Search Engine Optimization – or “SEO” as the marketing folks call it. These three words can leave a short-term rental host scratching their head. However, mastering SEO for your Airbnb rental is a vital tool for success in the short-term rental industry.
This blog post will cover what exactly SEO is, how Airbnb uses it, and what you can do to optimize your Airbnb SEO ranking.
Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today!
What is Airbnb SEO?
Airbnb search engine optimization refers to where your listing appears when a guest searches for an Airbnb. For example, when a guest searches “1-bedroom properties in San Francisco” a list of potential properties is pulled. The first property listed has the highest search engine optimization. This is not by chance. Airbnb’s algorithm uses over 100 ranking factors when deciding which property gets the top spots. The more people see your property, the more bookings you get. That is why it is so important for hosts to understand Airbnb’s SEO algorithm.
How Does Airbnb SEO Rank Properties?
As we said, Airbnb takes over 100 factors into consideration when pulling a list of properties. While Airbnb hasn’t let the public into their exact recipe, they have shared the three categories that ranking factors fall into: guest needs, listing details and trip details.
These categories feel broad, but can be thought of as such:
-
Guest needs: What types of properties the guests have booked before. Ex: Airbnb’s suitable for pets, children, strong wifi, etc.
-
Listing details: How well put together the Airbnb listing is. Ex: good photos, lots of positive reviews, quick response time, etc.
-
Trip details: Specific dates and location of the property, how far in advance the guest is searching, etc.
8 Tips to Optimize Your Airbnb SEO
Now let’s talk about what you can do to maximize your rank within the Airbnb SEO algorithm:
1. Complete your listing profile
The Airbnb algorithm prioritizes complete profiles. This means you must thoroughly complete every area you can add information to within the property’s profile.
It is vital that you invest in quality Airbnb photography to maximize your listing profile. Airbnb gives a helpful SEO boost to new listings, but this assistance ends after a few weeks.
2. Have an updated calendar
You need to update your calendar every day. When using a vacation rental software like Host Tools to manage your calendar, you never have to worry about remembering to keep your calendar updated.
If you haven’t already, ensure that instant book is enabled on your listing. Airbnb will reward properties that approve rentals quickly and punish properties that frequently cancel bookings.
3. Respond to guests quickly
You need to be quickly accessible to guests. Streamline communications and answer all guest inquiries within minutes by using automated messages.
4. Get positive guest reviews
We know that having a lot of positive guest reviews is the essence of securing bookings. Airbnb rewards hosts with good reviews by featuring their listing first. Be sure you are crafting an incredible guest experience to ensure you are receiving as many 5-star reviews as possible.
5. Price your listing correctly
There is a fine line between over and under-pricing your property. Luckily, when you use a dynamic pricing tool, you can depend on highly sophisticated machine learning to match an appropriate price to your Airbnb.
A pricing tool will help keep a high booking rate percentage. A booking rate percentage is how many guests book your property compared to how many people looked at it. For example, if 100 people view your listing and 5 people book your booking rate percentage is 5%. Airbnb will reward higher percentages in their SEO rankings.
You can also use Host Tools’ pricing and availability calendar to push dynamic pricing from one platform to another, or to fully customize your pricing strategy.
6. Utilize external links
Promote your Airbnb on social media to increase your SEO ranking. The more visits your Airbnb listing gets from these links, the higher Airbnb will place your listing.
Additionally, create a generic online guidebook within your house manual to local restaurants, bars, activities, etc. Linking to those places will aid your ranking.
7. Use vacation rental software like Host Tools
Host Tools was created to make hosting as easy as possible. Use automated messaging to respond to guests quickly, cleaner automation to make sure your guests always arrive to a clean listing, calendar syncing to avoid double bookings so you never need to cancel a reservation, and more.
8. Think like your guest
Ask yourself what type of guest you are trying to attract. Are you hoping to attract digital nomads? Families on vacation? Honeymooners? Implement what you believe would be attractive to your target audience within the listing and property itself.
For example, if you’re marketing to digital nomads, highlight your short-term rental’s office space or espresso machine for those late nights. If you have a pack n’ play available to borrow or kids’s toys in a closet, highlight that. As guests react positively to your listing, Airbnb will push it higher and show it to more guests trying to find accommodation in your area.
Airbnbs hosts are able to follow a few simple steps to maximize their Airbnb search engine optimization presence. While there are over 100 ways Airbnb SEO is calculated, ensuring that your property has maximized its listing details and fulfills guest needs will help keep your property thriving. Using vacation rental software like Host Tools will make this process as easy as possible for you!
Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today!
