Trying to understand the dreaded search Alogirithim - or - how do I get onto page one?

[Thomas746]

Ok this is going to be a little long but I think those who read it will recognize the dilemma.  I put this post into a reply to another post about the pricing and position one gets in a Traveler's search.  How to get on the top of the list.  I thought I would share this with the whole community as I've spent a lot of time testing searches and talking to the folks at Airbnb - to no avail.  So I am putting out a kind of summary of four weeks of regular work on this issue.  I'm writing this as of May 2019. 

I did a number of Airbnb searches from a position of traveler coming to Airbnb for the first time who knows or doesn't know about Plus, Superhost etc.  So I would search no plus, no super host, basic amenities, thinking if someone is looking for something other than a hotel experience they would want a kitchen, wifi, TV, a/c, heating, a private bathroom, and a bedroom - this is a whole house I'm talking about - very very centrally located in LA - a total house for guests only.  I did this kind of search with and without dates.   I also did a deeper amenities search (Superhost, instant booking, price range, dates, almost all amenities - smoke detector, hair dryer etc).

I found my place (I am a Superhost with over a dozen reviews (all 5+),  came up only when I asked for specific days I had available - only those days.  Here's a second hit to that:  if I had a five-day block open and listed all five days in the search, I came up.  If I listed only three of those five days, I didn't.  I called Airbnb and got into a circle dance that of course lead nowhere.   I also changed the price up and down.  Down seems to have an effect but not as drastic as I was hoping - I'm talking going way down.  So I can't figure it out really.  And lastly, why is it I see other places popping up on page one, three, five and seven, when I don't show up on any of the 17 pages of 300 homes?   I see these folks are double listing their places with little tweaks here and there (price, length of stay etc) to make it seem like it's a different place.  (I can't imagine Airbnb can't figure out it is the same place and do something about it - in essence giving the same place a number of hits on a search).  One thing I think might be affecting getting on a search is the amount of positive reviews.  If you have a lot of great reviews it seems to help get you on the first page.  (if it's not a plus or superhost filtered search).  But not getting on at all unless you have a specific block of dates sandwiched between booked dates and it has to be all those days requested in the search to get your place a hit.  One day less, no hit.  Sorry to repeat but I see no rhyme or reason to the algorithm.  All comments, suggestions, and commiseration welcome.

Thomas 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

Hi @Thomas746 

Your findings of:

I found my place (I am a Superhost with over a dozen reviews (all 5+), came up only when I asked for specific days I had available - only those days. Here's a second hit to that: if I had a five-day block open and listed all five days in the search, I came up. If I listed only three of those five days, I didn't

Are probably the most pertinent!

I can quote to you various research thats been done on listing placement resulting in a top 10 of:

Guest Satisfaction

Absolute Price

Listing word count

Minimum stay length

Days since calendar updated

Price/Bed

Description Length

Whether Instant Book

Review Count

Saved to Wishlist

... then 'camping' on your listing making small changes.

But that aside, what you found would work best for you.

Take what you found, mix it with those top ten and list only the most popular days you book. (Say - Friday, Saturday, Sunday). Then, make those days premium value and add an 'occassional day' at less 40% If those days match your travellers requirements you will be found, the price on your listing will be "from -40%"  then you will win and have the rest of the week off!

If your travellers are random, then its a lot more difficult.

[Thomas746]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 

Thank you for your response.  I'm not 100% clear on all of your response so I'm going to ask for clarification, please:

I can quote to you various research thats been done on listing placement resulting in a top 10 of:

Guest Satisfaction  You mean reviews here, am I correct? 

Absolute Price = day rate + cleaning+extra guests?  Is this what you mean?  

Listing word count    Not certain about this one.  The pitch at the top of the page? 

Minimum stay length  1?  3?  I've just yesterday gone from 3 to 1 to see if that changes anything.

Days since calendar updated Updated how?  I go into my Airbnb site every day.  I tweak things all the time.  But how do you update your calendar?  Update to what?  

Price/Bed    How does this compare to Absolute Price above?   I've heard have a low price on the daily rate and have it for one person, with 20 or so added for each additional guest.  So if your price is 130 you are most certainly going to get 150 as most times there is a second person.  I don't know if this impacts placement or not?  Any thoughts? 

Description Length  Not sure if you mean the paragraphs about "You're going to love your time staying at this charming..." etc or something else.  

Whether Instant Book  

Review Count  

Saved to Wishlist  - someone else saving my listing on their wishlist is what is meant here, correct? 

... then 'camping' on your listing making small changes.    Is this referring to the tweaks I do every day?  

But that aside, what you found would work best for you.

