Help! I have no bookings

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

Please help my listing is getting zero views and my calendar is wide open for the entire summer! I have never in my two years of hosting had such an empty calendar and nobody even looking. I have checked other listings in my area and comparable to mine and my price does not seem out of line with the other listings. In my two years of hosting it has never been this dead. No enquiries, no bookings and no views for about the last month. Where have I gone wrong? Any input and insights would be greatly appreciated.

[Lisa723]

Please don’t take the feedback personally, you did ask for it! 🙂 No disrespect intended. Unfortunately it seems more and more guests will not pore through your description and won’t be pulled in unless your title, photos, and short description really stand out, explicitly highlighting your strong suits.

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

I did ask for feedback and I appreciate everyone who took the time to respond. I don't know where you got the idea that I was taking it personally I am not. Some of the advise just doesn't fit our location. Going modern and sleek does not work for me the country cottage is more my style and more fitting for the location. I am going to see if I can get some better pictures of the canal and play that up and I am going to work on some other photos. Any suggestions you may have about how to play up the river tubing would be appreciated. I do talk about the tubing in the listing itself but have no pictures of it. I don't think that just taking a picture of the tubes we have for guests plays it up very well. So certainly I am open to ideas. As far as playing up the chalet style of the house won't get me far because most houses in our area are chalet style so it is not unique.  I am very open to constructive criticism as I want to make my listing the best it can be. One if the most booked in our area is a rustic stone house with no indoor plumbing so I don't think sleek and modern is right for my location. As far as decor goes as I said before I was going for the country cottage look which all of our guests seem to like as per reviews. The problem is the listing itself it keeps getting buried and I just don't think people are even seeing us. By the time they would hit the page I'm on they have already chosen. How do I get the listing to have better ranking in search results. When searching without dates and not logged in my listing is on page eight out of seventeen.

[Noel63]

Are you able to post a link on here to the rustic stone cottage that gets lots of bookings? Sometimes it helps to see what others are doing

[Mary-and-Col0]

Its difficult to know why, your home looks fantastic and very comfortable, love the decor and would happily book with you.  Photos are good and look very homely and comfortable in true american style, as airbnb is about sharing a space in our homes, do not want to look too sterile.

  Looking at your pricing can you make offers for weekly stays, and change the price for weekends, drop the price as a special offer as some income is better then none at all, try some external advertising, and yet still direct potential clients to airbnb to book their stay.  A facebook page, magazines, other holiday websites,  email marketing to friends relatives etc.  and if you have famous land marks or venues  perhaps let them know you have accommodation, for excursions for coach trippers etc.   

[Kathie21]

Obviously it doesn't address the 'no views' issue, but I have to say that I would hesitate to book here even though it looks a great place (for 2 people - not so sure about 6!).

If I'm looking for a self-catering place with a kitchen, it's because I want to be able to cook.   Otherwise I'll go to a hotel and have someone else clean my bathroom.  But the fridge is so full of the stuff that you provide (virtually none of which I actually want) that there is no room for the food I want buy, and the worktops are so cluttered up with things like all the Nespresso stuff (I don't like the taste of Nespresso, and hate the amount of plastic waste it creates) that there's little actual prep space.  Then the only cupboard I can see inside is full of cereal which I wouldn't eat - is there any empty cupboard space for the food I do want? (Or is it all crammed with throwaway plates and cutlery!)  And to top it off there's a pale coloured rug in the kitchen - that would definitely have to go, I'd be terrified of spilling on it while cooking!

Your space looks like the kind of place that would attract nature lovers, and such folk tend to be environmentally conscious - all that plastic waste is not going to go down well with them.

[John1574]

 @Mary-And-Kelly0

I feel your frustration with search results and with the well intentioned feedback you're receiving here.

You question was about search results and how to get your property to come up earlier in the listings.

You think your listing looks comparable to all other listings in the area so tweaking how it is presented on-line should not dramatically affect search results.

Most advice has been pretty good and at very least well-intentioned, but not about how to improve your ranking in the search results.  I would guess not much is known about how to improve search rankings.  The more views you get, I would guess, would move you up in the rankings.

I have many views, but my listing still comes up on page four or five and bookings are few.

 I think commenters are correct that there is drastically more competition than ever before.  That may very well be the only reason you’re experiencing the slow-down.

Filter through the advice and adapt what makes sense to you and try to self-market on every social-media platform you can as well as CL and local outlets as someone advised.

I would speak to AirBnB Customer Support (if you haven't done that) and see what they say.  Why not go directly to the source. I said “speak” not email.

I would also pour through the help pages and forums to get any tips you can from the AirBnB site. Sorry, if you've already tried that. 

It can be frustrating to dig through the variables and try to get to the core issues concerning views and rankings but it is valuable work and I urge you to keep trying till you have an "ah ha moment" if possible.

There is a thread that discusses AirBnB’s Customer Service and you could help by reporting how helpful they were on this thread and that thread.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/How-Do-You-Rate-AirBnB-for-Customer-Service/m-p/712486#M...

I, too, would like to learn more about Views and Search Rankings.

[Emilia42]

@Mary And Kelly The competition on Airbnb is getting really intensive. When I search Entire House listings in Leavenworth I can see 161 results. I am not sure if scrolling through the pictures on the search page counts as a “view.” I would think the searcher would actually have to click on your listing. If this is the case, as the others have said, your pictures and title are really important. I like how you switched to the full view picture of the house as your main photo. When quickly looking at other listings in Leavenworth I see a lot of sleek and modern places. Personally, this is what my eyes are drawn to. But you know best about your area and the guest you are wishing to attract.

Lizzie posted this last year about search results. You might find it helpful.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Your-top-questions-about-Airbnb-Search/m-p/509644#M12037...

[Paul154]

 ,

Zero views and an open summer in Leavenworth means something is very wrong. Airbnb has a glitch somewhere. Your place is excellent, your reviews are good, your price is reasonable.

Reach out to Airbnb for guidance.

If Airbnb cannot place you better, it's time to go to VRBO and HomeAway. Sooner than later.

Although very good, you do need to step up your marketing. Leavenworth is very nice and you are competing against very nice competitors. 

You need to be more analytical in your pictures - remove clutter and stage them.

Your cover photo is very good - until my eyes notice the air-conditioner, the different shades in the windows and the door seems unmatched somehow. Retake this picture aligning all the elements and remove the A/C. I agree with the others. Remove clutter. While I understand you want to show comfort and  your generosity, the photo lens does not translate this well. 

Your lifestyle and scenary pictures are AWESOME! I want to get in a tube with all those fun people!

Shorten your listing blurp to highlight fun and enjoyment.

Good luck

[Rachel0]

I just had a look at your listing and the first thing I noticed was "This place is on peoples' minds.  It has been viewed 121 times in the past week."  That is a good amount of views but it also means that 121 people have looked and not booked so something is going wrong.  

Your place looks as though it is in a beautiful location which should sell itself.  But, the photos do show a lot of clutter and the shower curtain is a big turn off for me.  Also, although I  only flicked through the photos very quickly I  don't remember seeing any space for the guests' clothes or luggage and if you can accommodate 6 people you need to show that you have sufficient space for all the stuff they will bring with them.  Some reorganisation and better photos may well help to improve things for you - I wish you luck.

[Kathie21]

Or people have been looking in response to this thread!