Most rental businesses already have a website, and most of those are on WordPress, Wix, Squarespace or Shopify. The question is how to take a booking on it without rebuilding the site: a plugin, an embed, or a link out to a booking page. This guide explains what each does and what to check.
The three options
A plugin or app. Installed into the site. It can render the catalogue and a booking form on your pages. Check whether it holds your live calendar or only a form that emails you, whether deposits and e-signatures happen in the flow, and what happens to bookings when the site's theme or the plugin updates.
An embed. A script or an iframe placed on any page that renders the live catalogue, the date picker and the checkout from your rental system. Nothing is installed in the site, the site's theme cannot break it, and it works the same on WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Shopify and a hand-coded page. Check that it respects your site's fonts and colours and that it works on a phone.
A link out. A button that sends the customer to a hosted booking page. The simplest to set up; the customer leaves your site to book.
What the booking must do wherever it lives
- Ask for dates first and show only what is free, with turnaround and closed days respected.
- Take a deposit or the full amount, and a card hold where you need one.
- Sign the rental agreement and any waiver inside the flow.
- Land the booking on your calendar and your customer record without re-typing.
- Send the confirmation with dates, address and what to bring.
Setting up the embed on each builder
WordPress. Add a Custom HTML block where the catalogue should appear and paste the embed snippet. Page builders (Elementor, Divi, WPBakery) have an HTML widget that does the same.
Wix. Add an Embed HTML element (or a custom element) and paste the snippet; give it the height the catalogue needs.
Squarespace. Add a Code block to the page and paste the snippet.
Shopify. Add a Custom Liquid or Custom HTML section to the page template, or paste into a page's HTML editor.
In each case the catalogue reads your live availability, so a booking made on the site and a booking made at the counter never collide.
Deep links for Instagram and ads
An embed that supports a per-item link means a post can send someone straight to a bookable item with the date picker open. For a dress boutique, that is the shop; for a trailer yard, it is the unit class the ad is about.
How Share Marketplace does it
Share Marketplace provides script and iframe embeds for any site builder, a playground to style them to your site, deep links per item, and the same live calendar, deposits, e-signed agreements and reviews behind every booking. A hosted storefront is there for businesses without a site. See online storefront and embeds and the rental website guide.