How to Optimize Airbnb Listings to rank higher and get more Bookings

Optimize Airbnb Listings to rank high and get more Bookings

 

 

Getting a deep understanding of how to create and optimize Airbnb listings will give you the edge you need to get more bookings for your apartment

There are currently over 7 million listings on Airbnb which makes it quite a huge task getting your listings to show in relevant search results 

If you just started listing your property on airbnb either for short rental or long stay accommodation or you are a host searching for how to increase your property listing to get more daily or weekly or even monthly bookings you are lucky to have found this article 

 

This article will guide you through and help you optimize your airbnb listings to get on the first page of Airbnb search results which is the desire of every host.

 

We will share with you and help you to discover the Airbnb SEO strategy I have been using to push my listings to get to the first page on the Airbnb search results.

 

First of all let us understand the basic about Airbnb seo ranking…

 

What Is Search Ranking on Airbnb?

Search ranking on Airbnb is the process whereby listings are arranged according to users’ search intent. High-quality listings tend to rank higher on Airbnb and these search rankings are affected by different characteristics which include description, picture quality, reviews, price etc. 

 

You can optimize your Airbnb listing to get more bookings if you follow the steps I will be listing in this article. The aim is to rank on the first page or in the top 3 search results.

 

How Airbnb Determines Search Ranking

Airbnb uses different factors to determine search ranking, the algorithm of Airbnb is designed in a way to correspond to search results. Airbnb uses the search intent of guests to provide the best listing suitable for guests. When creating a listing you should consider the factors that will determine if your listing will be preferred by the guest, your listing should contain all the necessary information that is preferred by the guest. Below are the search ranking factors.

 

Airbnb search ranking factors include the following:

 

Quality Picture: High-resolution pictures will make you stand out among other listings. Airbnb is mostly favorable to listings with high-quality pictures and better resolution, this gives a proper visual description of the space.

 

Listing Description: Listing description is very crucial in Airbnb search ranking. This makes it easier for guests to make better decisions when choosing a space. The listing should contain a more detailed description of the following such as house rules, amenities, hosting, etc.

 

Pricing: Pricing can determine your listing rank on Airbnb. Your price should be competitive and match your amenities, location, and space. To get more precise pricing you can utilize the Airbnb pricing tool or other pricing tools to get a reliable and competitive price that suits your listing.

 

Review: Every guest wants to be sure beyond what you say or describe about your apartment what is other guest saying ? Reviews determine search ranking on Airbnb. A lot of positive reviews will signify excellent customer satisfaction hence boosting your search ranking on Airbnb. To rank at the top page on Airbnb listing your aim should be 5-star reviews, you should try your best to ensure guests are satisfied with your service which can result in lots of positive reviews and get a higher ranking of not less than 4.9 rating.

 

Guest Wish List: The Airbnb algorithm makes use of previous search results and experiences on the platform to optimize listings. Crafting your listing to appear attractive to your target audience will create more bookings. Most guests have wish lists they look up to when searching for a property. This could be a vacation package for couples or business owners looking for a perfect escape location for their comfort. 

 

Host Profile Update: Complete your profile and update it regularly with vital information. Set up your profile and update the settings regularly to ensure you are searchable on the Airbnb search results. Upload a clear profile photo and provide additional information if possible. Guest on the airbnb platform are not comfortable if the host is not able to provide basic information, You should have a profile picture and information, this help guest makes fast decision.

 

Listing Updating: Updating your listing regularly can send a signal to Airbnb that your listing is functional. This could be updating prices, updating product descriptions, and regularly changing your photos. This can help increase your listing appearance on the search results.

 

Booking Rate: Your booking rate increases your search ranking on Airbnb. The number of guests that book your listing after landing on the page is very important. This sends a signal to Airbnb that guests find your property and space very attractive and love the experience. Furthermore, a higher booking rate will result in a high search ranking on Airbnb. The more booking rate you have the more other guest is Convince about your listing

 

Quick Response: Being active in your reply to guests will show your support and efficiency. This creates a positive signal to Airbnb that your host is extremely active which will likewise increase your search ranking. Responding to chats of customers’ inquiries timely even if they are not booking from you will help boost your hosting on Airbnb. Quick response also builds confidence that the host is always available and willing to assist.

 

Paying attention to the steps listed above will bring in a decent amount of guest around your listing and get you more booking on the airbnb platform, But that is not all, we needed to highlight that so you can understand how airbnb search algorithm works.

