Let's talk about search

[Ann72]

Some of us got off-topic on another thread, but I wanted to talk about it some more, so I'm starting this.

I'm SO curious about how guests use the filters when they search but I know that as @Ute42 said we will never be told.  I have heard that the algorithm uses something like 100 factors to rank our listings.  But how do guests search and how are the results impacted by what filters they use?

It might be interesting for 4 or 5 of us to conduct the exact same search with an incognito window.  We can decide on a place, dates, and number of guests and then screenshot what we find.  I don't know if this will actually tell us anything, but that's the nature of experiments.

Would love to hear what you've all observed.  Full disclosure - I have no idea how people find my places, since the location part of the algo is so very, very strange.  I'm sometimes more likely to show up in a search for a town an hour's drive away than I am for a search in my town.

@Ute42 @Sarah977 @Katrina79 @Robin4 @Emilia42 @Debra300 @Kelly149 @Anonymous @Colleen253 @Anna9170 

[Emilia42]

This sounds fun . . . where should we search? Dates? Entire place? Price range? 

[Katrina79]

I’m in! Should we just search a place with no dates and number of guests? 

[Ute42]

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@Ann72   

You are pretty active these days 🙂

As I said in the other thread, airbnb doesn't tell us which filters and to what extend guests are using when they look for places. I doubt that airbnb will ever give us this kind of information, bc what if it shows that noone is using the superhost-filter?

I'm renting my place through various distribution channels. One of them being a local rental platform in Germany and they list vacation rentals only, no shared places in metropolitan areas.

One year ago they've published an information on the use of search filters.

This is the list of search filters used by guests from 1 = very often used to 12 = rarely used

1. Location: Guests type in where they want to be = Maine, New York, Alaska
   
   

2. Number of guests
   
   

3. Pool
   
   

4. Wifi
   
   

5. Pet friendly
   
   

6. Family friendly
   
   

7. non smoking accomondation
   
   

8. Price
   
   

9. Type of listing (entire house or appartement)
   
   

10. Star rating (on this platform You can select that 5* places are displayed first)
    
    

11. Instant book enabled
    
    

12. Special price offer (last minute)

[Ann72]

@Ute42  This is fascinating!  The third thing is a pool but the eighth thing is price.  This is strictly a vacation rental booking site?

Interesting that you can select star rating - I wish Airbnb had that.  But it appears to be rarely used.  Which fits with your previous post about those low-rated places being so high in search results.

Overall it's not too surprising but it's very good to know.

Airbnb doesn't tell us, it's true.  But I've seen some early screenshots of some dashboard metrics they're planning to roll out that are very clearly based on search data.  So if they do bring those out we'll get some more insight on how guests search.

[Ute42]

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@Ann72 

Yes, this is strictly a vacation rental booking site.

I am also surprised that pool is on position 3 and price on 8.

Maybe pool is top priority to guests, then they scan through all the listings and if they find a pool-listing they really like, they are flexible with their budget. We've built our pool 5 years after having started to rent the place and after having finished the pool, business really took off.

Also the barbeque cottage that I have is selling very well. Guests can sit out in the open with a roof over their heads and they can still have a barbeque even if it's raining. Noone of my competitors has that.

When I started the rental business 17 years ago I charged $500 a week in peak season, now I'm charging $2000 and I'm always booked solid.

[Emiel1]

@Ann72 

Nice idea, but such an experiment needs  a lot of "controlled options"

- Same kind of access (computer / mobile)

- computer: same Airbnb website (like .com)

- Not using a VPN (determination by IP on where you are)

- All cookies accepted

- Same language and currency settings

- No browser history on previous access Airbnb !

- and a lot more......!

If you are only curious on which of some filters your listing shows up, just use your personal link to the search system and test it by changing the available filters:

https://www.airbnb.com/s/homes?host_id=27740975&map_toggle=true

Best regards,

Emiel

[Anna9170 · Accepted solution]

@Ann72  I have already done such an experiment, and of course there are too many nuances, but I can say for sure that "super host" in the ranking of search results does not matter.

[Ann72]

@Emilia42 @Katrina79  Fun, let's go!  Okay, how about Vancouver (I've always wanted to go there :)), 2 people, entire place, no price range, May 1-5 2021?  @Anna9170 please join in, then we'll have a searcher from outside North America.  Post a screen shot of the first 5 results?

Let me know if you'd like to use different search parameters.  

@Emiel1  Those differences are exactly what we want.  And thank you, I'll try that test you suggest, though I'm less interested in my place than curious about how search works.

[Debra300]

@Ann72, @Emilia42, @Katrina79,

Wait for me, I want to join in, also.  My search will will also be outside of North America.

@Ute42, @Emiel1, @Anna9170 

[Ann72]

Come on @Debra300 we'll wait!  And @Emiel1 and @Ute42 too 🙂

[Katrina79]

 

 

 

 

 

@Ann72 @Anna9170 @Emilia42 Top 5 Van! 

[Ann72]

Some overlap @Katrina79 but what's interesting is the overall feel of your results is very different from @Emilia42's and mine - I think that's because you searched from a phone!  What do you think?

[Ann72]

@Katrina79  And I wonder if the fact that you’re searching from

within Canada makes an impact?

[Katrina79]

@Ann72 @I’m not sure but four of mine matched with you and @Emilia42 . The only one I got that neither of you did was a guest suite studio apartment in a big old house! I have a studio suite in my house that I list on Airbnb so it could be I look at them to compare to my own and now they have my flagged as a studio apartment lover.