Your top questions about Airbnb Search

Lizzie · ‎21-09-2017

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.

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.

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?

Although we don't give an explicit boost to Superhosts in search, the factors required to become a Superhost do help your listing rank higher. Moreover, we give guests the option to filter their search results to only display Superhosts and occasionally showcase Superhosts on the results page.

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:

Make a fabulous first impression. Make sure that your first photo is a bright, attractive, high quality, horizontal image of your listing. The more clicks you get from curious travelers, the higher you’ll rank in search results over time. An enticing and realistic photo is the very best way to show off your space in an instant.
Price your listing competitively. Travelers are frequently looking for a great value for their trip, and by using tools like Smart Pricing, or setting your own competitive price, you can get the benefit of well informed pricing recommendations.

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: Make a fabulous first impression. Make sure that your first photo is a bright, attractive, high quality, horizontal image of your listing. The more clicks you get from curious travelers, the higher you’ll rank in search results over time. An enticing and realistic photo is the very best way to show off your space in an instant. Price your listing competitively. Travelers are frequently looking for a great value for their trip, and by using tools like Smart Pricing, or setting your own competitive price, you can get the benefit of well informed pricing recommendations.

Is it true that if guests add my listing to their wishlists, my listing will get a little boost in the search results?

Yes! When travelers add your listing to their wishlist, it does indeed help your search ranking! One individual wishlist may not make a visible difference but over several months, if many guests love your listing and choose to wishlist it, it will rank higher. We also use listings that guests wishlist to better personalize their search experience, so they’ll be likely to see your listing again in future searches.

Is it true that editing and tweaking my listing every day will help boost my listing in Search?

Repeatedly changing or tweaking your listing will neither help nor hurt your Search Ranking. If you’re happy with your photos, price, and description, feel free to leave it as is and wait for booking requests to arrive!

Can I pay to advertise my listing so it appears on more search results?

Airbnb does not offer pay-for-placement in Search. This allows us to generate impartial search results for the best matches between hosts and guests. But you can advertise, if you like. We’ve made it easy for you to find, copy, and paste the information needed to embed your listing on social media and your personal blog or website: On your listing page, you’ll see “Share” on the right hand side of the screen. Underneath that, you’ll see the embed icon. It looks like this: </>. If you click that icon, you’ll see the information you need to easily copy and paste your listings code on your personal blog or website.

Why am I on the last page on search? This way no one will ever book my listing?

It’s important to know that some searches, for example city-level with no dates, are not highly representative of how a traveler looking to book uses the website. Some of those searches can capture many tens of thousands of listings. Travelers that book tend to use specific dates, zoom in on the map, or look for certain amenities using filters. So there will be far fewer listings in the search results than with a general search with no preferences or filters.

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.

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?

There is usually a delay of around 6 hours between the time you publish a listing and when it shows up in search results. This gives you time to make final changes to your listing settings before receiving your first booking request. It also gives Airbnb time to ensure every new listing is suitable for the marketplace. If you don’t see your listing within 24 hours, you can contact customer support to find out why.

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.

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?

Most listings on Airbnb should show up in searches regardless of whether you’re logged in or not, although the ranking may appear different. This is because Airbnb search is personalized, and when a traveler logs in we have more information to better match them with listings. One exception to this is for hosts who allow Instant Book but have chosen to require that guests have positive reviews. In this case, if the Instant Book filter is applied, your listing would not show up to travelers who are logged out. This is because we can’t tell if a logged out visitor to the site has reviews.

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?

Airbnb Search is personalized to help travelers find the best listings for their trip. Part of that involves looking at the device and location they’re searching from. This means that you may experience a different ranking of listings on different devices.

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?

Instant Book does give you a boost, but it sounds like there may be another reason you’re not seeing your listing in the results. Make sure that your search criteria match the settings and requirements you’ve established. Anything from minimum nights requirement to date range, number of guests or not having reviews can hinder you from seeing your listing in a search. And of course, if you require guests have previous ratings, then it may be that you haven’t traveled on Airbnb yourself or that you’re not logged in as a guest.

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?

Keyword search, and especially free-text search, is extremely technically challenging, but an exciting product to build! Rest assured that we have an excellent team that is always investigating how to improve the search experience, and we hope that changes like these will make it into the product in coming years.

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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Kelly332 · ‎20-11-2017

I love instant book. I have had only one guest in one year that was not what or who she portrayed to be. It allows me to be less connected to my phone and spend more time with my own life. Our Air BnB space is in our home and it has been amazing. We connect with all the guests that come here and usaullay share meals and or go out to local spots. I love instant bookings.

Clarissa7 · ‎20-11-2017

Following this link, I checked my accomodation (fully booked last season, amazing reviews). With 'Instant Book' enabled it does not appear AT ALL in 16 pages. With 'instant book' disabled, it is on page two. So has airbnb decided to delist anyone who does not do intant book? In Morocco, it is illegal for unmarried couples to book accomodation - how do I manage this on instant book?

Helga0 · ‎20-11-2017

@Clarissa7, you do not have a review as a guest. If you set IB for Recommended guests only, you would not see your own listing as you do not match yhe criteria.

