How to increase visibility and demand

[Hannah1229]

Hello! I opened my Airbnb end of September and within the same day received a booking! I consistently received bookings every weekend. In November I have only had one booking on a weekend. I have had 8 guest, all gave 5 star reviews. Friends are saying when they search for my Airbnb, they can’t find it. Am I doing something wrong? Is November just dead for booking? How do I become more noticed? I already lowered my price🤷‍♀️

[Patti120]

@Hannah1229 Hi Hannah, Many of us have been suffering with reduced bookings since Airbnb implemented various changes in their computer system. I went from 85% occupancy to 55% in 2023 and in the last 4 months of this year down to less than 25%.

I do not have a good explanation, but it is obvious to me and others the search isn't working as intended.  I have reworked the listings ( I have 2) and tried to learn to speak with the AI interface. I have also included everything Airbnb suggests you do, from pets, to extended stays. Bookings did start to happen for the 2024 year but it is not what it was for the last 4 years. I heard a rumor on the Airbnb chat rooms the problems were supposed to be solved in November 2023. I wish the company would be more forthcoming. The situation has been difficult at best. Cheers, Patti

[Paula]

Hello @Hannah1229, 

I am sharing an article here that explains >>how the search results work<< in case it offers additional insights. Additionally, I am reaching out to @Joan2709 and @Joelle43  to see if they can help us in checking whether your listing is visible in their search results.

All the best,

[Joan2709]

@Hannah1229 

Welcome!

Took a quick look at your listing and just a few suggestions:

Title

You get 50 characters to let guests know what is special or important to a potential guest. They already know you’re located in Traveler’s Rest from the sub-title. I would change the title to something like:

"Cozy Apartment With Private Entrance & Free W/D"

Listing Accuracy

Bedrooms

You have your property listed as a one bedroom. It’s actually a studio (bed in common area, not in a separate room). I suggest you update bedrooms to zero under rooms and spaces. Airbnb will automatically change it to “Studio”. This is important to guests who don’t want to sleep in a common area with another person (they snore, etc.)

Kitchen

I would indicate in Other Details to note that you do not have a oven for cooking (seems like you have a microwave only?)

Photos & Captions

Quality photos are one of the most important factors to the success of your listing. Your photos need improvement. Many are tilted or poorly lit. Add captions to every photo. Many guests will only read your Title, Description and look at photos; that’s it. Read all the help articles on Airbnb on how to take quality photos on a phone. Get a friend to help you take them and edit them. You might also consider getting professional photos done. It will make a huge difference on views/bookings and you can write it off as a business expense.

Cover Photo

A cover photo should highlight the best feature(s) of your listing and is designed to get a potential guest to stop scrolling and click on it. I don’t think your current cover photo does that. Take a look at all the Airbnb help articles about cover photos. Scroll through other similar listings that have full calendars and look at their cover photos to get ideas.

Outdoor Space

Is there any outdoor space for guests to use? Patio, back yard, deck? If so, include that in amenities and description and add photos of it to your listing. If you want to encourage longer stays, guests need an outdoor space.

Pricing

Your prices appear a bit high in comparison to other similar listings. I would adjust them to be more competitive. You can run Custom Promotions on Airbnb and they can be very effective. You can also offer discounts for multi-night stays. 

Amenities

I would add a smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector to your listing. Not only does it provide peace of mind, building codes almost always require at least a smoke detector where someone will sleep. They are inexpensive and will also allow you to get rid of the strikethrough under amenities for carbon monoxide and smoke detectors. You don’t want guests to see anything with a slash through it on your listing page if you can help it.

Wish you much success! Let us know here how it goes and if you see any uptick in bookings after making some changes. 😊

[Hannah1229]

Thank you this was helpful! I do have a stove, two burner top and microwave👍. I haven’t gotten any negative reviews regarding the photos or anything I’d rather be honest about the lighting, etc.. everyone has said it looks just like the pictures, so I’d rather keep them as is, the angles are the way they are because of the angle of the ceiling, but I think I might take a few more detailed pictures and relist it as a studio apartment. It has mainly attracted commuters and people here for outdoor activities because of the storage option for peoples bikes. I’ll definitely take you up on the safety items and re-listing as a studio apartment, thank you for your help!

[Helen3]

What research did you carry out around supply and demand for your sort of listing in your location when starting up your STR business .  @Hannah1229 

many areas have seasonal demand

many have oversaturated markets and falling demand  - what did your research say around this? 

Reducing pricing is not always the answer - diversifying your marketing to use other channels and take direct bookings can be. 

but first you need to get your offer right your listing still says it's a one bedroom rather than studio . Your listing also says the accommodation is a guest house . Do get these inaccuracies removed ASAP before you get guest complaints for misrepresentation.