Ranking and Views dropping due to poor inquiries and declines

[Corey183]

Hi Community - Ranting and raging a bit so bear with us.

We had instant-book on since the start of our listing and recently getting really poor inquiries. We're talking about people who openly wanted to use our place for parties, fake profiles (confirmed) and worse. After 3 of these in a row, which we declined, we received an automated note from AirBnB that we'd be suspended due to a low acceptance rate.  So we called them, explained them all, send them all the proof and it was "investigated" 

They told us in order for it not to hurt us (which by this point we lost half our views after these 3 declines), they said to call them if this happens again and it won't hurt us since they'll remove the inquiry for us. Our traffic has been extremely low since then, and barely getting any views. FINALLY, we get an inquiry and even though we state our place is for 2 adults only, this couple wanted to bring their family.

We unfortunately cannot accommodate, as it's a small , 1bed separated guest room, with no room for a cot or anything like that. They understood and said they removed their request, but it didn't happen. So I contacted AirBnB as they required, explained it to them, and they removed the inquiry. THAT DAY our traffic fell to half of even what it was then and hasn't increased since!  

To put into perspective, we were getting, on average, 80-100+ views/day on a weekday (88% 1st page), and now we're getting 10-15 views on a weekend (21% 1st page)! We have not idea what we can do and AirBnB support is less than helpful. They offer nothing and tell us to just "work on improving our listing"

We just started in June, and have a 4.97 rating. Local/similar listings are getting fully booked at similar prices, with fewer amenities and this is 100% correlated to traffic. 

We're open for any advice on what we can do, as this is so heartbreaking. We've worked so hard getting our property created and listed only for an algorithm to ruin us for things out of our control --- fake profiles, partiers, etc wanting to book our place and we're forced to decline the inquiries. 

[Anonymous]

@Corey183  The "secret" the support agent failed to tell you is, you don't have to decline inquiries. You only need to write a response within 24 hours to maintain a 100% Response Rate.

These are different from Reservation Requests, which you are required to either accept or decline. 

Your Search position will get a boost when your next booking is confirmed, so try not to worry too much about the whims of the algorithm. As you've already seen, more traffic means more inappropriate inquiries, so it does have its downsides. 

If in the longer term Airbnb isn't generating the quality or quantity of guests you want, you might consider listing on a more upmarket platform. This past year, a whole generation seems to have decided that Airbnb is synonymous with Party House. Your beautiful big patio and private pool will always make your listing a magnet for that.

[Corey183]

Thanks @Anonymous I meant Reservation Requests, my apologies. Not questions/inquiries.

It's really sad. We were getting multiple requests/day until we declined the 3, and then had airbnb remove the last request. So out of the last 6 booking requests, only 2 have been viable. Instant book is still on, and we have the parameters set so their verified, etc. Dismal traffic going into a solid performing season for us here...

[Mark116]

@Corey183  You should always try to get guests to withdraw their request. 

Many won't bother, but some will.  I usually say something along the lines of 'if xx doesn't fit, or we can't accommodate xx, all you need to do is withdraw your request and you won't be charged for the reservation'.  

Another option, I've never done this, is to accept the request with the stipulation that whatever is against the rules that they asked for can't happen.  So you can accept the request for 2 persons only, and if that is not acceptable they can cancel. This is obviously more risky, but can also work. I don't know what a lot of guest cancellations would do for the algo.

[Corey183]

We know that now and even when they said they did, they hadn't...and AirBnB had to manually close out the request. The last ones put in the request for 2 people and then said they'll likely have their grandkids with them. It's a 1QN bed room with a bathroom. 

[Brian2036]

@Corey183 

I gather that you would like to discourage inappropriate requests to book your place.

 I can see how it would be appealing to people who are thinking that they can invite all their friends with all their children over to “visit,” get drunk, and laugh while their kids trash your patio area.

 I would make it very clear that nothing like that will be tolerated.

 You have a beautiful place for two people who want a quiet vacation. I doubt that you want to appeal to anyone with a different agenda.

Your listing states:

“**Due to the nature of our property, and liability, we require guests are at least 25 years of age. Thank you for understanding.“

I would expand on that to say:

NO PARTIES, Gatherings or Events will be tolerated at any time.

