Has anyone been able to decipher a way to organize the multi...
Has anyone been able to decipher a way to organize the multi-calendar view in the order that the host prefers? Alphabetically...
Hello everyone,
One of the most popular discussion topics here in the Community Center is on how Airbnb Search works. We brought your most-asked questions to the Airbnb Search team and have gathered the answers for you.
I really hope you find the responses helpful. To read the responses to each question, please click on the 'Read more' buttons! 🙂
Lizzie
Answers to your top Search questions
You’ve created and published a fabulous listing and now your friends and family want to check it out. How do they find it? And among all the listings out there, how does the Airbnb algorithm decide which ones to show a traveler searching in your area? As we hear questions from hosts, two basic categories of questions emerge: What affects a listing’s ranking, and how can I find my listing online? So we took your most asked questions to the Airbnb Search team and have gathered the answers for you. Let’s dive in.
1. On search ranking, and how to improve yours:
What factors affect my listing’s placement in search results?
That’s a great question. We have an algorithm that looks at over 100 signals to decide how to order listings in search results. Most of those signals have to do with things that guests care about, like positive reviews and great photos. If you think guests might care about it, it probably factors into your ranking! The reason is this: you’re most likely to get a booking request (or be instantly booked) if a traveler finds the type of place they’re looking for right away. We get a lot of information from the traveler about what they want for then show them listings that match their needs most closely.
Not every signal is weighed equally, and you don’t need to have a perfect listing or an unbeatable location for your listing to rank well. But there are some really influential signals that make a difference. Some of those include: how often guests click on your listing in search results, how often guests attempt to contact you from your listing page, how many booking requests you accept, if you use Instant Book, and how competitive your listing price is.
Why are listings with Instant Book prioritised ahead of other listings in the search results?
The main goal of the search algorithm is to facilitate bookings. And if a guest has an excellent experience booking and traveling on Airbnb they’re highly likely to use Airbnb again in the future. This helps travelers and hosts alike. We’ve seen for many years that—all other things being equal—travelers prefer to use Instant Book because they can book quickly, skip the wait time for hosts to respond, and avoid possibly being rejected. Because of the high booking success for hosts and guests, Instant Book gives your listing a boost in searches.
That said, many of you have amazing listings and use a Request to Book approach to hosting. It’s important that you know Instant Book is only one of more than a hundred factors in your listing search ranking. You can absolutely rank really well in searches without being an Instant Book host.
If I’m a Superhost, will my listing get a boost in search results?
How can I improve my listing ranking in search results? Are there any settings I can adopt to help my ranking?
The best way to immediately improve performance in Search is to enable Instant Book. Our research shows that guests prefer the booking experience that Instant Book provides. Even when they don’t filter for Instant Book listings, they often choose them over others because booking a place to stay quickly means they can get on with planning the rest of their trip. Other ways to quickly boost your ranking:
Is it true that if guests add my listing to their wishlists, my listing will get a little boost in the search results?
Is it true that editing and tweaking my listing every day will help boost my listing in Search?
Can I pay to advertise my listing so it appears on more search results?
Why am I on the last page on search? This way no one will ever book my listing?
If I have to decline a booking because a guest doesn’t meet my House Rules, does this impact my search ranking?
Because being rejected for a booking is one of the worst experiences for our guests, we do factor this into Search Ranking. However, we understand that sometimes you legitimately need to decline a traveler, and we take that into account. We’re most interested in how you compare to other hosts, rather than just counting your rejections.
A single rejection will not significantly hurt your ranking, but over time, rejecting more guests than other hosts in your market will lower your ranking. We find that a large majority of our hosts are able to accept most booking requests, and our best Request-to-Book hosts accept almost all of them. You can help travelers know if they should try to book your space by writing clear, detailed House Rules and keeping your calendar up to date. Make sure your settings and amenities lists also set accurate expectations.
2. On finding your listing online
I just created my listing and it appears as published on my profile, but when I search for it I can't find it. If other people search for it, they can't find it either. Why is that?
I haven't received a new booking in awhile, so I searched for my listing and asked a friend to search for it too. Neither of us could find it, and it’s not showing up even when I add specific details and filters. What can I do?
If your listing is in a popular market with numerous listings, it may be necessary to apply several filters to show your listing. Don’t worry, this is how travelers search and they’ll be able to find your listing too! We recommend using dates on your search, and checking that they match your calendar availability and minimum nights settings.
A common reason Instant Book hosts (or their friends) may not see their listing is that they’ve chosen to require a guest have positive reviews in order to make a book their space. If you’ve chosen this requirement, it means your listing will show up as a Request to Book, not an Instant Book, listing for logged out users or new guests if the Instant Book filter is applied. This is because a logged out or new traveler will not be eligible to instantly book your place.
I can’t find my listing. Does it make a difference if I’m logged in or logged out?
I can see the listing appearing on the map in the Airbnb app, but when I go to view the same listing (with the same filters) in the desktop version, it isn't appearing. Why is this?
I have Instant Book activated, but my listing doesn't come up in the results. Isn't Instant Book supposed to boost my listing on search results?
