Airbnb SEO tips and strategies

07/29/2019 08:29

Airbnb SEO tips and strategies - the ultimate guide. 

Do you want more bookings from Airbnb? It’s easier than you think. In this article I’ll show you how to get more bookings from Airbnb by optimizing your Airbnb listing for search, also called Airbnb SEO (Search Engine Optimization).  

Airbnb’s search feature works the same way as Google’s by choosing relevant results using an algorithm. When you perform an Airbnb search, the Airbnb search engine takes a bunch of factors into consideration (user details, listing details, trip details etc), assigns each a certain value, then shows you a list of the highest scored properties.

So to rank higher, you just need to know what Airbnb actually values the most. You should start by knowing the most important ranking factors. 

The most important Airbnb SEO factors are:

• Photos
• Complete / accurate listings
• The title of your listing
• Your response rate
• Number of 5 star reviews
• The instant book feature
• Number of cancellations

More about the different Airbnb SEO factors below:

Airbnb listing photos

Updated pictures that are large enough, have a high clarity and display the best views of the property will automatically upgrade your listing. Have at least 20 high quality photos showing different aspects of your listing (you should have at least one photo of each room, different angels, some of the area etc). The right photos can make or break a property listing; without clear, relevant pictures how can potential clients be enticed to book a room?

Complete each section of your listing

Make sure to give a detailed description of your place.  Your title and description should be attractive, detailed, and informative. Make sure to complete the amenities lists as this will increase the chance of your listing showing up in search when potential guests are searching for specific amenities

Airbnb listing title

The listing title is the first thing that people see, so it needs to be great.

Having the best Airbnb listing titles requires using the best Airbnb keywords, such as orientation (center vs. north), tourist attractions and landmarks, and other relevant popular search terms. Your Airbnb title should be 50 characters. Airbnb appears to favor listings with longer titles. The maximum length of any title is 50 words so get to it or within a few characters of it.

Avoid generic adjectives in your Airbnb title. Instead, give potential guests something that is unique for your listing and make you stand out from the crowd. You do not want to use generic adjectives such as “cozy, convenient, charming, comfy etc” because they are generic and do not communicate any information to the guest who is looking at a dozen other listings. Instead, focus on desirable amenities in your Airbnb title to attract guests who are specifically looking for those amenities. Some examples “washer + dryer”, “garden”, “fireplace”, “skyline view”, “rooftop terrace”.

Increase the number of bookings with a perfect listing description

A good photograph can say a lot… but it can’t say everything. That’s where your listing description comes in. This is your chance to keep your guests interest.

The listing description should be:

• Less than 50 characters
• Describe the space and the most important amenities
•  Provides alluring details that might get your listing some extra clicks

Don’t use your title to reiterate what potential guests already know. They know your place is in London because they filtered their search for rentals in London. What they don’t know is that your place has a fire place, a lovely view of the city skyline or a private swimming pool.

Describe each room, specify the size of the beds (twin, queen or king), include the number of toilets and showers. Discuss appealing features like high ceilings or natural lighting.

Number of 5-star reviews

Your number of 5-star reviews is important to maintain or achieve Superhost as well as your listings place in search. Listings with a high ratio of 5-stars reviews will appear on top of Airbnb search. 

Regularly update your Airbnb calendar

Hosts who regularly update their calendars are tagged by Airbnb’s algorithm as both active and responsive – which will make a listing rise in the rankings. Lodgify Airgms

Respond Quickly to Every Inquiry

You must respond quickly to every inquiry. Airbnb rewards hosts that respond to all initial inquiries within at least 24 hours. Airbnb does this by tracking response rate and response time. These measurements appear on your listing and factor into your ranking in Airbnb’s search results.

Airbnb response time is the average time it takes you to respond to a new message.

A host's response rate is the number of inquiries to which a host has responded to within 24 hours divided by the total number of inquiries a host has received in the past 90 days.

Both the Airbnb response time and the Airbnb response rate are calculated using data from the past 90 days. 

An inquiry is considered the initial message from a guest about prospective dates, not any following messages from the same guest. So the most important thing for response rate and response time is that first message!

If you can’t provide a complete response, reply with a simple “I’ll follow up with you shortly.” This will stop the clock. Also linking your Airbnb inbox to your phone’s SMS messaging helps you stay responsive while you’re on the go.

Turn Airbnb Instant book on

Airbnb’s definition of instant book is:

“Instant Book listings don’t require approval from the host before you can book them. Instead, you can just choose your travel dates and discuss check-in plans with the host. There is no additional fee for confirming a reservation with Instant Book. You can filter your search to only view listings that are available through Instant Book.” Source: The Airbnb help center

This booking option will increase your visibility in search – in fact, many people filter their search for only listings with this feature turned on. While it sounds risky, most of the risk can be remedied by using the guest screening feature to refine who is able to actually book. To be eligible for Instant Book, you must have a profile photo.

Having instant book will probably increase the number of your Airbnb bookings as it makes it easy for guests to book with just one click. This is convenient for travelers using mobile phones or who have access to limited wifi/data. Having instant book turned on reduces your response time, hence your listing will rank better in Airbnb’s search results.

Avoid cancellations

Cancellations have a very bad impact on your ranking score.

Log in regularly

Airbnb tracks your log-in activity, and measures your availability for your guests this way. Airbnb also tracks the time it takes for you to respond to guest inquiries, more about this below.

Monitor your ranking

Pay attention to and improvie your listings' impressions, click throughs, enquiry rates, booking rates, conversion rates from within your messages, and more.

Tags: Airbnb SEO tips, Airbnb SEO strategies, How to get more Airbnb bookings, Airbnb response time, Airbnb response rate

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