With 150 million users (and counting), Airbnb is certainly the place to be when you own a vacation rental. Competition can be fierce though. Other vacation rentals in your area are vying for the same guests. It’s not enough to simply list your home and wait for the bookings to roll in.
How do you stand out in the search results? And, how can you rank higher? To answer those questions, we dived into how Airbnb’s search algorithm works and found ways you can help boost your position.
Here’s what to know:
A lot goes into Airbnb search rankings
In fact, Airbnb assesses more than 100 different factors when ranking vacation rental listings in search results. However, they explain that some factors weigh more than others in their search algorithm. These include:
- Listing quality
This means posting quality property photos and describing your property—and its unique characteristics—accurately and engagingly in your property listing.
- Popularity
The more guests click on your listing, save your property to their wish list, message you, or book a stay, the higher your property will rank in their search results. - Price
Airbnb’s algorithm considers a variety of pricing points, including how your price compares to similar vacation homes in the area (homes that offer similar amenities and guest capacities) for those same dates. Lower-priced listings tend to rank higher.
Other Airbnb ranking factors can include:
- How many times your vacation rental listing is viewed.
- Your response times when replying to messages and requests to stay.
- Your availability.
- How often you accept bookings.
- How often you cancel bookings.
- How well guests rate your property after their stay.
- If your home is new to the platform (Airbnb gives new listings an initial boost to build momentum).
Good news: You can influence your order in Airbnb rankings
While Airbnb keeps their exact ratings method and algorithm under wraps, the good news is that you can help boost your position. Some of the top ways to improve your ranking:
- Offer sought-after amenities
A majority of Airbnb users filter their search by amenities to narrow down their results. So, offer vacation rental amenities that guests want. Think strong WiFi, central A/C, a hot tub, and even making your property pet-friendly. Then include those amenities in your listing description so your property will appear in relevant searches. - Perfect your listing
Since Airbnb takes into account how many times guests engage with your listing and contact you, it makes sense to make your listing as enticing as you can. Spark their interest by:- Including only professional, appealing, and attractive photos that show off your property.
- Writing a vacation rental listing that vividly (and most importantly, accurately) sets the scene and describes the guest experience.
