How to Improve Your Airbnb Ranking

September 2024

Holiday rental managers often turn to popular online platforms to connect with and retain clients. Airbnb is one of the booking apps where hosts can find guests. Its community is large and robust, with an estimated six million active listings worldwide. Its presence in the holiday rental market is well-known among both users and businesses. So, if you decide to list on the platform, you’ll face competition and some specific rules worth understanding.

A good positioning strategy on Airbnb can significantly boost the success of your holiday rental. Here are some key factors that influence digital positioning and, consequently, the success of your rental.

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Complete all the technical sections of the listing

If you’re wondering, “how can I get more views on my Airbnb?”, you need to consider that Airbnb operates through its own ranking system and community reviews. Users rate their experiences, and the algorithm rewards stays that are more committed to the platform and potential guests. Likewise, hosts can rate the people who stay at their holiday home. But let’s start at the beginning: the first thing is to know the property.

Provide a complete description. Guests value comfort, intimacy, and privacy. If these three aspects govern your holiday home, you’ll achieve guest satisfaction and good ratings, and the search engine will act accordingly.

Therefore, it’s important to thoroughly describe not only the internal features of the house and the amenities the guest will find (from air conditioning to electronic devices, kitchen utensils, or cleaning supplies), but also the neighbourhood it’s in, the exact street location, where they can park their vehicle if necessary, and directions to the accommodation. Attention to detail is crucial for providing a sense of trust to the guest.

It’s also essential to clearly state the booking details. Whether the guest will share common spaces with others, if there are other guests in the house, if someone will meet them with keys and instructions, or if they’ll need to handle things online. The key: the guest should be able to anticipate all details of their experience.

Complete your host profile

To build trust with the people you’re hosting, thoroughly complete your host profile and passport. These sections of the platform aim to establish a connection with the guest, create synergies, and foster trust.

To do this, provide details about your age, interests, job, curiosities about yourself, and other details that “humanise” your brand as a host. Don’t underestimate this section, as many people look for a special feeling before deciding to book a holiday rental that goes beyond the traditional hotel experience of large chains.

Tips for standing out in the search results

Being on Airbnb is much more than just filling out a profile and leaving it active on the platform. It also involves having a dynamic profile that aims to gain relevance, incorporates conveniences, and retains guests. So, if your goal is to improve your positioning on Airbnb, consider these positioning tips to boost your listing’s relevance.

Strive to get the Superhost badge. To achieve this superhost recognition, you’ll need to meet a series of requirements that Airbnb considers crucial for providing a satisfying customer experience. The Superhost criteria have evolved over the years, and currently, these are the four key requirements:

• Have an overall rating of 4.8 stars or higher.
• Maintain a response rate of 90% or higher.
• Have hosted 10 stays in the past year (or 100 nights across at least 3 bookings).
• Maintain a cancellation rate of less than 1%, not including cancellations due to “force majeure.”

When these requirements are met, a special badge appears on both your listing and your profile, highlighting your holiday home above the rest. Evaluations occur every three months, so you have four opportunities each year to perfect your holiday rental.

• Respond promptly to potential guests. We live in an age of immediacy, and Airbnb is no exception. The platform values that potential guests receive responses quickly, so they can finalise their accommodation and feel that the platform meets their needs.
• Set a competitive price. Price is a crucial factor when tenants decide on an Airbnb. So, setting a competitive price that’s appropriate for the area and the amenities of the holiday rental will be appreciated. When doing so, consider the fixed costs of the house, carefully review competitors’ prices both on and off the platform, estimate seasonality (demand based on the time of year), consider special events in the area, and understand the occupancy rate to maximise it.
• Have a good photo session. A picture is worth a thousand words, and this saying holds true on Airbnb. What catches the eye often significantly influences the final decision. Therefore, conduct a quality photo session that does justice to the accommodation and reflects reality. It’s pointless if the session is very good and creates unrealistic expectations. However, visually highlight the strengths of the house.
• In addition to hiring a professional photo session, you can use digital tools to enhance the photos and increase their clarity. Another detail: name the photos well so they appear in external searches.
• Consider what guests value. Guests have their own “wish list.” One way to attract clients is to understand what they value, so satisfaction surveys and conversations are essential for making small changes that help in this regard.

Some factors will be within your control (such as internet connection, accessibility to the property, spare towels, blankets, and bed linen) and others will not (proximity to bars, restaurants, or nature spots). However, knowing each factor is a plus when providing suitable responses to the client.

Combining online and offline experiences

Ultimately, the online environment is merely a gateway to the real holiday stay experience. Since its founding in 2008, Airbnb has established itself as a prominent player in the holiday rental ecosystem. It provides a meeting point for small holiday rental owners and guests from around the world.

Understanding how searches work on Airbnb, knowing the key factors of digital positioning, and connecting them to a home full of amenities create a unique experience. Perfect hosts must take care of the entire experiential cycle, from the moment you sit down at the computer to look for opportunities until your stay ends, to stand out on the platform.

Now that you know how to improve your positioning on Airbnb, you can make the necessary changes and complete your Airbnb profile to increase the occupancy of your holiday rental.

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