Take what you found, mix it with those top ten and list only the most popular days you book. (Say - Friday, Saturday, Sunday). Then, make those days premium value and add an 'occassional day' at less 40% If those days match your travellers requirements you will be found, the price on your listing will be "from -40%"  then you will win and have the rest of the week off!   Sorry but I'm not quite sure I'm getting this one.  I rent this place all the time.  If you're saying set a price for the weekend and then discount the other four days by 40%    So say a weekend is $200 per night it would mean weakdays M-Th would  be $120 per night?      Am I getting this idea right?  

If your travellers are random, then its a lot more difficult.  All my travelers are at this point random as I've yet to get any repeat guests.  Again, is this what you're referring to here?  

Thank you so much for responding.  

Thomas

[Sandra856]

Hi @Thomas746 🙂

I can explain how I update my calender. I simply block a random date and then unblock it. That's it. I do it almost every day. It will help you up the list as it looks like you have an updated calender. 

Best, Sandra 

[Thomas746]

@Sandra0,  Thank you.  That makes it very easy!  Apprecated. 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Thomas746 

Pm'd you some further info.

[Thomas746]

Got it, thank you.

[Ann72]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 I had the same questions that @Thomas746 had in response to your post - would you mind answering here, rather than in PM?

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Ann72 The information came from research results here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/tgl2uwdkhe721vq/Hacking%20Airbnb’s%20search%20rank%20algorithm.pdf?dl=0

@Thomas746 's questions were better served by reading through the data. Have a quick look at page 12 then then read through the research as you feel fit.

Alogirithim's can change all the time which is why I thought @Thomas746 's date availabillity searches were so interesting.

[Ann72]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 Thanks, Ian!  I read that last year but it bears re-reading.

In the meantime I'm trying to discover how people search.  There is a six-part series of articles on "Think With Google" that I'm working my way through:  https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/micro-moments/get-away-moments-travel-marketing/

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Ann72 

Thanks, I'll have a look at that too.

Last week I was talking with a friend who managed large hotels as parts of large hotel groups. He had retired but his daughter was involved with a new group and she was managing a hotel with 360 rooms. They need to fill that hotel 360 times a day for 365 days a year. When they play 'google' you don't stand a chance against them. Out there and in ABB the things that really count are the 'little' 'exclusive' 'different' things you do, or the 'twist' that @Thomas746 has found or upselling your listing in some way. 

When one listing is difficult, how difficult do think 360 per. day might be ?!

[Ann72]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 You're right, of course.  I'm not interested in doing Mariott-level marketing!  But with all the hosting tips Airbnb gives us, they never tell us how guests search.  What filters do they use, for instance?  I imagine a new user uses fewer filters while a more seasoned user uses more.  I assume they start with date and location and drill down from there.  Number of people for any more than two or three.  How many use the price filter?  InstantBook, SuperHost, entire place, etc.?  I would love to know this.

[Sarah977]

@Ann72   I'd imagine that the price filter is extensively used by almost all guests. The only people to whom price isn't a factor are those who can afford the Four Seasons, which is where they'll be staying, not looking for an Airbnb 🙂

Something I found distressing was when a guest I had last year told me that when searching for a listing here and putting in price range, it took 3 searches for my place to come up, with her upping the max each time. She only saw mine when she entered a max price far higher than what I charge, which leads me to assume that Airbnb is trying to get guests to book a higher priced property, so they can up their booking fees.

I agree, it would be very useful to see stats on which filters are used most often. Certainly would be more useful than receiving emails telling me bookings are down by 8% in my area so I should lower my price. Of course they're down- tourist season is pretty much over here until October.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Sarah977 @Ann72 

Rather than 'price' I would venture to suggest 'cost per person'. Two reasons; My ex-hotel manager friend immediately discussed my place in 'cost per person' and 'cost per person' is often used in some SEO talk.

'Cost per person' @ £30pp makes our place hyper-competitive. 'Price' @ £240 per. night makes our place expensive.

So rather than comparing 'like for like' 1-1, 4-4, 8-8 maybe 'compared to market' might be more appropriate?

[Thomas746]

Very interesting.  When you have a cost for the house and it sleeps 6.  If the house is 300 per night is the calculation based on the potential 6?  6/300=50?  And if that is correct it should be a part of SEO.  Interesting because I am not looking for someone to shape and develop my FB and Instagram.  Reaching out and getting to guests rather than waiting to get high up on a list to get seen and booked seems a good thing to do.  

Question you might have a sense about, I've been wondering if it's even possible for one unit: Airbnb folks who are pushing their FB and Instagram accounts.  Do you think they are hoping to get direct traffic they book directly from FB or a site they set up or are they looking to direct traffic to Airbnb or VRBO?