I would love a review of my listing and advice on why my bookings have stopped.

[Amy532]

We have had 4 bookings 3 with AirBnb. We are at 5 stars. We accept pets and have a saltwater pool and hot tub. We are 10 miles from North Myrtle Beach yet very close to shopping and dining. When I initially went active, I got 3 bookings almost immediately. Now, nothing for almost 3 weeks. I have lowered the price. No idea on what to do next? Help!!!!  

Havens Way to the Ocean 10 miles, Saltwater Pool!

[Tony134]

Hi Amy,

The first thing to do when you're wondering this is to test and make sure your listing is still active.  In some cases, Airbnb CS will have you 'shadow banned.'  This means your listing will appear in search results, and people can even send you messages, but the moment they try to book it will pop an error message.  You won't even get a basic message about it from Airbnb.  Airbnb left me delisted for close to two weeks last year when someone who Wasn't Even an Airbnb Guest called the to complain about her off site stay.  Took forever to get someone on the phone to fix.  I have an extra account now I use to make sure when I get freaked out.  I send a message from extra account, reply from main accoutn with $10/night offer, than accept from extra account to make sure it's still working.

[Alexandra316]

@Amy532I did find your listing in search results and your listing seems to be active, but it took quite a bit of work. Even if I searched Longs specifically, Airbnb was showing me places in Myrtle Beach. That could be one of the reasons why. 

Here's an article that talks about your ranking in search results, and it may help with helping you move up: 

https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/39/what-factors-determine-how-my-listing-appears-in-search-result...

It seems like you're doing a lot right: you have good reviews and you're responding to all of your requests, and quickly. Having Instant Book turned on does make a big difference in your search results; I would consider turning it on, but that's very much a choice you need to make based on your personal comfort. 

Your listing is really cute, and I like the authentic tone of your written description: it's good.

I think your photos could use some improvements, though: there are some blurry ones. Also, photos look better in landscape format on Airbnb. Pictures of the room should come before pictures of plants, your pets, etc. I think it's a good idea to have pics of your pets, though: not everyone reads, and it's good to have pictures reinforcing the details of your listing wherever possible. It would also be good to have a picture of the bathroom and of any common areas inside the house. 

[Suzanne302]

@Amy532  I agree with @Alexandra316 about the photos. More pics of the room placed first. The pic of the TV is blurry and probably not needed. Also, many of the landscaping pics/sign pics are not really necessary. A potential guest wants to get an overview and feel of your space and that's what your pictures should convey.

That being said, I also notice there is A LOT of competition when searching for Myrtle Beach listings. As you know, no one is going to search for "Longs" when heading to the area, everyone is looking for the "Myrtle Beach" area. Many of the listings for private rooms are quite cheap too.

I'm not sure I would lower your price, but bookings sometimes ebb and flow. The season is winding down but in my opinion your main issue is that the area is simply flooded with ABB listings. Keep doing what you're doing as your guests certainly are happy!

[Amy532]

Thank you Ladies for your input! I will certainly work on the pictures today.  What is confusing to me, is that when I initiallially went live with my listing, I got all these bookings right away priced a few dollars more! True, people won't search Longs, but North Myrtle Beach is 7 miles away and whne i enter NMB, listings in North Carolina show up before my listing does even though my house in Longs, is much much closer.  Myrtle Beach falls into the 20 mile radius as well. Just thought my price and being pet friendly would bring more travelers? Oh,, well...gonna fix the pictures and cross post with other sites.

[Lawrene0]

@Amy532, one explanation for all the bookings when you first went live is the boost Airbnb gives new listings. We all got that. New listings are high in the search rankings, and it is not a myth. There are two listings now in my village - one with no reviews and mine with 195. The new one was shown first for a few weeks. Not significant when there are only two of you in town, but certainly so in a tourist place. So it may not be that you are doing anything wrong. Your place in the rankings may have changed. Do follow the others' advice, but I just wanted you to know why things were great at first.