 

10 Ways To Help Your Listing Rank Higher and Get More Bookings

 

1. Discount / Special Offer: Discount and special offers can make your listing pop up when guests are looking for affordable homes. Offering discounts that are attractive to potential guests can get you more bookings and increase higher ranking,You can also use the 20% discount on new listings to get more attention from guest. Your pricing should be competitive, it should maintain a balance of the quality you offer, not too high and not below your standard. You can optimize the Airbnb smart pricing feature to see more pricing options and strategize your pricing.

 

1. Expand Amenities: Guest love it when they are certain your listing made available all they need to have a wonderful experience. Your listing should contain most of the popular amenities in your location. Search for popular amenities in your location and what potential guests are searching for. You can use the filter section in Airbnb to identify popular amenities in your city. Expanding your amenities can boost your listing rank and get you more bookings. 

 

1. Nearby Location: Providing insights about your nearby location and places to visit will get you more bookings. This gives guests insights into a specific location and the places they can visit during their stay, Either for business or vacation, guest love to have an idea about the neighborhood and what to expect at all times, providing them nearby locations will also increase your booking rate.

Some of the nearby locations you should consider adding are 

 

• Fun Place: Add fun places to your location description as a nearby location. Specify the distance from your property to the places. This could be 5km from the central museum, 2km from the beach,Movie or Mall  etc. This will give your potential guests more information about the distance from the property to the nearby places.

 

• Banks or cash point: Specify the distance between your home from the bank or cashpoint  Potential guests who may be interested in staying in a space close to the bank will find this helpful.

 

• Airport: The distance between your property from the airport should be listed in your location. This information will be useful for potential guests that will be coming from a distant location. 

 

1. Upload High-Quality Photos: Uploading high-quality photos on your listing can help your listing rank higher and get more bookings. Pictures are the first view everyone see before making up their minds about your listing, this is your impression and you should not take chances.You can create a specific time to take quality photos if you have photography skills. If you do not possess photography skills you should hire a professional photographer to take high-quality photos of your home, this shouldn’t cost you much. Before any other thing, your picture is all your potential guest can see – Make the best of it.

 

Few things to keep in mind when uploading your photos:

• Caption: Be cautious of your captions on your photos. Create captions that only relate to your photos and listing. This will give Airbnb a heads-up about your photos.

 

• Rename Your Photos: Make sure to rename your photos before uploading them. Change them from their generic name such as “0121 Jpeg” to a more appropriate name for effective identification.E.G “Apartment in lekki lagos” 

 

• Featured Images: Your feature image should be the main character of your page. Use an image that captivates users with an attractive caption.

 

1. Concise Listing Description: Your listing description needs to be concise and detailed. Having all the vital information in your listing description will give guests the maximum amount of information about your property, Talk about everything that is important, your space, your bed size, kitchen, entertainment, Be specific and detailed.

 

• Optimize your title: Your title is the center of attraction when guests click on your page. Make your title more compelling by using the perfect description and keywords. The title of your listing is important as this is the first door every potential guest will knock on, make catchy and search friendly E.G “A smart Studio Apartment in Portharcourt”

 

• Keywords: You should be strategic when writing your title and description. Incorporate keywords that are related to your listings to your titles and descriptions. Use keyword tools such as Semrush, World Stream, or Google Ads to determine relevant keywords that guests use mostly in their search.

 

• Specify Property Amenities: When writing your description or listing title make sure you indicate certain amenities in your property such as a hot tub, kitchen, bed quality/sizes, workspace, Wifi, etc this will give a clear description of your property.It could surprise you that guest books apartment for several reasons you may not consider important, State as many amenities as available, from baby cot, free parking etc

 

Optimizing your title and listing description will increase your listing visibility to potential guests which can make you rank higher and get more bookings. 

 

1. Get More 5 Stars Review: Rating is extremely important in Airbnb. Reviews are used by guests when searching for the best home. Reviews are more like your scorecard from a guest which serves as an experience other guests will use to access your listings. Airbnb also uses these ratings to recommend the best homes for potential guests. A bad review is something you should avoid completely

 

Here are some schemes that can make you earn many 5 stars review

• Ensure you respond quickly to guests and try your best to provide all necessary information that can meet their needs.

 

• The best approach to receiving a 5-star rating is to ensure your guests have a great experience.

 

• You can get a guidebook in your home that has a review page highlighting the review system. This gives guests a proper understanding of the importance of review and how it’s been rated. This can be detailing the reviews and their meaning! A 5-star review means a great experience, a 4-star review means major work needs to be done, and a 3-star review means it was a terrible experience. 

