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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Eve-Marie1 · ‎08-11-2017

Airbnb is no longer host-friendly.

Airbnb is driving down the prices in this industry and forcing unfair competition. Everyone is running around in circles competing with one another trying to figure out the algorithms.

Today, the algorithm forced prices down to $32 a night in Boise. Who sells a room for $32?? Boise Guest House has ten lovely suites and we were the first Airbnb host in Boise, ID. For someone who has done this as a living for ten years, I don't rely on Airbnb sales completely for income because $32/ night is too low to even pay the mortgage let alone clean or keep the lights on. Does anyone acknowledge how hard it is to be consistent in this industry? I feel we should be rewarded for quality and consistency, not our ability to accept anyone last minute and keep our prices at rates we can't afford to operate at.

Airbnb, you are ruining a brilliant idea.

If Airbnb just constantly allows the prices to go down to these rates and equally forces us to use instant book to optimize ourselves, we really just have another Expedia. It's nothing special or sweet anymore. I saw the writing on the wall a few years ago when they stopped allowing us to discuss our rooms directly with the host by hiding the email contacts and phone numbers. I'd rather have close and personal contact with a potential guest to see if the space matches the guest by not using instant book. I often have guests bring dogs into allergy free rooms because they don't read anything or make an effort. They book the best price, not the best match. I get back to everyone within 2 hours, so why should I be forced to offer instant booking? I do anyway, but it's not my choice. I'm also not very keen on the idea the guest's final price is not disclosed to us when they book, in plain sight. It is often much more than what we are seeing, and it feels deceitful. I feel like a car on Uber, just a peon working for the giant corporation.

I'm still waiting to qualify for my very special and elite SuperHost Status in January, which I am 2% away from for 5 years. I've cancelled two guests in three years and somehow, I'm still not professional enough? I'm not convinced there is much life left in this corporate entity. It has become the Walmart of short term rentals. There is no room for quality, here. Vacasa is not far behind.

Simone288 · ‎09-11-2017

Of course dropping the price will not produce a good impression on a potential guest. I am thinking about myself looking for a nice accommodation in Airbnb as being a guest. I would not chose the cheapest place.

Simone288 · ‎09-11-2017

I really feel that I have to accept every offer in order to keep a good place in a listing. An immediate pre approval, an acceptance of any price, I have to fight with a huge competition, too many houses and apartments are in the list, and the guest a me hayie... he has options. Because Airbnb does accept every property no matter how appropriate and nice is for the guest. There is no control, no checking. Every body can list something. Funny!!

Edwin57 · ‎13-11-2017

Thank you for all information you have given us pluse all the hard work you put in we appreciate you

Kay1 · ‎17-11-2017

urg!!! new user interface--can't easily find my list of reservations. Finally found it...it's in reverse order!!! My July 2018 is at the top of the list. So frustrating. I can't find a re-sort option anywhere. HELP was no help whatsoever. Anyone find a solution? I miss the bar at the top that allowed me to easily find my Listings and Reservations. Also, "Travel" is defaulting to my home page instead of "Hosting." Again frustrating. ~k

Amber101 · ‎19-11-2017

I disagree about the caliber of people you get with instant book. I've used it from very early on and hosted 70+ trips and only had one issue. I changed my settings after that incident and haven't had another problem since.

I am also listed on another platform but have only completed one trip. I turn it on and off because I have had two people try to scam me, that has never happened with airbnb.

Pam-and-Kai0 · ‎19-11-2017

My concern about Instant Book is that it turns my place into a hotel. Airbnb is supposed to be about community hosting. This is my house. I live in it. I want to make sure that the people coming into it know exactly what to expect and that they get what they need. Instant book bypasses those first great message exchanges. I haven't had any bad experiences (yet). However, why do consciencious Airbnb hosts get penalized for being like the original Airbnb mission instead of being like a hotel? Airbnb started because of community.

Blanca49 · ‎19-11-2017

Hi. I am new on the airbnb. Rented my accommodation by airbnb only about 2 weeks in this August and around netto 1000-1020$ was the accepted income of me.

On June 26th one guy booked my accommodation for 550$, but because our main door became impossible to close the reservation was cancelled. That day strated my nightmares with the airbnb. The guy who never check in after the cancellation immediately started to force me to return back his money. That money which is never received to me. When I informed the guy his money not with me, the airbnb do not returned back his money directly , instead of this they sent to me the money to me. During this period also did rent my house as well. We provided everything for the guests do they got the all money from rent of my property.

End of August on 29th the Airbnb charged 550$ from my credit card that amount what they sent me before. I toughed this case it's done and finished.

On September around 20th when they should transfer my money which was earned via my property I was surprised because reduced the full amount with 550$ ergo double charged and just stolen 550$ from me.

