Why can't I see my listing in the Search Results? A Community Help Guide

[Jeet0]

Hello,

Questions regarding "Lisiting not appearning in Search Results" are very common and I'd like to share some reasons why this could be happening and how you can view your listing on searching.

Before getting to the details, it is important to understand how search results are determined. The linked article talks about how Airbnb's complex ranking system uses different factors to reward hosts that deliver a great experience to guests. Focus on these factors to optimize your listing.

Let's understand why you might not be able to see your listing in the Search Results:

1) Your location might have more than 300 listings. For ease of display, Airbnb only displays 300 listings at a time and thus some listings, beyond 300, might not appear during a general location search without any filters.

However, if you make use of the multiple search filters that Airbnb has to offer (like Dates, No. of Guests, Room type, Price Range etc.) then you can perform a more specific and narrowed down search which might reduce the search results and your listing will then show up if it matches the filter criteria.

*Please note that, most guests make use of the filters while searching for a vacation home.

2) You can also make use of the map by zooming in closer to your location if your looking at a very large area. Use the '+' button to zoom in and '-' to zoom out. Reducing the area will further reduce the results and you will be able to see your listing. Don't forget to click on the "Redo Search Here" button on the top.

If your listing still continues to not appears,

3) Check if it is "Listed" and not in the "Delisted" mode. To do this, visit your Dashboard >> Your Lisitng >> Manage Listing and Calendar. Expand the Menu options by clicking on the grey icon with 3 horizontal bars on the left top. Look up at the bottom of the Menu that emerges to see if your listing is active. It should appear as "Listed" with a green dot. If it doesn't click on the drop down menu and change it to listed.

4) Still can't see it? Ask the Community to see if any of the members are able to see it on searching with relevant filters.

4) Yet no luck? Please get in touch with Airbnb and they shall definitely resolve your problem.

Happy Hosting 🙂

Jeet

Updated - additional information added:

For hosts searching for your Instant Book listing, @Clare0 has created a great guide here in the Community Center sharing an overview of how this works. To view her guide take a look here. 

[Caz3]

I have experienced this apparent glitch for the last 7 days, and have not had help from air bnb support, just get generic answers and there is no time frame for it to be fixed. 

[Caz3]

I have experienced this apparent glitch for the last 7 days, and have not had help from air bnb support, just get generic answers and there is no time frame for it to be fixed.  I have spent hours on the phone to air bnb and they have not admitted that there is a glitch. Every day its a different case manager so there is no follow up. They will not advise if a technical person is working on my specific problem, its very frustrating. There is no one to escalate problems to . Lucky I'm on Booking.com or I would have lost $1000s of Xmas holidays revenue

[Clare0]

@Caz3 Both your listings are showing in Airbnb search results: 

Note that Palm Haven has a 7 night minimum stay so if you entered dates that were less than that, the listing will not appear. 

Hope this helps!

[Caz3]

Thank you Clare. Very helpful of you. 

I changed the listing in Palm Haven from 7 days to 2 days availability, but that change hasnt taken affect. 

[Clare0]

 @Caz3. Looks like it was changed from 7 nights to 5 nights, at least in January.  

[Carline-and-Maria0]

e Are you a business or private home that you put it on booking.com? I start having same issue and thinking to do the same, put it on booking.com. my place is a loft and is shared. can that be possible? Thanks!

[Andrea222]

@Ange2 @Jeet0 @Lizzie  @Clare0

I totally agree with you Ange. This may be very helpful for new hosts that dont know how to  search. Maybe help support gets tired of inquieries coming from that side. I understand new hosts though too since airbnb update has made things more complicated for them.

However, that is not tha case for old hosts as myself and i am gessing you Ange too. There is definitely a problem with airbnb plataform. I just joined a forum/community link with many hosts so upset about this situations. 

We know pretty good how to do searches, airbnb keeps telling us that everything is alright when is not. We all used to have very good amount of messages and booking requests and all of the sudden (pretty much by the last months of 2015) it stopped! no even messages asking for anything.

Our ads are not showing as they did and airbnb has to acknowldedge that fact and fix it. I see help supprt and airbnb guidelines telling hots how following airbnb recommnedations (on ad detailing, time for response, having your room/apt in good conditions, professional pic, etc.) mostly saying how having several and good evaluations, will get ads in first positions and is all a lie. 

We put a lot of effort in our places, offering a great experience and getting so many good reviews...for nothing. I just got an airbnb staff member telling me that my evaluations do not influence my positions at all. No wonder why most of the time, i dont even appear in search results!

I have screenshots of ads, appearing in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, page, once and again, the same ads, half of them with not even reviews. Mine just dont show or are confined to 16-17 page. I just did a search, with no other option of zooming the map to its maximum: i didnt appear either.

