Pass" vs. "Monthly Desk" vs. "Private Office").
- Benefits Checklist: clearly list what is included in each tier (e.g., "24/7 Access," "Mail Handling," "5 Conference Room Hours"). This allows for an easy comparison view.
- "Most Popular" Badge: visually highlight the middle tier to steer users toward the plan you believe will bring them the most value.
- FAQ Section: Address specific subscription questions that may prevent a user from subscribing (e.g., "Is there a cancellation fee?").
DropDesk Best Practice: Direct Checkout Links
Instead of using a generic contact form, create a dedicated landing page on your site that acts as a sales brochure for your memberships.
DropDesk generates a unique checkout link for each membership plan you create. The best practice is to embed these specific links behind the "Join Now" or "Get Started" buttons on your pricing page for each membership. This takes the user directly to a secure, pre-filled checkout flow for that exact plan, dramatically increasing conversion rates.
7. Host Onboarding Workflow (The Listing Wizard)
Purpose: To guide a new host from "Interest" to "Published Listing" by collecting the critical data needed to sell their space, service or experience effectively.
Essential Listing Data to Collect:
- Venue Name & Address: The exact name and a verified physical address to ensure trust and accurate mapping.
- Venue Type: A category selector that best represents the types of Hosts you support (e.g., Coworking Space, Photo Studio, or Conference Room).
- Manager Contact: The venue's phone number and email.
- Pro Tip: Encouraging hosts to use a mobile number ensures they receive real-time booking requests and confirmations via SMS.
- Venue Description: An engaging summary highlighting unique features, vibe, and potential uses to attract the right guests.
- Venue Amenities: A checklist of included perks, such as fast Wi-Fi, coffee/tea, parking, or recording equipment.
- Opening Hours: Settings for regular days and times the space is accessible.
- Recommendation: DropDesk suggests being open at least 2 days a week and avoiding irregular hours to maximize bookings.
- Guest Instructions: Private details that guests will see only after they book, such as specific check-in rules, door codes, or Wi-Fi passwords.
DropDesk Feature: Smart Onboarding Forms
DropDesk's pre-built Host onboarding validates all essential data in real-time.
Automatically formats addresses, verifies phone numbers for SMS, and ensures hosts complete all required fields (like "Guest Instructions") before they can hit "Publish." This guarantees that every listing on your marketplace is high-quality and bookable from Day 1.
8. The User Dashboard
Purpose: To provide a central hub for users to manage their reservations, view history, and communicate with hosts.
Essential Elements:
- "My Bookings" Tab: A status-based view of reservations:
- Upcoming: Show address, access codes, and "Get Directions."
- Pending: Requests waiting for host approval.
- Booking History: A complete archive of past activity, allowing users to easily view details and repeat their favorite bookings with a single click.
- Unified Inbox: A chat interface that keeps all host communication in one place, preventing "platform leakage" (users taking deals off-site).
DropDesk Feature: White-Label Guest Management
The DropDesk user dashboard is designed for retention.
Guests get a clean, branded interface where they can view Activity (bookings), use their Unified Inbox to communicate with Hosts, manage payment methods, and handle Cancellations according to your platform's policies—all self-serve, reducing your support ticket volume.
9. The Host Dashboard
Purpose: To give Hosts full control over their inventory, bookings, and business operations after they have onboarded.
Essential Elements:
- Listing Manager: A hub where hosts can edit video, photos, update pricing, and modify house rules for all their spaces.
- Calendar Manager: A visual calendar to view upcoming bookings and manually block off dates (e.g., for maintenance).
- Booking Requests: A clear list of "Pending" inquiries that require acceptance or rejection.
- Earnings & Payouts: A financial tab showing "Total Earned," "Pending Payouts," and transaction history.
- Inbox: A centralized chat to communicate with guests before and after booking.
DropDesk Feature: The All-in-One Host Portal
DropDesk provides a pre-built, professional Host Dashboard that handles the complexities of space management.
Includes robust internal calendars for managing real-time availability and allows users/hosts to easily add bookings to their Google or Outlook calendars, helping them stay organized without needing complex integrations. Additionally, it features a native Stripe Connect integration, allowing Hosts to view their earnings and receive automated Stripe Payouts directly to their bank accounts.
Graham Beck
Graham Beck is the Co-founder and CEO of DropDesk, a platform dedicated to a singular, transformative mission: unlocking the potential of underutilized spaces to foster human connection.