I did call them on my cost minimum 2 times it was one hour as international call from middle east which call also was quite costly for me. Few days later I got an email with an link which is not exist as my case is there. It was 1.5 month ago.

Today is November 18th my 550$ still missing I don't have money to call them. My property is in Hungary in Balatonederics Centre my question is where can I open a criminal case about the double charged 550$.

Unfortunately about that cancelled booking which is the base on my case everything is disappeared on my user platform.

I need help what can I do to get back my money.

Roberta196 · ‎19-11-2017

Hi, Everyone -

I thought I was experiencing a problem with the site - which it turned out I wasn't 😉 - but meanwhile - NO HELP CENTER AVAILABLE. Just a few weeks ago I could submit a question and get it addressed by a more experienced user within a few hours. What happened to that option? I find it alarming not to have access when something is going wrong.

(Yes, I have run into problems that were found to be glitches in the programming of the site!)

What happened - where is our CONTACT option in a Help Center?

Terry142 · ‎19-11-2017

I've noticed in airbnbmag that the featured properties have a number (like VRBO or Homeaway). Do all properties have a number? I have never seen one for ours.

Jann3 · ‎19-11-2017

Go to your listing in a web browser (desktop computer or phone web browser).

The URL will look like this (this is mine):

http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/20321286

The 20321286 is the ID number of my listing. I don't know how you search for that in the interface... 20321286 does not bring up my location when I put it in the search box tho...

Jann

Sheila146 · ‎20-11-2017

Hi @Lizzie

Here is a question I haven't seen yet re search: due to the fact that many "Guests don't read" (as was stated at an Airbnb Host Forum I attended recently here in Vienna Austria), I have been reported to Airbnb 3 times since I started in July 2016 by guests for inaccurate listing regarding noise in the apartment, whereby I received a scolding email from Airbnb's computer; this in spite of the fact that it is stated clearly in the short listing that the living room window faces the medium busy street on a low floor and there is some noise. So guests complained without ever actually reading the listing. I can just delete the scolding email (which proves that Airbnb doesn't actually verify the guest's complaint) --

--- BUT what is important is whether this affect the listing's ranking in the search? If so, then Airbnb should be available to field a response from the host to make sure the host is not being penalized without grounds, because guests can't be bothered to read the listing.

I have now taken the suggestion from the forum to point out any drawbacks to guests as soon as they book, and I think this is a good solution for the future.

Re instant book, I have always had it on, and appreciate the feature as some of the hosts who have written here also do. But I can also understand the complaints about it being prioritized in the search over those who want to be more hands-on about who stays.

I do feel Airbnb could offer more "education" to guests about how to use the platform when the guests first join Airbnb. I have gotten ridicuously ignorant questions from people after they instant book (which I always answer graciously), and this makes me wonder if Airbnb is doing their part in informing new people how it all works. This ignorance can also result in unfair reviews for hosts.

Thanks,

Sheila

William284 · ‎20-11-2017

@Sheila146 Like you and like many others in this thread, I am totally frustrated with guests who do NOT read the listing and house rules and who then complain about issues that are clearly explained in the listing. I have recently done something that I hope will ameliorate the problem; however, only time will tell. I have inserted a section at the end of my house rules that tells the reader to ask for a "respectful guest discount". If they have read the house rules, the details of the listing, and perused the pictures (which also contain some necessary explanations), then they will come to this offer, and they will know to ask for the discount. When a prospective guest makes an inquiry or a reservation, at least I will know whether they have read everything -- after all, nobody passes up an opportunity for a discount. In order to pay for the discount, I hiked the cleaning fee a couple of dollars. I will lose a few dollars on the good guests who read (and get the discount) and make a few extra dollars on the guests who fail to read (and, therefore, don't get the discount). Over time, I will see how this experiment works.

Anne668 · ‎02-12-2017

Why not simply put at the end of your listing, "If you have read to the end, you are entitled to an automatic 5% off"?

William284 · ‎02-12-2017

I offer a $15 US Dollar discount at the end of my listing description and at the end of my House Rules. I tell prospective guests to ask for the "respectful guest" discount to show that they have read the House Rules and/or the listing description. Almost no one requests this discount, although prospective guests will sometimes plead for a discount based on some random excuse. I am forced to surmise that almost no one is reading the listing description nor the House Rules. Even when I predicate my acceptance of their reservation on the condition that they will read the description and House Rules before arriving, I am convinced that none do. I am certain about that based on the questions that they ask -- questions that are clearly answered in my listing. I am exasperated. I couldn't imagine booking a place without carefully reading the description. I simply couldn't imagine doing that. Clearly I am in in tiny minority.

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