I can’t find my listing when I search for its title. Why doesn’t Airbnb have keyword search? Will it be implemented in the future?
The most important thing is this: you’re a unique host who offers a one-of-a-kind experience, because you’re you and your space isn’t like any other. We hope these tips and answers help you understand the sometimes complicated nature of matching unique travelers with hosts. Focus on what you do best, play up your strengths, and don’t worry about showing up first in search.
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I took Instant Book off of my listing because of a few bad experiences with it, including two guests booking at the same time (I also use VRBO.)
Sorry, what is VRBO please?
Vacation Rental By Owner. It's an older platform for listings, owned by HomeAway, which sold out to Expedia, I believe.
I have two different properties. I have one on Instant Book and the other isn't. There are lots of other variables involved in the properties such as one is a three bedroom home on the water and one is cottage on the water. The cottage is on Instant Book but the house still gets more inquiries and booking. I have noticed with instant book that guest still ask questions and when you reply they cancel the booking because it doesn't meet their needs. One of the concerns I have about putting the house on Instant book is it's a great house for parities and I don't allow parties. Even though it's clearly outline in house rules, please still ask. With that said, after reading this info, I am going to experiment with Instant Book on the house and see what happens. I will try a couple of bookings and get back here with my results.
I stopped using VRBO to list my rentals because of their asinine algorithms and bots that would threaten I would lose my listing privileges because of my "low conversion rate" (lots of people would look, few would inquire, and almost none would book). I was doing much better on Airbnb, so I eliminated all other platforms and went all in. I am a Superhost - have been for quite awhile. I use Instant Book and have had no issues - I actually prefer it. But if I get fewer bookings because of these changes, I will be VERY upset. Furthermore, if I get fewer bookings because I set my own prices and don't agree to the significantly lower "suggested" prices, I will be LIVID. I hope that is not the case.
Hello, i want to ask if i refuze a reservation and i have instant booking installed ,will it inflence my ranking and the way airbnb promots my listing? i reviced a reservation at a price under the market for a very demanded period so i would like to change the price.Thanks for the answer.I want to add that i havent canceled a reservation before.
We do allow pets, but would like to add an additional cleaning fee, because of additional fur, dirt, and laundering of the pet beds.
I don’t see a place to address this, only a place to add a fee for additional people.
please advise!
We started out with instant booking and had conflicts between inquiries and bookings. We also find guests don’t always read house rules before booking. We resolved these issues by dropping instant book. Now guests can communicate with us during the booking process, enabling both host and guest to best meet/exceed expectations.
Add my name to this list of hosts who do not like “instant bookings”, and the not so subtle pressure (and onus) that AirBnB puts On all of us. As others have stated, this is our home and not a hotel. I need to have some communication with potential renters before I can accept a booking, to see if it is an appropriate fit, and to ensure they are aware of the house rules (and accept them). As I understood it, the “instant booking” thing was initiated to counter criticism that hosts were denying people due to race or other issues. But i do believe that the vast majority of hosts do not Refuse bookings for any such reasons. But we who only wish to have some control over who stays in our homes, are punished for this just the same.
Thanks for all the good info Lizzie!
-j
I also agree with the hosts who have had negative experience with Instant Book. Shady characters and drugs aren’t worth it!!!
I have been an Airbnb host for just over 2 years close to a college town. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience meeting people visiting from all over the world and have conscientiously maintained a superhost status. I feel like I am an ambassador for our area...not what you get with an average hotel experience. We are always present when guests arrive to welcome them, introduce them to the space, answer questions, etc.
I require that all of my guests be verified because the space is located within our home where we live and sleep. I want to develop a connection with our guests before arrival such as who their guest is, the purpose of their stay, etc. to be sure the fit is right, and that I get a 'sense' of who they are. I have been suspect of Airbnb's verification process because I have literally had requests come through where their headshot was nothing more than a tattooed bicep or the back of their head kissing their girlfriend. This is my way of becoming invested in the vetting process. I am not interested in taking the risk on instant booking for these reasons.
I believe the original Airbnb business model was more representative of a 'community' of hosts and guests. I think that Instant booking dilutes that idea...but that's business!
Yes good and give encourage to get better in Airbnb.
I also agree it's not right to give priority for Insta-booking. Our airbnb is our primary home (which could become legislation in our city). Because if of this, it has more amenities and high-end décor for our guests, it also means we need to be more selective who our guests are. We live in a popular part of town for nightlife and when we have not been careful who we accept, we have had parties on our loft resulting in our custom marble island being damaged. I can’t risk more of my furniture getting destroyed. That island cost me more than months of what I made from Airbnb.
I reluctantly gave in to Instant Booking, and my experience has not been bad at all. I only allow guests with positive ratings from prior hosts. Also, my listing is more on the high end, so cost eliminates less desirable guests (read college students on spring break).
My complaint about the search system is that my home (2BR-2BA) is frequently compared to homes that are not comparable in any sense (for example, 1 BR's). This creates a false comparison whereby my home looks more expensive, when in fact it is larger and accommodates more people.