Hi, my name is Derrick, and my space has been listed sinc...
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Hi, my name is Derrick, and my space has been listed since July 2024. I'm seeking general feedback and advice from seasone...
Latest reply
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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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.
Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.
It’s frustrating that my listing is almost impossible to find, even with filters. Until a few months ago it was consistently fully booked. I am a super host, have added instant book a month ago, consistently terrific reviews, always responded within an hour, never cancelled or refused a booking. Yet even with all the filters added it almost never comes up. A friend in France has been trying to find it for hours, putting in available dates and using every filter that applies, but she has never been able to find it. How can I get bookings when Airbnb hides my listing? How can people add it to their wish lists when it’s hidden from view? It seems Airbnb is very inconsistent in this, and even when we follow all the rules that should help our ranking it seems to be hit and miss, and in some cases miss altogether. Perhaps Airbnb should figure out a way to give all good hosts a fair shake by rotating the listings. Very disappointing.
Really Marry, about me, I have the same problem. I can't find my property. If you like to know how much money I got for all 2017 , here is: 900$. And I got great scores and comments from the previous guests.
Completely agree with the thread as per Jann, I have never turned Instant Book on because we all need some checks and
balances, before we agree to the Booking. I also never use Instant Book to book myself, I want some personal contact first.
The more AirBnB becomes subtley corporate, the more they complicate the process the more they just become like all the others.
KISS....Keep it Simple Stupid!
Totally agree about the corporatizing, Anthony! It is odd in this modern global mega-corporation world to see companies alienating the very group of people who have helped them build their huge success. (Uber also comes to mind). I see this also in the subtle encouragement from Airbnb to hosts to lower rates. I won't do that, alreay offering a great value, and it isn't worth it if there isn't a decent profit margin for the time and investment. I do use IB myself to compete in my city (Vienna), but understand not wanting to, especially if it is not a separate dwelling from where one lives. I have had good luck so far (16 months hosting), but do communicate immediately with guests upon receiving the booking, and often have numerous friendly exchanges with guests before they arrive.
Best, Sheila
I am in agreement about the instant book feature. I wish that Airbnb would vet the guests and hosts more. I have had some very sketchy people try to book my places. I just hope Airbnb does not go the way that VRBO did and stop caring about their hosts. I also do not think that reservation companys with hundreds of listings should be able to post their listings.
Please stop pushing hosts to do Instant bookings, we are not hotel with nonstop reception and cleaning service. We want to know who would like to book room in our flat in advance and sometimes also ask some questions, to prevent unpleasant or dangerous situations. Airbnb should take care more of good hosts and not only penalize them when they have to cancel some request or if some posh person will give 1 star for cleaning. I do airbnb more than 6 years and I hate Instant booking.
Start first to stop filtering listings in search by Instant booking without asking guests to do so.
Thank you, Mirek
unfortunately, airbnb has become more of a hotel.com than following their mission in the beginning. money talks. so, us little folks are kinda left out. the large commercial establishments are allowed to list, so even as a traveler, we think we are supporting mom-and-pop shops, but we're not. Boo.
I was a Superhost and even did two TV adds for Airbnb in my apartment , then I had to cancel a booking six months out to allow my son to come from LOndon, I relocated the guest in my daughters Airbnb apratment within the week of cancelling while telling them the reason why I had to and appologising and getting them booked immediately with my daughter. Airbnb then took away my Superhostess status because of the cancellation. I still do all the same things, beautifully ironed linen, fresh herbs in the garden for guests to use. Beautiful soaps and creaems in the bathroom. Yet I still am not a superhost ?? on top of the Airbnb or my TV add has been so sucessful that there is now lots of hosts in my region of Perth and where I use to charge $120 per night for 4 people I now only charge $85 per night and are only booked part of the tiume because there is so much competition.
I also find it iunstulting that Airbnb continually send me emails stating that I have missed booking as the guest has booked somewhere $20 cheaper extra then when I click on the page and go look at the accomindation they have p[ointed it to saying its the same but cheaper its a host that is much further out from the city and shaerd accomidation in some ones house not a privcate appartment like mine. I do not see how Airbnb can possible compare my place to this saying IM not compedative. On top of the emails and continual pressure to pushing priocing down we have an increase in guests from countrries asking for cheap deals and wanting early booking and late check out for the same price excl;uding other guests from booking those extra days ,, meaning they get 4 nights for the price of two. These guests then leave the gass heating on all night and all day while they are away from the apartment making our utilities costs through the roof. Last winter I had an $800 . AUD gass bill for one period because of the guests .
Thanks DI
I've been in all the conversations for 2 days. 90% of the participants are complaining against the system. We are all very well intended hosts. Where is Airbnb? Can Airbnb give us an answer?
What is going on here? It is like we deal with a dictator
We AirBnb our holiday home in Knysna, a small town in South Africa. AirBnb recently divided the town up by using filters. If you sesrch for Knysna only the central town and Thesen's Island listings show up. Not everyone in the world knows that they should use "The Head" as a filter. I have seen a significant drop in my bookings especially from Europe & the UK since this filter was introduced. In addition I noticed Airbnb was advertising for Knysna on my Iphone, when when I clicked on the link once again only got listing in Central town and Thesen's island. Another thing also while browsing on my Iphone saw an 11% discount offer on a listing in Thesen's Island. Is thi fair on other Airbnb Hosts? I have even phone custoer care in USA about this, but to no avail. I am very disappointed in AirBnb's policy.
Wendy ****
I am totally convinced that filters are used to favour certain hosts or certain areas in a town
Hi lizzle,
this is very helpful indeed .
what about if the guest that's have been staying ,really enjoy the stay and soon,but forget to make the review , it's this will also impact the rating ?
thanks
Hello @Anjarini-Kencahyati0,
Lovely to meet you.
I have been back to the Search team, just to double check about your question. 🙂
In reply to your question, getting your very first review can be important to doing well in search, but once you have a good history of happy guests, missing out on a review every so often is not going to negatively impact you in ranking.
Hopefully this is reassuring to hear, for those (hopefully) rare occasions when you guest doesn't leave a review for you.
Thanks,
Lizzie
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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.
Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.
I believe that instant booking should be just another free option, and that hosts not using it should not be penalised.
I am registered to "Instant"and I am still among the last houses on the list. I can find my property but after a massive archeological exploration .