 

1. Social Media Sharing and Promotion: Sharing your listing on social media can promote your host and land more bookings. This gives guests access to your hosts and see if they are interested or not. Sharing and promoting also increase traffic to your page and boost your listing on Airbnb. Sharing your post on different social media platforms such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Instagram with attractive captions and photos can help your listing rank higher and get more bookings.

 

1. Accessibility and Movement: If your host is accessible to potential guests it makes it easier to navigate through it. Airbnb will recommend your listing if it’s more accessible. 

• Location: Having a location that is accessible to users will boost your listing ranking on Airbnb.

 

• Flexible Rules: Your rules should be flexible rules  to enable your guest access your listings, flexible check in and check out time will surely increase bookings 

 

• Host: Your listing should be easy to navigate with updated information about the property, which makes it more accessible to potential guests.

 

1. Turn on Instant Book: The instant booking feature on Airbnb allows guests to book your listing without seeking an approval from you,activating this features creates the impression that your apartment or listing is available.

 

• Enabling instant booking on your listing can make it more attractive to guests, this is because most guests use the filter features to search for listings with instant booking. This helps to optimize Airbnb listings to get more bookings.

 

• The Airbnb algorithm tends to boost listing with enabled instant booking. This feature provides a seamless booking experience for guests, which aligns with Airbnb’s goal of enabling a seamless transaction between the guest and host. 

 

1. Super host: Strive to become a super host. Super host ranking is given to the best hosting. This can be earned when you meet up with a certain standard on Airbnb.Every Guest love to stay with an experienced host.

 

• Avoid cancellation: Avoid any form of cancellation that will make guests unhappy. If your policy is not flexible it might result in a cancellation. This can also make guest thinks you are not a reliable host.

 

• Review: Reviews have a great impact on achieving a super host status. A host with many positive reviews can earn a super host status.The more better experience with your guest, the more your ranking is sustained.

 

Extra Ways To Get Bookings On Airbnb

If you have optimized the ten steps listed above and still want more ways to rank higher and get bookings on Airbnb, here are some extra ways to help you rank higher on Airbnb listing.

 

• Keep Your Calendar Updated: Updating your calendar will keep you on track. Airbnb may not recommend your listing often if your calendar is not updated.

 

• Collect Feedback: Getting feedback from your guests anytime they use your home will help you work on any issues the customer may have experienced and improve your service.

 

• Update Google Business Profile: By using the Google My Business profile you are creating more opportunities for you to be seen when guests search for property on the Google space and update it regularly to keep you on track.

 

• Reduce Minimum Night Stay: Your minimum night stay should not be higher than 3 at most. You tend to rank higher if your minimum stay is less than 2. Most guest tends to book for just a night to see what your apartment looks like before they decide whether to extend their stay. The lower your minimum stay night, the more bookings you get.

 

• Design a Guidebook: A Guidebook gives a detailed description of the location and places to visit during guest stay. Airbnb gives you the option to add a guidebook to your listing. Guide book also provides information about basic things in your apartment and their usage. Consider a guidebook as a manual guest needs to access your apartment, it should contain important information such as  Frequently asked question about your apartment, How to turn on the water heater or even how to access the kitchen or use the bathroom.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

• How often do I get booking on Airbnb

Getting bookings on Airbnb will depend on so many factors. There is no specific time range to get bookings on Airbnb. Your location, amenities, pricing, photo quality, accessibility, seasons, etc will determine how often you get bookings.

 

• When do I get payout from Airbnb

If you are a new host on Airbnb you will need to set up your payout method. Then you can get a payout after a guest has checked in and the payout is sent out after 24 hours. This may take longer for up to seven days to reach your account if there are certain conditions like holidays, first reservations, etc. Note! For new accounts, Airbnb may decide to hold your payout for up to 30 days.

 

• I am new to Airbnb hosting, where do I start from?

To get started on Airbnb hosting as a newbie you need to follow certain procedures which include acquiring a space ready for your guest, listing your space, choosing your hosting method, Specifying your price, and getting paid when you get bookings.

 

Conclusion:If you consider airbnb hosting as a job, parttime or full time or even an extra source of income, then search ranking of your listing should be an important part of that decision. This article will help you start your journey of how to optimize Airbnb listing and get more bookings. As you begin your journey to boost your ranking on Airbnb also remember this is a continuous process to keep up with the top listing on Airbnb. 

 

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