NO UNREGISTERED GUESTS OR VISITORS at any time, NO EXCEPTIONS!

NO CHILDREN OF ANY AGE, either as guests or as visitors, are ever allowed on the property due to insurance regulations.

I’d forget “thank you for understanding.” Maybe “thank you for going somewhere else.”

It sounds unfriendly but that’s how I want to sound when people are planning to do something unfriendly to me.

[Corey183]

Appreciate the tips! We do have language like: "Bringing unauthorized animals or additional guests will result in a nonrefundable $250 fee and immediate cancelation of reservation" located in the house rules. 

At this point, we're trying to just get traffic back to half of what it used to be. We're getting hammered by the algorithm right now. Honestly got 20 views all weekend and used to get 80-100+/day. Our 1st page ranking was 88%+ and now it's 18-22%. The cancelling of people is what killed us and not sure how to recover. 

[Michelle53]

@Corey183  There is, apparently, a slight boost for new listings in search rankings. I have no idea how long this lasts, so that might also be affecting placement in search. 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/39/what-factors-determine-how-my-listing-shows-in-search-results

[Corey183]

Yes, that was when it first listed @Michelle53 . It goes away after 3 reviews though. We were sustaining very VERY good views and rankings until the 3rd request denied (details of them in the OP). The charts go straight down from that date. When contacting AirBnB, they knew they were bad requests and said not to worry. A month later and it's only gotten worse. The last request that came in for a family, which I had AirBnB remove b/c the couple thought they had already, has nearly decimated us. The entire week and weekend we got only 20% of the traffic we would normally get on a single, regular weekday.

These are variables out of our control. If a couple wants to request to book, and then says they're bringing their family too, or wants to have people over, etc - the requests have to be declined. As hosts, we're stuck and the algorithm says the ROI for us isn't there for them to promote us due to declines booking requests. 

[Michelle53]

@Corey183  You've mentioned that you have instant book turned on since the beginning. Is that still true ?     Those settings determine whether or not someone still has to send you a Request to Book, if they have zero reviews, for example.

[Corey183]

@Michelle53   Yes they're still on, and have been. We have parameters set so they have to be verified profiles with a positive review history. We're getting booking requests for people with 0 reviews, not completed profile, etc. This is what's frustrating. We're getting fake profiles, new profiles, no history profiles, and when we decline them due to what we've mentioned above (wanting to party, bring more people, etc), we're getting punished by the algorithm. 

[Michelle53]

@Corey183  I would agree with @Mark116  then. All you can do is try and have them withdraw the request, to avoid declining.

[Corey183]

@Michelle53 Yes, we understand that and have been doing that. People don't withdraw and we have had AirBnB remove the requests after claiming it won't harm us. What we're trying to learn is how to increase our traffic back. It seems out of our control. We're not getting anything now. Nothing. 1 request in last 3 weeks. We were getting multiple/day before this all happened. Season is picking up here and our traffic is going down due to the algorithm. If you have any tips on how to increase our views, that's what we're hoping to understand. We're stuck. We've updated the listing, photos, everything they say helps, but our traffic is going the other direction. 

[Sarah977]

@Corey183  What wording do you use to try to get guests to withdraw their request? You need to make it sound like it's to their advantage to do so.

"Hi XX, thank you for your booking request, but you are asking for things which are contrary to our settings and house rules, so of course we can't accept. You should withdraw this request asap, so you will be free to look for a place which suits your needs. Having more than one request open at a time could result in you being charged for 2 bookings."

[Corey183]

@Sarah977  Yes we have strong wording in place. That isn't our challenge. The challenge is that from the last 5 booking requests, we've had to decline (manually or via AirBnB) 4 of them. They're fake profiles, partiers, etc. Now that this has occurred, we've had no bookings since. Our ranking has gone down to less than 20% of where it was, we're getting less than half the traffic as similar listings, and AirBnB is aware. They said it's their algorithm...basically telling us even through they know it's not our fault, we do'nt look profitable enough for them to promote and there is nothing they can do that will repair the damage to our rankings and traffic. I'm looking to see if anyone has tips that could help us get back to page one and increased traffic. We've been gutted by AirBnB's algorithm through no fault of our own.