Listing not getting bookings

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

Hi there fellow hosts! I am seeking your help and input. My listing is not getting very many bookings and I don't know if it is just due to the competition in our area or if there is something(s) I can do to make my listing more appealing to prospective guests. If some of you with more experience than I have could take the time to look at my listing and give me advise/suggestions on ways I can make my listing more appealing it sure would be appreciated . Please also tell me what you do like about my listing (if anything). I am not very experienced at this and would really appreciate some feedback from more experienced hosts! I have already posted a question very similar to this one but only got one response. Would sure appreciate more than one opinion!

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

Hi Dani,  Don't even get me started on how I feel about this. Seems to me Airbnb has lost sight of their entire original concept! Pushing us little people out!

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Mary-And-Kelly0

Our ABB units are in Zagreb, Croatia where the competition is very very high. Every day new units are open and they are all newly renovated and decorated with beautifull expensive bathrooms , trendy furniture, modern color sheme etc... There is no way anyone is able to rent a place furnished and decorated 10 years ago in shabby chic, country or rustic style 😞 

So if I were you , I would start at least with some low budget updating. For example in your bathroom I would replace shower curtain and bath mats with new  black and white ones. I would repaint your sink cabinet in mat dark gray color .

Then in bedrooms I would remove additional carpets and replace bed linens with new and color matching one-color ones etc...etc.... You got the picture 🙂

For fresh ideas about home decor, color shemes and new trends you can browse pinterest.com . 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

ps... and then, on the end, I would hire a professional photographer 🙂

[Rene-and-Zac0]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 I thought the SAME exact thing!

I think sometimes we fall in love with what we have created.

One time Zac, bless his heart, wanted to make pancakes for everyone’s breakfast.

He put gummy worms, marshmallows, tic tacs, chocolate syrup, grape jelly and pimento olives on the pancakes.

Yeah, he technically made pancakes but they would be much better if he followed a recipe. 

Now I can sit there and tell Zac how to make great pancakes till the cows come home but if he’s in love with HIS pancakes, he’s not going to listen because he thinks his pancakes are great.

This is just one more thing I see, your rate is very high for what you are offering. Just my opinion.

’You know it’s hard out here for a Host’

[Fred13]

@Mary-And-Kelly0Conceptually speaking, I would also give attention to your actual description, which is informative but has what seems to me these too-realistic and too-sudden 'logistical' points, about separate entrances, a private cupboard, and such things which should come later, after you make the reader excited.

   Your place struck me as 'romantic and idealistic', start that way and paint an impresionist portrait and THEN can get into specific and logistics. Perhaps start with the word - "Imagine, a place in...that...".

   Btw, really a GREAT place! So yes, probably the low present interest is only temporary.

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

@Fred13 Hi Fred, thank you so much for taking the time to look at my listing. Romantic and idealistic are what I was going for in the decor. I will definitely work on my description I did that description when we first started hosting so it is probably beyond time to update it. I will see what I can creatively do with it. When I do I may ask you to take another look. Would that be ok with you? I really do appreciate the input and thank you for including the positive.

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

 @Rene-and-Zac0 Hi Renee, thank you for your input. First off I am not so in love with my listing that I don't want to chane anything. I wouldn't be asking for help here if that were the case. Secondly if I had the money to pay a professional photographer to come out and take pictures of my listing don't you think I would have done that? Now if you want to pay a professional to come take pictures I will definitely use your suggestion.

[Rene-and-Zac0]

@Mary-And-Kelly0 You’re right. My mistake. Good luck.

’You know it’s hard out here for a Host’

[Fred13]

Absolutely. It is a lovely place and this slow time is a great opportunity to 'tune' things further. I go over my description constantly, as things change, and it is amazing the little things we missed. I read your reviews and they are so strong (and oftentimes emotional), make note of the sentiments your lovely place evoked in your past guests. 😉

[Linda108]

Competetion is the name of the game and a couple of years ago Air BNB solicited more competition.   Some of this competetion is not to the standards that many of us hold, but the guests have changed as well.  So, @Mary-And-Kelly0, you need to tweak a successful business and make it current.  

