Questions - AirBnB Reports

[Terri279]

I'm new to hosting, and just published my home listing this week. Wondering if there are reports that help me understand if anyone is looking at my listing. Like 'number of click throughs on my listing', or 'number of favorites saved'. Thanks.

[Huma0]

@Terri279 

If you go click on your 'Performance' tab and then on 'Visibility', you can see first page impressions, first page clicks etc. I honestly don't know how accurate this information is though as mine is currently showing quite a lot of people looking at my listing, which I find doubtful in the current circumstances...

[Sarah977]

@Huma0  Well, all the views aren't necessarily a result of guests looking to book. As you know, many hosts here on the forum will check out other host's listings before responding to their posts, just so we can give on-point advice, or out of curiousity. Then I imagine there are plenty of people stuck at home now who might just be armchair travelling for entertainment. And there may be local hosts who are checking other host's listings to see if they are actually hosting during the lockdowns or if they are offering discounts.

[Huma0]

@Sarah977 

Yes, all very good points and those may account for the views I am getting, but 882% above the market median does sound like a lot! However, I guess a lot of hosts who are not so active on the forum or whose listings don't usually appear on the first page of results are getting close to 0, so 882% above the median (24 views a month during April) doesn't mean much right now.

[Susan17]

@Sarah977 @Huma0o

Considering the numbers online on the CC are regularly dipping below 1000 lately - and presumably that's the total across all the language CCs - it's highly unlikely forum members are contributing any sort of a significant boost to anyone's listing views anymore. 

The numbers online during lockdown have actually plummeted, and have been decreasing sharply in recent months. Even around the beginning of the year, the figures were typically 6000 - 8000. At 9am on April 20, there were 952 online, and at 4pm last Wednesday, just 721. 

[Huma0]

@Susan17 

I've been on the 'leader board' of top contributors here most of this month for some reason, so thought @Sarah977 's explanation could explain it, if as you say, the numbers here are severely decreased, that doesn't make too much sense.

@Sarah977  Armchair travelling would also explain the browsing, but not why my listings would be so much higher than the median. Also, why would so many be looking at dates in May? Surely they would be looking further ahead?

The figures seem unrealistic. For example, my listings are showing as having between 3,555 and 5,605 daily first page impressions for dates between 29 April and 29 May, as opposed to a market median of 187. Eh? Even under normal circumstances, my listings should show up far less than others as I have a 21 day minimum, so they should only appear to long-term guests who would be a minority amongst those searching.

I have always found the numbers under the progress tab somewhat doubtful, but especially now. Both the average first page impressions and listing views are almost exactly the same for every date in May, i.e. both graphs show pretty much a straight line all the way across. So, Airbnb are telling me that my listings average the same impressions and views every day of the month and that hundreds of guests are clicking on them every single day for potential bookings in May in the midst of a pandemic and lock down? Sounds like nonsense to me.

I tried to include a screenshot but my laptop is at full capacity so I couldn't save it!

[Sarah977]

@Huma0  Yes, it definitely sounds like nonsense. Seems like a weird glitch, or maybe they are spiking the numbers so they can claim to hosts and investors that people are incredibly eager to start travelling again?

[Helen3]

Are you allowed to do STRs in California at the moment @Terri279 ?

[Terri279]

@Helen3   Not currently, Not allowed through May 2020. My listing begins mid June, so we'll see.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Terri279 

Random thought - You have a check in time on your listing but no checkout time. Could this cause problems?

[Terri279]

I don't know! Thanks for the review and heads up! I just added a check out time. May have just overlooked that. Appreciate your input!