Listing not showing on search

[Timothy542]

I check my listing periodically to make sure it is being listed on searches. As of last Thursday it is not coming up on a search. I have contacted customer service innumerable times and they have been useless. Any suggestion on how to resolve this problem. I'm losing money every day I'm not booked. 

[Joan2709]

Hi!

Took a look at the listing and below are some ideas/suggestions. Other hosts can provide great insight as well. Try some things out and "tweak" the listing and see if you get an uptick in bookings. You can always change it if it's not working. You want to keep your listing updated, watch what your competition is doing and keep your prices competitive to similar listings.

What are the Listing’s Best Features?

This is what you should highlight throughout the listing. What makes your place unique compared to the competition? Highlight that in your Title, Description and Photos. That would include your great mountain views, 3Bedrooms (not a lot of townhomes have that) etc.

Title/Description

Say more in the title about what is unique about your place in the Title. Like ”Mountain Views; Spacious Deck” I would save the name “Starry Nights Townhouse” for your Description.

Property Type

I would not classify this as a “condo.” Many guests think condo means “small”; like an apartment in a high-rise bldg. Suggest under Property Type choose “House” “Townhouse."

Photos

Photos are one of the most important aspects of your listing. Put captions on ALL photos, so guests know what they’re looking at. Looks like all your photos were taken in Winter/Spring (still snow on the ground). This doesn’t highlight one of the best features of the property; the view! Retake all your photos of the exterior in summer. It’s the “Starry Night Townhouse”, but you don’t have any twilight/night shots showing that? You definitely want photos showing the view in summer with the lush, green of the golf course and mountains in the background.

Cover Photo

Your cover photo has to be attention-grabbing! Retake the cover photo (wine glasses on deck table) maybe? Make the mountain view the focus and not the wine glasses. I would “stage” the deck (set the table, add string lights if your HOA allows, etc.). Re-shoot it at twilight so you can still see the mountain views, golf course and maybe some stars? The one exterior shot of front door? makes your unit look small. Try and get a shot that shows your have 3 floors and true size of unit.

Carbon Monoxide Detector

Definitely add this to your place and amenities section. They are inexpensive and are a safety feature (especially since you have a gas fireplace). This way you won't have the “dreaded” strike thru under “What This Place Offers” on the listing.

Add a Carbon Monoxide Detector

Wishing you the best!

[Joan2709]

Just did several searches on computer and on cell phone using the Airbnb app and I can't find you either? I tried using filters and the map search and still couldn't find you? Are you using the new 2023 release? It's possible something is going on with that. Some hosts have had issues with they had set length of stay rules under old software. On new software, even if they changed their length of stay on the listing, the system would override with their old settings. I understand you will have to give CS specific dates to correct for now until the bug is fixed. They aren't able to see your old settings; only what is set for specific dates. I would also re-verify the address on the listing as being valid with Airbnb; sometimes that is the culprit.

I would update the listing (suggestions below) and also re-verify if your address/location is correct on the listing. Sometimes, that is the culprit. I would also try re-entering your address information on the site and see if it makes any difference.

I agree it's a big issue. Don't give up with CS...keep asking that the issue be "escalated" to a supervisor. If guests don't see your listing in searches, they can't book it. It's possible the Airbnb algorithm is not seeing something it wants to show your listing. 

[Bhumika]

Hi @Timothy542 ,

Adding to @Joan2709's insights, I did a quick search for Burnsville, North Carolina, United States with your available booking dates (from 6th July). And was able to find it on the first search page itself. It would be worth checking through another device as well.

[Timothy542]

Thanks Bhumika. It turned out there was a block placed on the listing caused by restrictions on my co-host. This could have been easily resolved if the block was communicated to me when it happened and when I logged in to my account. It was resolved when I switched myself to primary host. My co-host, my daughter, attempted several times to rectify the problem but was unable to get the restriction cleared. We hope to get it cleared up soon. Thanks again. 

[Bhumika]

Hi @Timothy542 ,

Thank you so much for sharing more about it. Do keep us posted on its progress and feel free to get in touch, if you need further help!

Tagging @Joan2709 too, so that she knows about these developments.

[Helen744]

@Timothy542 It could be something to do with how you are shown on the map if people look in your general area timothy . I found that Airbnb either changed the mapping or the GPS locations fed into their data and dropped of smaller areas especially bordering bigger areas or without specific 'large town ' names.In other words even zooming in did not bring up smaller areas, so if you are border line to another larger area you could have been lost in a map update. go back to air bnb until you can sort it out ... Good luck ... H

[Timothy542 · Accepted solution]

Hi all, just an update. It turned out a block was placed on my listing because a restriction was placed on my co-host, my daughter. After many calls over 4 days she is still unable to resolve the restrictions. I was able to remove the block by making me the primary host and her the host. Bottom line this all could have been handled quickly if a message was sent to me, the owner, when the block was placed on the listing. I have sent recommendations to Airbnb for this and for improvements to the customer service process. 

Thanks to all for reaching out. 

[Timothy542]

Update again. Checked this morning and my listing has disappeared again. Can't express how I'm feeling. At my wits end. Finally got a rep who agreed there was a problem and the issue has been escalated to the technical group. Meanwhile I'm losing bookings in what should be my high season.  I might have to go elsewhere if this is not fixed asap. 

[Bhumika]

Ah @Timothy542 ! What a bummer. Hope this gets resolved for you soon and do keep us posted if you hear back.

[Gabrielle386]

Mine is not showing up as well and I have been waiting for days and they still haven’t gotten back to me

[Timothy542]

So it's now July 2, 2023 and my issue is still not resolved. I've spoken to countless "Ambassadors" who either don't understand or even acknowledge the problem. I have finally gotten a "Supervisor" and am holding on until I can get this fixed. No end of pointing fingers and deflection. When I finally got through to the "technical team" they immediately blamed the problem on Wheelhouse my pricing tool that updates the prices on Airbnb. After long and vociferous discussions I finally disconnected Wheelhouse from Airbnb. Long story short I am still the invisible listing. Pointing to the page views you can see a gradual and then precipitous drop in average views starting in early June. That might explain my precipitous drop in bookings (zero) since that time. Meantime I am looking at Vrbo as an alternative. Not thrilled with there features or lack of but I might not have a choice. I will give Airbnb a few more days because I have been generally happy with it up until this problem. I'll post the ending to this drama when it is written by the master author in the sky.