Make small decor changes.  Look at how your market place is changing.  Never be stagnant.  Frankly, I find that fun and I believe in the "if it ain't broke...". However, if you are not getting the business you are used to, then it is "broke".  Good news is that you have a great base of good reviews.  The new flashy listings do not.  As mentioned, make sure your pictures really tell a story and excite the potential guest.  I was lucky to have a professional photographer, but I have also inserted updates that are not professional.

[Jennifer4]

@Mary-And-Kelly0

As a super host myself with almost 40 properties it helped me a lot, receiving professional advice about pricing, opportunities, listing quality, demand etc. At the end, a lot of small steps in the right direction make a big difference. I used Rentals Marketing and am happy with their consulting services, I do know there are several companies providing these services. So it might be worth it for you to look into this. 

[Paul154]

@Mary-And-Kelly0

Your concern reminds me of a wonderful time I had on a ski trip with my nephew.  In your wonderful town,

we rented a studio  on the main street accross from the gazebo. 

It was magical. it was Midweek January. A blizzard had come through. All the xmas light were on.

At 9:00 pm there was only one car parked on the main street!

The studio we rented was 1/3 of the summer rate. We thought we were kings!

As a host, Off-season sucks.

[Matthew285]

@Mary-And-Kelly0 you have very nice property!

I see you have a lot of very experienced hosts providing good advice already.

The topic that interests me about your listing is this: given all the great reviews, why is your listing not higher in the search results?

When I searched in Leavenworth, thankfully there are fewer than 300 listings (so we don't have to move the map or add filters.) Your listing showed up as #151 of 212, which seemed quite low considering all the great ratings and reviews you have.

Normally, when a new host asks why their listing is so low, it is hard to tell them that what they really need is a history of happy guests. You have that already. I would think that would mean you would be higher up.

You already have Instant Book on. You've never cancelled a confirmed booking.

It is like your listing is a model of all the things a host should do to get a high search ranking... yet the listing is not so high. I really do not get it.

Do you have any theories about why this listing isn't higher in the list?

You know your area and competition better than any of us.

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

@Matthew285 Hi Mathew, thank you for taking the time to look at my listing. To answer your question (sort of) I have absolutely no idea why I show so low in search results I certainly wish I did so I could do something about it. My listing has shown that low for over 6 months and has not moved no matter what I do. Trust me I am exceedingly frustrated about it. I have talked to Airbnb several times about exactly this their answer is always raise/lower your price, take better pictures, change description etc. I have done all of that and still no movement so if you or someone else has any ideas please let me know! There are several ranked above me in search results that are not superhost, no reviews and higher priced I DON'T UNDERSTAND! I have tried everything.

[Matthew285]

@Mary-And-Kelly0 well, *I* would certainly put your listing higher up the list.

I have no insider knowledge at all about how the rankings are done, but I have tried to gather together what information AirBnB has released publicly on the topic. You may have seen me post this information every now and then in response to people's question on how to rank higher. I know there is more going on with your situation than just the search ranking, but I figure higher ranking is better than lower ranking.

If you don't mind, I'll include the information here to make it more convenient for you; maybe something in it will resonate with your situation:

AirBnB is deliberately vague on how ranking is done. Here is their information page about it:

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

Here is one AirbnB blog entry about search matching:

https://blog.atairbnb.com/how-search-makes-the-best-matches/

Here is a very informative AirBnB blog entry about how to rank higher (I think this one is the best):

https://blog.atairbnb.com/search/

Finally, here is a Reddit post where someone did a small bit of analysis about search ranking:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AirBnB/comments/6113kx/ranking_of_listing_factors_correlating_to_search/?st...

If you don't have time to read all the links, here are some highlights (in no particular order):

1. Instant Book: Very Helpful
2. SuperHost status: Not supposed to be a factor.
3. Being the kind of host that *is* a SuperHost: Definitely a factor.
4. Tweaking your listing every day: Not Helpful
5. Being put on lots of people's Wish Lists: Very Good
6. Getting clicked on (views): Good
7. Receiving inquiries: Good
8. Competitive price: Very Good.
9. Declining people’s booking requests: Bad
10. Positive Ratings from Guests: Good
11. Having lots of reviews: Good
12. Being a new listing: Very Good
13. Being responsive to guests: Good
14. Cancelling a confirmed booking: Very Bad

Also: be aware that the way the search results are ranked can vary from one guest to another. Just because you are high or low in the list for one guest doesn’t mean you will be in that position for ALL guests.