For the unmarried couples, you would need to say in your listing, in the houserules, that you only accept married couples and may ask for proof. If they book nevertheless, you could either get airbnb to cancel the stay in their behalf or just refuse access to the second person.

That’s what I do for the restrictions that come with my space.

You can’t completely exclude fools, but it’s enough if you return the responsibility for foolishness to them.

Clarissa7 · ‎20-11-2017

I do not follow you? We have stayed at 2 airbnb places and got excellent reviews as a guests. Mostly Morrocans stay in my appts, they tend not to leave reviews unless they come from abroad, so do not get them, I guess it is a cultural thing. If I excluded people without reviews I would miss out on a lot of delightful and good guests.

Allison50 · ‎02-01-2018

People without reviews can still request to book. I have IB on with requirement to have positive review and profile, etc. and I have received inquiries from several first-time ABB users. What happens is that you get the inquiry just as you would if you don't have IB on and do the same back and forth discussion before you choose to accept them. If they DO already have a positive review, then they can Instant Book and if you see that the don't meet the criteria - for example their profile picture is a dog or a flower and not a person, you can ask them to fix or I think you can ask ABB to cancel their booking.

Kathy229 · ‎02-01-2018

I've been hosting now for three years out of my home and require full verification. Why I don't do instant booking is for all of the reasons mentioned. But most of all, I don't completely trust Airbnb's verification process. In this past year I have received requests from a dog wearing a hat, a biker with a helmet on and their back facing the camera, a cat, a couple kissing with no facial recognition, someone lying face down on the ground, etc. How does this even get through to me. It is not the hosts job to tell them to go back and do it correctly. Oversight by Airbnb is very questionable.

Kelker-Haus0 · ‎24-10-2017

Agreed. I'm the one cleaning my home between guests, (typically over my lunch hour!) as I'm lucky enough to work nearby. I need that extra layer of control to adjust my schedule. That being said, we LOVE being hosts. Looking forward to features that benefit both hosts and guests in the future, team AirBnb!

Anne668 · ‎16-02-2018

Our house is absolutely amazing, but quite unusual. (Deliberately so: it is a Georgian house, and we work very hard to preserve its character. So there is only one family bathroom between about nine bedrooms. We have a swimming pool, which is unheated. And a Great Dane, the size of a small horse. Et cetera.) We go to an imense amount of trouble for our guests and most people fall completely in love with our home, and us, and give us 5* reviews. The only mediocre reviews we ever get are from the small minority who haven't bothered to read the listing. Instant Book seems very likely to deliver more guests in a hurry, who would therefore be dissatisfied and make our lives a misery – and theirs.

Dicksey0 · ‎27-10-2017

Thank you all for your candid responses. I too am a teacher and a brand new host, first guest coming next week. Yeah! I need this to be a good experience for my husband and me. We too are thinking of expanding our offerings add the basement suite. But we both need to know the best way to list our home, to have it respected and enjoyable for all of us.

Zappa0 · ‎16-02-2018

Well said!

Karen661 · ‎22-10-2017

Yes, I totally agree with that too!

Marilys0 · ‎22-10-2017

I agree. I would never allow guests to Instant-book without a dialogue with me first. It's way too risky for me and for my property. It is also risky for them, as many guests don't read the detials of the listing and find out later, after they inquire and have a dialogue with me, that my house may not be ideal for their group (such as lack of first floor bedroom, not enough bathrooms, etc.). It is surprising to me how many guests inquire into my homes and have not even taken the time to look at the bedroom and bathroom layout. I want the experience to be both positive for me AND for my guests. I wish Airbnb would just do away with the Intant-Book feature, alltogether.

Solange22 · ‎24-10-2017

Dear Marilys, I have several conversations with my guests before booking, so I will notice whether they have carefully read and understood the house rules. For example my place is not suitable for infants from 0 to 12 years. At the moment of the booking you can advise the guest to look for another listing so I decline it right away. i also advice them to take a close look at the photos where you can see the caracteristics of the listing. I have no problems with the instant booking.

Milena78 · ‎26-10-2017

Dear Solange,

As you mentioned you have to decline the instant booking in some instances and, as far as I understand the algorithms and the Airbnb policy, such action push you DOWN in the ranking and search results.

And this is why so many hosts choose not to use this option.

Of course, our community is so big that some like it.

I used it only during the first month when it was introduced and when it was on trial.have

The very first booking was a failure and after the first cancellation, I decided to switch it off.

I have no objection to having a search option of "Instant Booking" and I fully understand that you prefer to use it.

But I think it is changing Airbnb to another Booking.com and many others.

And it does benefit neither hosts nor guests.

Milena

Tina176 · ‎08-02-2018

I am listed on several sites including TA - I rent out an entire holiday cottage in the UK. It's amazing how many enquirers 'forget' that they have children/dogs/smoke etc. This information usually comes out when I send a carefully worded email asking for more guest details. Otherwise it leads to over occupation & over usage of your facilities & utilities. I will never allow instant bookings on any site for my house.

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