Ange, if  you could point me who is looking at your glitch so i could get it fix too i would appreciate it. 

At this point i am very annoyed of airbnb saying that we dont know how to search instead of realizing that there are bugs/glitchs in several ads while others get to appear in all first pages repeateadly for no reason.

[Clare0]

@Andrea222 You're right.  I narrowed the price, used filters such as kitchen, wifi, internet, family friendly, and used dates that your calendar shows as availble. Also searched in Miraflores, Peru, Lima Peru, Lima,LIma Region Peru.  Couldn't find your listing.  

If you send a Direct Message to @airbnbhelp on twitter feel free to quote me. 

[Andrea222]

@Clare0 thank you very much for your support Clare, i really appreciate it. 

If feel truly mistreated by airbnb help center, they just dont acknowldege tha fact that my ad is not to be afound on 99% of searches and they keep telling me that is an aleatory algorithm and everything is ok. This has been happening for months now. And in last email sent by them they tell me that Terms and Conditions do not guarantee that my ad appears at all. I dont understand what is the purpose of their business then??

I am so upset, watching so many other ads (that of course are hostels) with accounts having 2,3 or 4 ads that always appear in every single search for my district, no matter what filter or not filter is entered. 

I am lost, dont know what to do. I have requested to be put in touch with a supervisor. Also i did what you recommended and direct messaged them by twitter...same story; answers are just pre defined templates apparently.

😕

[Sauttary0]

Hey Clare, I have these three listing and they are not showing up in my search using Kuala Lumpur as the location, for 19th August where all three are available right now. My calendar price optimization has been buggy and now my listings are not appearing, affecting my booking rates. I have been contacting airbnb but doesn't help and I am quite tired of contacting the help centre. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/8909014 https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/8909469 Is there any other way I can get this fixed please? Thank you very much! Regards, Sauttary

[Clare0]

@Sauttary0 I can see both of your listings when I search for Kuala Lumpur using an entire home filter with reservation dates of August 19 to August 25 for 3 people.  The second listing I had to narrow the price range to find it.  Here's a screen shot of what I found: 

http://www.awesomescreenshot.com/showImage?img_id=1436947

Seems like this local landmark is a favorite for hosts in your area.  I would recommend changing your first listing photo to something else so guests don't confuse your listing with someone else's!

Hope this puts your mind at rest...your listings are definitely showing searches...page 1 no less!

[The-Arias-Clan0]

I searched and found one of the listings but the other didn't show... the big one! Anyway, I appreciate your responses as I feel less alone - but honestly more annoyed at Airbnb. I doubt they are cycling them because I have been traveling and looking at listings in other places and none of them sem to disappear regularly. But maybe its different in a saturated market like Portland. I am lost and looking into other booking solutions as this is not my first complaint about Airbnb and how I feel treated as a host.

[Carol0]

This is what I found out. New hosts on Airbnb get a "boost" to encourage them to continue renting their places out. New hosts often have their prices ridiculously low because they have not thought through all the liabilities and consequences of renting their homes out yet.  After several months, the boost is transferred to other new hosts.  Keep your prices low and they wlll come back, but by then you will have spent all your money on new beds, towels, sheets and other items thinking that the original stream of guests will continue to come when your listing was prominently placed.  The fact is, there is nothing you can do about it but be patient, or else start your own website, investigating other sites like VRBO, Homeaway,  Flipkey, etc.

[George52]

   I am sure that the explanations provided explain a good percentage of the "missing" listings, and I have followed all these hints to find mine, and even contacted Airbnb "support" - who repeated the above suggestions. But they would never acknowledge that my listing would not show up - at all. They kept repeating it must be my fault, or the browser, etc.

   Actually, it would show up if I was logged in. But if I logged out and then did the identical search - no listing! Which explains why my number of enquiries dropped from 10/wk in June to 0 (yes ZERO) in July (you know, high season in the Hamptons).

   And although Airbnb would not admit it, it became clear from the hints, that I was being punished for rejecting many potential guests in June. I realized that I would be punished for the rejections by having my listing downgraded, but it is not stated anywhere by Airbnb that your listing will be DELETED for rejecting guests.

   And guess what, my "sentance" was commuted in August when I started to get enquiries again.... Full disclosure - I threatened Airbnb with complaints to the FTC and to NYS Division of Consumer Protection.

   So, to all you mentors, yes - many newbies post the same question, what do you expect? But , in this case, there is more to the problem than the standard newbie issues.

[Clare0]

@George52 Just to reassure you, I did a search for an Entire Home in Water Mill, NY for 4 guests for 10/7 -10/10 and your listing came up on the first page.  Not a bad place to be!  If I can see it, so can the rest of the world!