Early access for Superhosts: custom Airbnb web addresses

[Airbnb]

Superhosts deserve web addresses that are as unique as their homes and hospitality. And soon, all Superhosts will be able to create a custom web address—an exclusive, easy-to-remember link that will help guests find their specific listings and make it easier to brand and promote their business. That’s right, no more lengthy web addresses that include random numbers and symbols (unless you prefer them, of course).

In the next couple of months, we’ll be introducing custom links to Superhosts. Superhosts will receive an email or a dashboard notification with a link to create their personalized web addresses.

Let’s brainstorm some ideas to make your link stand out. First, here’s what the new format will look like:

• airbnb.com/h/[your custom name]

Some web address examples:

• /french-alps-vacation-homes-and-cabins
• /babu-getaways
• /helens-homes
• /private-room-in-barcelona-city-center

Things to think about:

• What makes your space special?
• Is your space in a unique location?
• What makes your area or city one-of-a-kind?

Tips on making your custom link easier to read:

• Use lowercase letters
• Use hyphens, if you wish, but no other symbols or punctuation
• Keep it short: 100 characters or fewer is ideal
• Keep it private: don’t include contact information such as last names, email addresses, or phone numbers

Other points to keep in mind:

• Avoid the word “Airbnb” and any trademarks or brand names, unless you own them or are authorized to use them
• Steer clear of misleading information such as “verified” and “official,” and impersonations of another person, entity, or listing
• See our policy with more details on what is allowed

This feature was designed so Superhosts can create memorable web addresses, put them on business cards and in email signatures, and promote them on social media. In the coming months, all Superhosts will get access to this feature—thank you for providing hospitality as unique as your future web address.

*Superhosts are allowed one custom URL per listing. If at some point, you’re no longer a Superhost, you will be able to keep your custom web address. If your listing becomes deactivated, the custom URL is then available for another listing to claim. 

[Patricia2124]

airbnb;  I would just like to add my comments:  I would be happy if you just let things be for at least 6 months.  Every time I turn around you have some new idea and I would be happy just to have things stay the same.  If it works - don't change it!!!  I have wonderful guests and they leave wonderful reviews.  I don't need any of your new suggestions when things are fine.  I do have other things to do  other  than trying to figure out one of your bright ideas.  

[Lin14]

The very problem is that it is not working because guests can never find me. This idea of a search URL upon listing is the nearest we get to SEO for our offering.

If you are happy with your occupancy rate then you have nothing to do, but if you want to improve your income this is a good way of attracting more guests.

[Laura-And-Mike0]

Patricia, there is nothing to figure out.  Airbnb is giving you a little tool to help get more guests to find you.  There are 187 listings for Manchester, VT.  I'm in Hawaii and for my area there are more than 300 places so I want to stand out from the crowd.  I leave business cards in my unit for my guests to take home and share with friends and family.  It's cheap advertising and now I can put on an easy link/name, instead of my listing number 21186650.  My guests will not remember the listing number, but they will remember "Rainforest Bungalow".

[Kathleen523]

The concept seems helpful but there is a much more pressing need which is  for  airb&b to review how it organizes its' listings. When I have a guest who wants to stay in our town, Wiscasset, Maine- let's say they are coming for a wedding or to visit family, airb&b instead provides a huge radius of choices. Even though I am a superhost with good success, my sight gets lost among hundreds of others that are 20-40 miles away!  What they should do, is list the lodging in that town, then follow with a heading- For  Nearby Areas or something of that nature, and list the other towns.  This is a problem that has developed over the last couple of years and no one at airb&b is ever helpful when one emails them about it. I am sure other hosts are suffering the same dilemma!

[Laura-And-Mike0]

Look up on Airbnb and the internet "how to improve Airbnb listing rankings".  There are lots of simple tips how to move further up towards the top.  I'm in Hilo Hawaii and there are 300+ listings here, today I'm in the #15 spot when you open up Hilo.  I'm typically in the top 20.

[Lin14]

The problem was that until now Airbnb had no effective search function.

As I understand it, when you think about all the date at. Airbnb hold on you and your listings, the only data it could make available to the Google search engine was location. And even here, no one outside of the Airbnb back-office Tech Team understood how location was defined and worked. With the result that when someone searched for "Wiscasset B&B", they get a whole heap of results for Wiscasset and all the surrounding towns as well!

Now what AirBnB is doing, in effect, is handing the search problem over to you the host. Airbnb is saying,

   "well, if you want people to quickly home in on your listing, you tell us what search criteria you think people will put into Google."

So in your URL, you state the things that you think define your property in the mind of the average punter, the things that you think people will search for and find you as a result. And if you're right, you will get more business.

So it's a way to optimize the Google search engine.

[Lauren285]

Will we have custom urls for all our listings then?  I will have 2 so one for each, right?

[Liz677]

Do I need to create a distinct link for each of my property listings? Or will all of my properties be found under the same link?

[Christoph-and-Ina0]

Is the unique url referring to a listing or to all listings? As in, do you have to determine multiple URLs if you have multiple listings?

[Ana1288]

I’m looking forward to it. Good luck to all hosts. 

[Lacy6]

Will we be able to create one that pulls up all our listings or just for each individual listing?

[Sławomir1]

Thank you airbnb

[Gay5]

I just had 400 new business cards printed up and had I known about this new idea, I would have included the data. This comes a little too late.

[Laura-And-Mike0]

Make little stickers and add them to the back of the cards.

I have a box of 2000 with my airbnb listing number on them - I leave them in my unit, pass them out to complete strangers and I have online shops, so I include one in every order - hope I can get rid of 2000 then have my new link/address put on them.  For now I'll just keep them as they are.....

[Joanna394]

Thank you Airbnb for this new feature!