@Richard531 is incorrect on this. It's not only top tier listing that are on page one. I am on page 1 (when filtering for house shares) for my city with over 3000 plus listings. And still towards the end of page one for ALL listings.
And he is wrong when he says you have to invest a bunch of money and time. I do neither 🙂
@Robbie54 I wouldn't say random but arbitrary might be a better word. Using IB, lots of great reviews and ratings, decent photos and copy, having availability, being a SH can all contribute to your rankings.
I have a homeshare but do have a look at mine for ideas on a single listing.
The formula is simple, understand what your customer wants and write your listing and photograph it from their prospective. Highlight key benefits that you know are of interest to customers who are your target market. Provide amenities you know they would like. You can make their stay memorable with unexpected treats for example I sometimes provide home made cakes or biscuits or retro chocolates. I sometimes also provide a tailored walk around of the local area. I provide high quality bedding and a mattress and extras like board games and reading books. I provide dressing gowns and a hairdryer and fresh flowers in the summer from my garden.
What I would say is that focus on getting the bookings you want. If you are it doesn't matter if you are on page 1 as long as you're generating what you need income wise.