Airbnb is the leading platform for vacation rental listings, where millions of hosts run successful rental businesses. This arguably makes Airbnb the best website to book short-term rentals but also one of the most competitive places to market your properties.
In this article, we will explore how homeowners and property managers can significantly increase their chance of success on Airbnb by optimizing their listings and improving their Airbnb search results, also known as Airbnb SEO.
While some factors in Airbnb’s search algorithm can only be influenced indirectly, like reviews or bookings, others remain under the control of the hosts. It’s important to note that all these strategies are optional and it’s up to the host to decide which ones to implement.
15 Strategies To Improve Your Airbnb SEO:
1. Fully Complete Your Airbnb Profile & Listing
It may sound obvious but make sure your profile is verified with up-to-date information about yourself and/or your business.
It’s advisable to thoroughly review each section of your listing and ensure it’s fully completed. Providing comprehensive information improves the quality of your listing.
Additionally, a more extensive listing description can potentially discourage guests from scrolling to the bottom and viewing other suggested listings, offering an added advantage.
2. Optimize Your Listing Title & Photo
Your search ranking is influenced by the percentage of people who see your listing and click on it (your click through rate or CTR).
This means you want to encourage clicks on your listing, which can be done in two primary ways:
- Use professional photography.
- Write an effective listing title.
In both your title and description, consider including keywords such as nearby attractions, state and national parks, landmarks, and other terms guests commonly type in Airbnb search bar.
3. Price Your Listing Competitively
Price is definitely the single most important factor influencing guests’ decision when choosing where to stay.
Airbnb knows this and aims to provide guests with the most attractive deals. The platform likes to promote listings with special pricing offers.
You can apply custom promotions or discounts for longer stays. However, it’s essential to balance those promotions with carefully crafted revenue management strategies to not negatively affect your profitability. We recommend using the services of an outsourced revenue manager like Helio Hospitality to optimize your pricing strategies.
4. Offer More Amenities & Self Check-in
Since guests often utilize filters to refine their search results, it’s advisable to provide a wide range of amenities whenever possible. Investing in amenities like an iron, hairdryer, or CO detector could potentially increase your visibility in Airbnb searches, making it worthwhile to consider adding them to your listing.
5. Turn On Instant Book
Enabling Instant Booking is a straightforward and highly effective method to enhance your Airbnb SEO.
Airbnb gives priority to listings with Instant Book enabled, leading to higher conversion rates.
Some hosts may prefer to communicate with guests before confirming bookings and opt not to activate Instant Book. The decision is yours to make, but it’s important to note that disabling this option can negatively impact your search ranking.
6. Update Your Calendar Daily
If you’re hesitant to enable Instant Book, an alternative is to ensure you update your calendar daily. While you may not provide the Instant Book option, Airbnb will prioritize accurate and up-to-date availability and rates. Most channel manager softwares offer automatic daily calendar updates.
(There was once speculation that frequently updating listing details such as descriptions and photos could boost Airbnb search rankings. However, Airbnb has since confirmed that this does not influence your ranking.)
7. Keep Consistent Availability
To the extent possible maintain consistent availability. Listings that are frequently unavailable and have regular cancellations tend to appear lower in the ranking results.
Maintaining consistent availability signals reliability and professionalism to both potential guests and the Airbnb algorithm, boosting your visibility on the platform.
8. Be Responsive To Guest Messages
Your response time and response rate significantly influence your Airbnb search ranking. It’s crucial to reply to all messages within 24 hours and to aim for a quicker response whenever possible. Even a simple acknowledgement like “Thank you for your message, I’ll provide more information shortly” is preferable to no response at all.
Every message, including apparent spam, should receive a response. A brief “No thank you” suffices in such cases.
If you’re unable to respond at all times, consider using software like Smartbnb or another vacation rental management system to automate guest communications. These tools enable you to create various message templates and rules tailored to your needs.
9. Lower Your Minimum Length Of Stay
Reducing the minimum nights required for booking is one of the easiest ways to enhance your visibility in Airbnb searches, especially for shorter stays.
However, this decision entails increased turnovers and cleaning responsibilities, so you’ll want to evaluate whether the trade-off aligns with your circumstances and priorities.
10. Get More Positive Reviews
While this strategy may admittedly require more effort compared to some others on the list, prioritizing the acquisition of as many 5-star reviews as feasible is key for your search ranking. Reviews have a significant influence over your SEO and booking conversion rate on Airbnb.
11. Get Superhost Status
Airbnb conducts quarterly evaluations to determine if hosts meet the criteria for Superhost status (refer to the requirements). Although Airbnb claims not to prioritize listings solely based on Superhost status, the criteria for attaining this status directly influence your search ranking. Additionally, being a Superhost with positive reviews enhances the likelihood of guests booking your property.
12. Limit Your Rejections
Airbnb considers the frequency of booking rejections when determining your search ranking. While it’s your decision to decide whom to accept or reject, be mindful that your rejection rate impacts your search ranking. Additionally, it’s crucial to avoid cancelling confirmed reservations whenever possible, as cancellations can negatively affect your ranking and guest satisfaction.
13. Improve Your Booking Conversion Rate
Once potential guests have clicked on your listing, the aim is to convert their interest into bookings. Here are some strategies to improve your conversion rate:
- Provide comprehensive information in your listing to address any potential FAQs from guests.
- Include an extensive collection of photos, featuring each room with descriptive captions.
- Respond promptly to guest messages to maintain engagement and address inquiries efficiently.
- Consider adjusting certain standards, such as your cancellation policy, to make booking more appealing and flexible for guests.
14. Create An Airbnb Guidebook
Airbnb wants to offer guests a complete experience. Creating a guidebook with recommendations for local attractions, restaurants, and activities to enhance the guest experience is a great way to do this and will increase the likelihood of positive reviews.
15. Use Social Media To Get Airbnb Views
Airbnb considers its own traffic analytics when determining search rankings. If your listing receives a lot of traffic from external sources like Instagram or Facebook, Airbnb will take the signal that your listing is popular and this improves your Airbnb SEO.
However, if you’re generating traction through your own marketing efforts, it might be advantageous to create your own vacation rental website. Doing so allows you to leverage the benefits of direct bookings and maintain control over your rental business.
Some Final Words
We hope the information provided in this article offers valuable insights into improving your Airbnb SEO strategy.
While Airbnb’s search algorithm incorporates over 100 data points, the suggestions outlined in this post represent just a portion of the overall equation. That said, it’s clear that implementing any of these ideas can positively impact your Airbnb listing and contribute to improving your search ranking.
For additional assistance with your Airbnb SEO strategy, you might consider exploring our services, which include Airbnb SEO optimization along with dynamic pricing strategies. Do not hesitate to get in touch with us if you need help with your listings.
